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Superior Iron Man
Superior Iron Man, Vol. 1: Infamous
How much would you pay for perfection? Beauty? Immortality? Tony Stark knows, and he's ready to give it to you in Superior Iron Man! But at a terrible price. Spinning out of Avengers & X-Men: AXIS, the old Tony Stark is back, only this time he's Superior! More stylish, more confident, and more cunning than ever before. And he's ready to lead you into the future! San Francisco is about to become the prototype for his new world concept. The first step? Release Extremis upon the entire city! Only Daredevil isn't down with Stark's new vision of the future. Does the Man without Fear have a place in the city of tomorrow? A bold new direction for the Armored Avenger begins from the creative team of Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Earth 2), and Yildray Cinar (Supergirl)! Collects Superior Iron Man (2014) #1-5.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2015
31 people are currently reading
572 people want to read
About the author
Tom Taylor
1,300 books1,047 followersOnce a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.
Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.
He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.
He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.
Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.
He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.
He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
October 18, 2015
4.5 stars
Buddy read with Jeff, who read it wrong.
I kid! I kid!
No, this one has ratings that are all over the place.
So will you like it?
Well, I think that might come down to whether or not you're a fan of the way Tom Taylor writes (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1 & Earth 2, Vol. 4: The Dark Age). And maybe also whether or not you like it when superheroes get their evil on.
Right now, Tony Stark is one of the coolest, most beloved heroes at the box office. But when it comes to the comic books, he's always kind of lurked in the grey areas.
Well, he's officially moved out of the grey!
*wild cheering*
But while the new suit may look like it came from Knight In Shining Armor catalog, Tony's new outlook on life came straight out of Villain's Monologue Monthly.
Now, I haven't had the privilege of reading all the Axis event stuff yet, but the gist is that all the superheroes turned evil, while all of the villains turned good...for a bit.
Blah, blah, Red Skull ate Xavier's brain, blah blah, psychic blowback, blah, blah, Dr. Doom & Scarlet Witch did something, balh, blah, it's all good now.
Ish.
Because Evil Tony from the Axis thing somehow figured out how to keep his Good Self from returning.
Evil Genius = Evil GENIUS
So Superior Iron Man is actually Morally Ambiguous Iron Man. Personally, I love that kind of shit! And I also loved the nod to Superior Spider-man/Doc Ock in the title.
R.I.P. you pompous bastard. Long live the bowl cut!
In this one, Tony has invented a cure for...ugly. To be fair, it also cures whatever else ails you, but most people seem to be fixated on the physical perfection aspect of it. So, if you're unhappy with yourself?
There's an app for that!
Naturally, everyone is thrilled with Tony's free app. Until the trial period is suddenly up, and the price of this thing turns out to be less than affordable for the regular Joe. The city devolves into chaos as the citizens, now (basically) addicted to Hotness, rob & loot the shit out of each other, in order to get the money they need to purchase a few more hours of perfection.
Of course, Tony isnot even a little bit horrified!
I mean how was he to know people would act like this? *cough*
Anyway, apparently, only Pepper & Daredevil are on to his shenanigans. And those two take it upon themselves to fix him.
And their plans work like charm!
Well, no. Not exactly. Otherwise, this title would be over already, and who would want that to happen?
Sit down,Jeff Hulk!
*wipes hands on pants*
So, yeah. I liked it.
Oh and I really liked Teen Abomination! He was originally slated to be a throwaway character, but everyone sort of fell in love with him, and now he's here to stay. Yay!
They even give him his own cool little origin issue at the end of this volume. I'm guessing he'll kind of keep Tony (slightly) humanized while he's going through his Superior phase.
Anyway. I had a shitload of fun reading this one. Plus, the art was slick, and the designs for everything were really cool! What more could you ask for?
Nothing, that's what!
Ok, fine.
This one isn't going to be for everyone, but I thought it was great.
Buddy read with Jeff, who read it wrong.
I kid! I kid!
No, this one has ratings that are all over the place.
So will you like it?
Well, I think that might come down to whether or not you're a fan of the way Tom Taylor writes (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1 & Earth 2, Vol. 4: The Dark Age). And maybe also whether or not you like it when superheroes get their evil on.
