Iron Man by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Romita Jr.

The Invincible Iron Man (1968) #115-157

by David Michelinie, Bob Layton (Illustrator), John Romita Jr. (Illustrator)

Up-and-coming talents David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Romita Jr. joined forces to take on Marvel's Golden Avenger in 1978 - and captured lighting in a bottle! Now, their history-making first run is collected in one massive volume! From Tony Stark's taboo-shattering struggle with alcoholism to Iron Man's legendary clash with Dr. Doom during King Arthur's time, this one's got it all - including Justin Hammer's introduction; a brutal battle against the Hulk; the menaces of Madame Masque, the Melter, Blizzard, Whiplash, the Dreadnoughts, the Titanium Man and more; and the debut of Tony's outer-space and stealth armors! Guest-starring Ant-Man, Namor and more! Collecting IRON MAN (1968) #115-157.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book

944 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1982

Reviews

[Rich Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great old school bronze age fun. If you like Claremont X-Men and Simonson Thor give it a chance.

[Matthew Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun set of stories that are a must read for any fan of Iron Man.

Having read some of the character’s Silver Age stories prior to this book, it’s very clear that this is really when Iron Man was written with the level of care and attention he deserves.

The book is at its best when there’s a sense of forward momentum, a point, rather than just episodic adventures of Tony battling bad guys.

The art throughout is solid thanks to to the team of Romita and Layton, I don’t think there was a single fill in artist.

I just hope Marvel gets their act together and reprints the Dennis O’Neil run as well as Michelinie’s second time with the character because this left me wanting more.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of BIG Iron Man stories here, but it's funny how the classic stories are so often short. Iron Man kicks his drinking habit in, what?, three issues? (I know, I know it comes back, but still you would think he had an alcoholism problem for 20 real-time years the way it's become so central to the character.)

Sometimes it's exciting.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about time this comic improved! These are good stories (some of them are great stories), with direction and characterization and solid art. It's the first time this title has seen this sort of quality.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Iron Man collection. Definitely the best of the older Iron Man material.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume covers the Iron Man stories right before I started reading it regularly. I'm familiar with this team and perhaps it is nostalgia, but I really like this writing/art team. There's something about Layton's inks on top of John Romita Jr's pencils that appeals to me. One thing I noticed is that IM always looks shiny and metallic (despite the lack of digital coloring and effects that are used nowadays.) JRJR is still one of the best storytellers in the business, meaning panel to panel, I can always follow what it is happening. Layton's pencils are ok, but I find he's a much better inker with a nice clean lines, with well balanced lights and shadows.

For the stories, keep in mind that it is written in the late 70's/early 80's. There's quite a bit of dialogue which I know can be a turnoff for modern readers, however it is more the characters speaking than huge captions explaining things.

What I like about this team's version of Tony Stark is that he is a human being and even though he is a multi-millionaire and superhero, he still makes mistakes, still has bad luck, still has preferences when it comes to food or clothes, just like the average person. He comes off as both believable and likable.

Something else that you don't find in the modern stories is that he actually saves innocents, even during a battle. This Tony also doesn't have that flippant arrogant ego about him that Robert Downey Jr brought to the character. This Tony is just a nice guy wanting to help people and that's how I personally like my heroes.

Another point about this run is that Tony's company is nearly a character in and of itself. The duties of being a CEO and owner of your own company are integral to these stories, many times (perhaps a few too many) they are the cause of the adventure. I miss that from today's IM books. Whether it's corporate espionage, buying up rival companies, or dealing with employee issues, it all adds to the depth of the character. Along with that, some of the employees become and important part of the cast including head of security and publicist. They are used often enough that you being to recognize and remember them, and eventually they become front and center in a story with IM.

While there is plenty of action, IM has never had a really formidable rogues gallery. Most are lackey's with the aforementioned rival corporations and generally they are in some type of enhanced "suit". This volume also contains the famous "Demon in a Bottle" storyline where Tony's battles his greatest enemy: alcoholism. New readers should keep in mind that the significance of the story is more important (a hero dealing with alcoholism.) In my opinion, the story itself is rather mundane and the disease is dealt with rather quickly.

All in all, it's one of the best runs IM has ever had. It does come off as a little dated but still worth a read. I'm also looking forward to V2 from this team, all of which I have read but would very much like to have them in a nice Omnibus package.

[Gareth Nang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre writing and forgettable stories. Only the major arcs Demon in a Bottle and Doomquest are worth reading and they're not enough to warrant purchasing this omnibus.