Right now, Tony Stark is one of the coolest, most beloved heroes at the box office. But when it comes to the comic books, he's always kind of lurked in the grey areas.
Well, he's officially moved out of the grey!
*wild cheering*
But while the new suit may look like it came from Knight In Shining Armor catalog, Tony's new outlook on life came straight out of Villain's Monologue Monthly.
Now, I haven't had the privilege of reading all the Axis event stuff yet, but the gist is that all the superheroes turned evil, while all of the villains turned good...for a bit.
Blah, blah, Red Skull ate Xavier's brain, blah blah, psychic blowback, blah, blah, Dr. Doom & Scarlet Witch did something, balh, blah, it's all good now.
Ish.
Because Evil Tony from the Axis thing somehow figured out how to keep his Good Self from returning.
Evil Genius = Evil GENIUS
So Superior Iron Man is actually Morally Ambiguous Iron Man. Personally, I love that kind of shit! And I also loved the nod to Superior Spider-man/Doc Ock in the title.
R.I.P. you pompous bastard. Long live the bowl cut!
In this one, Tony has invented a cure for...ugly. To be fair, it also cures whatever else ails you, but most people seem to be fixated on the physical perfection aspect of it. So, if you're unhappy with yourself?
There's an app for that!
Naturally, everyone is thrilled with Tony's free app. Until the trial period is suddenly up, and the price of this thing turns out to be less than affordable for the regular Joe. The city devolves into chaos as the citizens, now (basically) addicted to Hotness, rob & loot the shit out of each other, in order to get the money they need to purchase a few more hours of perfection.
Of course, Tony is
I mean how was he to know people would act like this? *cough*
Anyway, apparently, only Pepper & Daredevil are on to his shenanigans. And those two take it upon themselves to fix him.
And their plans work like charm!
Well, no. Not exactly. Otherwise, this title would be over already, and who would want that to happen?
Sit down,
*wipes hands on pants*
So, yeah. I liked it.
Oh and I really liked Teen Abomination! He was originally slated to be a throwaway character, but everyone sort of fell in love with him, and now he's here to stay. Yay!
They even give him his own cool little origin issue at the end of this volume. I'm guessing he'll kind of keep Tony (slightly) humanized while he's going through his Superior phase.
Anyway. I had a shitload of fun reading this one. Plus, the art was slick, and the designs for everything were really cool! What more could you ask for?
Nothing, that's what!
Ok, fine.
This one isn't going to be for everyone, but I thought it was great.
November 16, 2016
On paper, this was a fabulous idea.
In the Axis storyline, Tony Stark gets reversed magic’d into being the ultimate prick - Iron-Man as mountebank, an ego-driven charlatan.
Extra Special Bonus: It’s also a return to the incredibly self-involved, booze-guzzling, whore mongering of the past multiplied by a 1,000.
Tony’s got big ideas, like his new Extremis phone app that’ll turn everybody beautiful.
The first one’s free…
Heh!
He’s got other projects too.
Seemingly the only people standing in his way are Daredevil…
…and Pepper Potts. The Avengers had to bring back a teen aged Tony Stark once to stop an Iron Man gone amok,
So, on paper this was a fabulous idea. In reality, Tom Taylor does a little wheel-spinning and hanging plotlines and a lot of “didn’t I just read this dialogue/confrontation a few pages ago” stuff.
Bottom line: A blown opportunity. It reads okay a few issues in, then it’s Variations on a theme done by better writers. Instead of reading it, you can smile to yourself at all the ways this story could have played itself out.
This was a buddy read with Anne. From what I can gather, she read it wrong...
In the Axis storyline, Tony Stark gets reversed magic’d into being the ultimate prick - Iron-Man as mountebank, an ego-driven charlatan.
Extra Special Bonus: It’s also a return to the incredibly self-involved, booze-guzzling, whore mongering of the past multiplied by a 1,000.
Tony’s got big ideas, like his new Extremis phone app that’ll turn everybody beautiful.
The first one’s free…
Heh!
He’s got other projects too.
Seemingly the only people standing in his way are Daredevil…
…and Pepper Potts. The Avengers had to bring back a teen aged Tony Stark once to stop an Iron Man gone amok,
So, on paper this was a fabulous idea. In reality, Tom Taylor does a little wheel-spinning and hanging plotlines and a lot of “didn’t I just read this dialogue/confrontation a few pages ago” stuff.
Bottom line: A blown opportunity. It reads okay a few issues in, then it’s Variations on a theme done by better writers. Instead of reading it, you can smile to yourself at all the ways this story could have played itself out.
This was a buddy read with Anne. From what I can gather, she read it wrong...
February 28, 2015
In Superior Spider-Man, a dying Doc Ock successfully switched his mind with Peter Parker’s, putting Peter into his body and himself into Peter’s. While retaining some of his super-villain mindset, he nevertheless became an extremely effective Spider-Man – the Superior Spider-Man. Some Spidey fans objected to the radical change but most readers enjoyed it, secure in the knowledge that Peter would inevitably return and the dull status quo reinstated (which it was). Superior Spider-Man, critically and commercially, was a resounding success.
Which brings us to Superior Iron Man, which is not. Marvel are using the goodwill and integrity of the “Superior” label to draw readers into this far crappier title – “Superior” apparently meaning “superhero gone temporarily bad”.
Spinning out of the Axis Marvel Event, Tony Stark’s personality has been warped so he’s no longer the good guy. What does that mean? It means he’s a selfish, arrogant prick who enjoys his booze and women. Um – how is that different from old Tony? Well, this new Tony has a Starlight Express Iron Man armor and he’s all about the Benjamins (and I suppose he was sober before).
This is the pitiful and baffling setup to Superior Iron Man: Tony’s developed Extremis 3.0, an app that somehow turns you into a supermodel version of you – for a limited time. Because if you don’t renew your subscription daily for a hundred bucks, you go back to regular old you. It’s not quite as extreme as Spider-Man executing his foes in public or building a robot army and demolishing enemy strongholds, is it? (That said, writer Tom Taylor does use the city-wide surveillance network of drones idea from Superior Spider-Man for his story.)
Seriously, money? That’s what Tony Stark’s interested in – the richest dude in the Marvel Universe? What could he possibly need money for that he can’t already acquire? And why is every single opening Iron Man story in a series about Extremis!? If you’re wondering how on earth an APP you click on your phone could possibly transform you physically, a half-assed explanation appears towards the end of the book that’s totally unsatisfactory.
Other non-highlights include Daredevil (the story is set in San Francisco, Daredevil’s current residence) getting repeatedly beaten because he’s written out of character, while a terrible new character, Teen Abomination, has his name mocked numerous times because isn’t it hilarious how lame his name is?! Let’s make fun of it constantly because the readers are laughing hysterically every time we do!
I can’t say I’m a fan of Yildiray Cinar’s art either. Not only does Tony’s new base actually look like an upside down toilet, but the way he draws ordinary people vs their “extremis” selves is barely distinguishable. And why would a perfectly fine-looking teenager need Extremis 3.0 – surely the appeal to look younger and trimmer would be aimed at the older crowd rather than those who already look that way?
Tom Taylor seems to be the go-to guy for “superheroes gone bad” storylines, like his DC titles Injustice: Gods Among Us and Earth 2. His Superior Iron Man though is utterly lame. “I’m gonna make money from a sinister app, bwahahaha!” isn’t exactly as heinous as Superman murdering a pregnant Lois and deciding to take over the world!
Bad writing and plotting, uninteresting story, mediocre art - Tom Taylor’s Iron Man series is anything but superior.
Which brings us to Superior Iron Man, which is not. Marvel are using the goodwill and integrity of the “Superior” label to draw readers into this far crappier title – “Superior” apparently meaning “superhero gone temporarily bad”.
Spinning out of the Axis Marvel Event, Tony Stark’s personality has been warped so he’s no longer the good guy. What does that mean? It means he’s a selfish, arrogant prick who enjoys his booze and women. Um – how is that different from old Tony? Well, this new Tony has a Starlight Express Iron Man armor and he’s all about the Benjamins (and I suppose he was sober before).
This is the pitiful and baffling setup to Superior Iron Man: Tony’s developed Extremis 3.0, an app that somehow turns you into a supermodel version of you – for a limited time. Because if you don’t renew your subscription daily for a hundred bucks, you go back to regular old you. It’s not quite as extreme as Spider-Man executing his foes in public or building a robot army and demolishing enemy strongholds, is it? (That said, writer Tom Taylor does use the city-wide surveillance network of drones idea from Superior Spider-Man for his story.)
Seriously, money? That’s what Tony Stark’s interested in – the richest dude in the Marvel Universe? What could he possibly need money for that he can’t already acquire? And why is every single opening Iron Man story in a series about Extremis!? If you’re wondering how on earth an APP you click on your phone could possibly transform you physically, a half-assed explanation appears towards the end of the book that’s totally unsatisfactory.
Other non-highlights include Daredevil (the story is set in San Francisco, Daredevil’s current residence) getting repeatedly beaten because he’s written out of character, while a terrible new character, Teen Abomination, has his name mocked numerous times because isn’t it hilarious how lame his name is?! Let’s make fun of it constantly because the readers are laughing hysterically every time we do!
I can’t say I’m a fan of Yildiray Cinar’s art either. Not only does Tony’s new base actually look like an upside down toilet, but the way he draws ordinary people vs their “extremis” selves is barely distinguishable. And why would a perfectly fine-looking teenager need Extremis 3.0 – surely the appeal to look younger and trimmer would be aimed at the older crowd rather than those who already look that way?
Tom Taylor seems to be the go-to guy for “superheroes gone bad” storylines, like his DC titles Injustice: Gods Among Us and Earth 2. His Superior Iron Man though is utterly lame. “I’m gonna make money from a sinister app, bwahahaha!” isn’t exactly as heinous as Superman murdering a pregnant Lois and deciding to take over the world!
Bad writing and plotting, uninteresting story, mediocre art - Tom Taylor’s Iron Man series is anything but superior.
March 25, 2022
Good art, an interesting premise. What if Tony went back to his jackass persona back before he became Iron Man? Tony Stark has become a manipulative bastard who is trying to do "good" for his own manipulative ends.
March 16, 2018
Love the artwork!
September 29, 2015
A Superior Iron Man is without inhibitions and without conscience. He's also a douche squared. SO he really isn't much different from regular Iron Man, he just don't care about the consequences, as long as he gets his way.
This book, especially its initially monthly issues was executed superbly by the editor. A new persona for Iron Man meant that it would serve to be a great jumping-on point, hence the series renumbering. However, that wasn't the only thing editorial contributed, it had a page for recommended books and additional back matter. I am glad they included it for the digital collected edition.
Superior Iron Man is essentially both the hero and villain of his own book, but I found myself cheering more for Daredevil and Pepper Potts and this superior new persona is a good reason for it.
This book, especially its initially monthly issues was executed superbly by the editor. A new persona for Iron Man meant that it would serve to be a great jumping-on point, hence the series renumbering. However, that wasn't the only thing editorial contributed, it had a page for recommended books and additional back matter. I am glad they included it for the digital collected edition.
Superior Iron Man is essentially both the hero and villain of his own book, but I found myself cheering more for Daredevil and Pepper Potts and this superior new persona is a good reason for it.
September 5, 2015
"How did a Llama beat you?"
September 16, 2019
I was surprised to really like this. I don't tend to like the "Elseworlds" type stories where superheroes have an excuse to be written out of character by whoever gets the job, but this one didn't feel like too far of a stretch for Iron Man.
I don't know why Tony is an evil ruthless dick here, but it wasn't too much of a leap for his character, without inhibitions and scruples, to have created such a horrible, ethically perverse human virus. I feel like it's very much in character for him to think up horrible things, and it's only his sense of duty as a hero that stops him from actualizing them.
I don't know why Daredevil is in San Fransisco either, but I love that he's the one who tries to go head to head with Iron Man here. Iron Man and Daredevil seem so... ill-suited to go against each other (I don't think I've read a book with them both in the same room together before. Are they friends? Avengers co-workers? Acquaintances?). Matt is also a lawyer (duh) with strong ethical convictions and an unwavering sense of justice. So, their opposition was really well done here.
(What Tony does to Matt -with his sight and memory is cruel.)
Tom Taylor writes a really fun book here, with an anti-hero who you'll love to hate, with a little suspension of disbelief.
I don't know why Tony is an evil ruthless dick here, but it wasn't too much of a leap for his character, without inhibitions and scruples, to have created such a horrible, ethically perverse human virus. I feel like it's very much in character for him to think up horrible things, and it's only his sense of duty as a hero that stops him from actualizing them.
I don't know why Daredevil is in San Fransisco either, but I love that he's the one who tries to go head to head with Iron Man here. Iron Man and Daredevil seem so... ill-suited to go against each other (I don't think I've read a book with them both in the same room together before. Are they friends? Avengers co-workers? Acquaintances?). Matt is also a lawyer (duh) with strong ethical convictions and an unwavering sense of justice. So, their opposition was really well done here.
(What Tony does to Matt -with his sight and memory is cruel.)
Tom Taylor writes a really fun book here, with an anti-hero who you'll love to hate, with a little suspension of disbelief.
April 10, 2022
This was fun omg!
Its such a good volume and not everyone will like it, and its kinda like how Marvel did with Otto but since its Taylor here its written like really well and he really explores the dark side of Tony like showing his addiction, going against friend and offering a meta-commentary on corporates and politics and its sort of subtle but makes for a great read through that lens and I love how cool and flamboyant his Tony is, like bringing the RDJ touch! All in all a pretty cool read and the art is great, soa definite recommend!
Its such a good volume and not everyone will like it, and its kinda like how Marvel did with Otto but since its Taylor here its written like really well and he really explores the dark side of Tony like showing his addiction, going against friend and offering a meta-commentary on corporates and politics and its sort of subtle but makes for a great read through that lens and I love how cool and flamboyant his Tony is, like bringing the RDJ touch! All in all a pretty cool read and the art is great, soa definite recommend!
May 12, 2016
Now this is an Iron Man I can get behind! Cool story. Very fun.
May 26, 2016
Somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5. This story caught me off guard because I had no clue why Tony was this much of a dick. I haven't seen him this assholish since Civil War. It really took me awhile to adjust. However, he was actually funny in this, so that's a plus. I also really liked the art, and the fights all looked good and well done. I also loved a really great moment with Daredevil and Foggy even if it was just two pages. It really hit me as a huge Daredevil fan.
However, the story never feels serious enough. I also dislike the whole app idea, and even though it's flipped on it's head, still never hits right with me.
Saying that Tom always does a great job of hitting fun storylines with serious moments. This is no different, and if this is his weakest (Which it is so far) that's pretty damn good.
However, the story never feels serious enough. I also dislike the whole app idea, and even though it's flipped on it's head, still never hits right with me.
Saying that Tom always does a great job of hitting fun storylines with serious moments. This is no different, and if this is his weakest (Which it is so far) that's pretty damn good.
August 15, 2021
3.5 stars. Due to the events of Axis, Tony’s mind has been altered making him a super Ahole. He is borderline super villain. In this new state of mind, he has created some big new thing for the people of San Fran. The people fall I love with it and don’t want to live without it. But new dickhead Tony takes this away from them and puts a ridiculously high price on it. This of course turns the city upside down and brings a coupe of folks out to confront him about it. There is another side plot with this new character that Tony finds out he had a hand in creating. Now it will be a quest to find out who erased any and all footage from when this character was created. Took me a little bit of reading before I got acclimated with Tony being closer to a villain but once I got past that, the story was pretty solid.
April 26, 2018
"Superior Iron Man"? More like "Supersized-Ego Man."
Imagine if Tony Stark's personality is tweaked just a little more so that the old 'lovable rogue / jerk with a heart of gold' slides into 'deceitful / manipulative sociopath' (is there any other kind?). Well, here ya go. Stark peddles Extremis 3.0 to the denizens of San Francisco which impacts like an addictive opiate for the masses, initially starting a beautiful people versus dregs of society problem.
Pepper, naturally as the voice of reason, is not on board with this and Daredevil also swings into action. It doesn't go smoothly for 'DD' as Stark has a ringer in the form of angry new guy Teen Abomination. (Though I must say Daredevil had my favorite scene in the volume - he's temporarily blessed / cursed with an ability, and how he uses it as it dwindles is an emotional little moment.)
I really liked this volume, but I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise with Tom Taylor's (of DC's great Injustice: Gods Among Us series) involvement. That man knows how to craft a story.
Imagine if Tony Stark's personality is tweaked just a little more so that the old 'lovable rogue / jerk with a heart of gold' slides into 'deceitful / manipulative sociopath' (is there any other kind?). Well, here ya go. Stark peddles Extremis 3.0 to the denizens of San Francisco which impacts like an addictive opiate for the masses, initially starting a beautiful people versus dregs of society problem.
Pepper, naturally as the voice of reason, is not on board with this and Daredevil also swings into action. It doesn't go smoothly for 'DD' as Stark has a ringer in the form of angry new guy Teen Abomination. (Though I must say Daredevil had my favorite scene in the volume - he's temporarily blessed / cursed with an ability, and how he uses it as it dwindles is an emotional little moment.)
I really liked this volume, but I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise with Tom Taylor's (of DC's great Injustice: Gods Among Us series) involvement. That man knows how to craft a story.
February 6, 2017
Maybe if I had read more of Axis I'd enjoy this more. Right now it just feels like Tony is simply being a dick for the sake of being a dick but as I get further into this, it seems like there is more to the story. I mean extremis 3.0 doesn't just make you better looking but it cures you of other ailments too! It gave Matt back his sight!
Teen Abomination (sorry Tony) is growing on me a bit. It's nice to see that even evil Tony is willing to help him out a bit. The series at this time is just eh but my friend, Chelsea, was right: it's so pretty to look at!!
Teen Abomination (sorry Tony) is growing on me a bit. It's nice to see that even evil Tony is willing to help him out a bit. The series at this time is just eh but my friend, Chelsea, was right: it's so pretty to look at!!
October 2, 2018
While the story is mediocre, the artwork shines marvelously. You might confuse this for an Image comic. It's not a complete arc, so the second volume is a must. While we all know Tony to be arrogant, he is a great deal more evil here. It's fun to see what a man with endless resourses and no morals can do to a city.
Tony Stark is a changed man after facing Red Skull. The Extremis 3.0 App was given away for free and provided physical perfection for its users in San Francisco. Now evil-Tony wants to charge them heavily for it. He is opposed by Pepper, Daredevil and SHIELD throughout the story, but so far he seems to have everything under control.
Tony Stark is a changed man after facing Red Skull. The Extremis 3.0 App was given away for free and provided physical perfection for its users in San Francisco. Now evil-Tony wants to charge them heavily for it. He is opposed by Pepper, Daredevil and SHIELD throughout the story, but so far he seems to have everything under control.
May 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this story and seeing Tony succumb to this hollow selfish self isn’t hard as a former iron man hater. It’s a crazy story and I ended up enjoying the Teen Abomination side story more than I thought I would. I have the action figure and will be reading secret wars soon.
January 2, 2016
Tony Stark is a git at the best of times; a well-meaning git, but a git nonetheless.
But what if he wasn't so well-meaning, and just mostly a git?
Thus is the premise of Superior Iron Man - when Tony Stark is inverted as part of the Axis crossover, he becomes even more selfish, arrogant, and self-centered than before, but now he has all the technology of Iron Man at his disposal to cause trouble with.
When Tony introduces Extremis to the populace of San Francisco, both Daredevil (who has recently moved there) and Pepper Potts have problems with that, and do their best to try and stop him. Along the way, a new villain known as Teen Abomination (he's better than he sounds, honest) gets in the way too, and the madness continues.
Tom Taylor seems to have been type-cast as a writer who likes dealing with evil versions of everyone's favourite characters. From his gig on Injustice: Gods Among Us, then on to Earth 2 which dealt with an evil Superman, it's become a running theme - but that's probably because he's so good at it.
His Tony is an asshole through and through, but there's still a little something underneath that will make readers want to root for him, even if pretty much everything he's doing is wrong. It's probably a good thing that Tony isn't really the protagonist of this story - that falls to Daredevil for the most part, since Tony's not really that nice of a guy anymore, whereas everyone loves poor Daredevil because no matter how far he gets knocked down, he's always trying to make his way back up.
The artwork is mostly by Yildiray Cinar, who invokes Mark Bagley quite a lot, but his work is sleek and smooth, with the new Iron Man suit being gorgeously designed. The fill-in issue by Laura Braga is perhaps more detailed, so it's a shame she didn't stick around for longer, but overall there's nothing to worry about on the art front for this book.
This is a good beginning to the short-lived Superior Iron Man series, and I'm intrigued as to where the story will go as it concludes, since there are a lot of things to deal with and only four issues of the title remaining. Fingers crossed it's a satisfying conclusion.
But what if he wasn't so well-meaning, and just mostly a git?
Thus is the premise of Superior Iron Man - when Tony Stark is inverted as part of the Axis crossover, he becomes even more selfish, arrogant, and self-centered than before, but now he has all the technology of Iron Man at his disposal to cause trouble with.
When Tony introduces Extremis to the populace of San Francisco, both Daredevil (who has recently moved there) and Pepper Potts have problems with that, and do their best to try and stop him. Along the way, a new villain known as Teen Abomination (he's better than he sounds, honest) gets in the way too, and the madness continues.
Tom Taylor seems to have been type-cast as a writer who likes dealing with evil versions of everyone's favourite characters. From his gig on Injustice: Gods Among Us, then on to Earth 2 which dealt with an evil Superman, it's become a running theme - but that's probably because he's so good at it.
His Tony is an asshole through and through, but there's still a little something underneath that will make readers want to root for him, even if pretty much everything he's doing is wrong. It's probably a good thing that Tony isn't really the protagonist of this story - that falls to Daredevil for the most part, since Tony's not really that nice of a guy anymore, whereas everyone loves poor Daredevil because no matter how far he gets knocked down, he's always trying to make his way back up.
The artwork is mostly by Yildiray Cinar, who invokes Mark Bagley quite a lot, but his work is sleek and smooth, with the new Iron Man suit being gorgeously designed. The fill-in issue by Laura Braga is perhaps more detailed, so it's a shame she didn't stick around for longer, but overall there's nothing to worry about on the art front for this book.
This is a good beginning to the short-lived Superior Iron Man series, and I'm intrigued as to where the story will go as it concludes, since there are a lot of things to deal with and only four issues of the title remaining. Fingers crossed it's a satisfying conclusion.
April 24, 2016
I was more than just ambivalent about this book. Yes, I loved The Superior Spider-Man, against all odds, but this initially looked like a cynical attempt to cash in on an experiment that went strangely right. And ok, maybe it is exactly that. But Taylor is unnaturally good about turning a cynical cash grab into compelling reading. (See Injustice: Gods Among Us, if you haven't already.) And he's done it again.
Now, I haven't read Axis, and I'm not likely to, but my impression had been that the "good" Marvel characters involved in the event would be turned evil, and that evil Tony, being as smart as good Tony, had figured out a way to prevent being reverted to his original self. If this had been all evil Tony, I likely would have gotten bored. Absolute evil is as boring as absolute good, after all. Luckily, Taylor doesn't do that. This is a darker version of Tony Stark, no question, but he isn't unquestionably evil. I suppose that makes sense. Good Tony was broadly on the "good" team, but he had moral ambiguities in spades. An exact mirror image of him should be pretty much exactly as Taylor writes him.
Spot-on characterization aside, Taylor also scores big with using Daredevil as an antagonist. Since reading through Waid's run on the character, I've developed a soft spot for the character, and it was great to see him almost get the better of Tony Stark. Also great was Pepper Potts not being fooled for one minute, and having a contingency plan. I very much look forward to seeing that play out. Right now, I'm undecided about the Teenage Abomination storyline. The character started as a gag and is slowly being developed into something more. Not sure yet how I'm going to feel about this, so I'm reserving judgement.
This is so, so much better than I'd thought it would be, and better than it really had any right to be. Tom Taylor strikes again.
Now, I haven't read Axis, and I'm not likely to, but my impression had been that the "good" Marvel characters involved in the event would be turned evil, and that evil Tony, being as smart as good Tony, had figured out a way to prevent being reverted to his original self. If this had been all evil Tony, I likely would have gotten bored. Absolute evil is as boring as absolute good, after all. Luckily, Taylor doesn't do that. This is a darker version of Tony Stark, no question, but he isn't unquestionably evil. I suppose that makes sense. Good Tony was broadly on the "good" team, but he had moral ambiguities in spades. An exact mirror image of him should be pretty much exactly as Taylor writes him.
Spot-on characterization aside, Taylor also scores big with using Daredevil as an antagonist. Since reading through Waid's run on the character, I've developed a soft spot for the character, and it was great to see him almost get the better of Tony Stark. Also great was Pepper Potts not being fooled for one minute, and having a contingency plan. I very much look forward to seeing that play out. Right now, I'm undecided about the Teenage Abomination storyline. The character started as a gag and is slowly being developed into something more. Not sure yet how I'm going to feel about this, so I'm reserving judgement.
This is so, so much better than I'd thought it would be, and better than it really had any right to be. Tom Taylor strikes again.
July 8, 2015
A clever idea, to keep Tony sorta-evil for a while after Axis. My main complaint about that event was "not enough time to explore the characters," so this is perfect. The art is great, the new suit is suitable (ha!) and I look forward to another cool upgrade whenever Tony's un-eviled. In this volume, the different characters and elements are skillfully positioned for future events, and I'm definitely looking forward to more.
Tony's got snappy dialogue that could be delivered by Robert Downey Jr., and there are other characters familiar from the movies, so it wouldn't be too great of a leap to just pick this up and read it. The previously-on page should tell you all you need to know about Axis.
Tony's got snappy dialogue that could be delivered by Robert Downey Jr., and there are other characters familiar from the movies, so it wouldn't be too great of a leap to just pick this up and read it. The previously-on page should tell you all you need to know about Axis.
September 20, 2015
I couldn't even finish this. Tony Stark trying to out do the old him, Extremis and Iron Sights? It's like a cheap ripoff of Superior Spider-Man.
April 20, 2015
Tony Stark is an a$$ here and I love it. There is, of course, a bigger picture working here as well. I am enjoying the art.
May 11, 2015
Solid premise. Fun opening volume. I'm generally not an Iron Man buying but I'll come back for the next chapter.
September 13, 2021
Piss poor pathetic, really.
June 8, 2019
An enjoyable return for the Iron Man character for me after having not read any Iron Man books since the incredible Matt Fraction run on Invincible Iron Man and Kieron Gillen’s run on Iron Man (I need to reread them for Goodreads).
This Iron Man tale spins out of the Axis event which saw heroes and villains swap roles and take on each other’s characteristics. We see here a Tony Stark that has less of a moral compass and dialling his confidence and ego to the extreme. It has hard to root for this version of Tony, he is almost the antagonist of his own story.
There are some fun twists and character moments to be found, especially a part involving Daredevil. There are also hints at a deeper story with a app & monetised version of Extremis that Tony is selling to the populace. Good commentary on the price people put on looks, felt akin to a Black Mirror storyline.
Overall this is an enjoyable Iron Man story, it’s however not the best and I would not recommend it as a starting point. If you were expecting the type of Tony Stark/Iron Man character we have grown accustomed to from the films you will be disappointed. If like myself you have followed Tony’s adventures in the comics this book is easier to get into.
A special mention for the Iron Man armour in this book as it looks amazing and may become one of my favourites.
This Iron Man tale spins out of the Axis event which saw heroes and villains swap roles and take on each other’s characteristics. We see here a Tony Stark that has less of a moral compass and dialling his confidence and ego to the extreme. It has hard to root for this version of Tony, he is almost the antagonist of his own story.
There are some fun twists and character moments to be found, especially a part involving Daredevil. There are also hints at a deeper story with a app & monetised version of Extremis that Tony is selling to the populace. Good commentary on the price people put on looks, felt akin to a Black Mirror storyline.
Overall this is an enjoyable Iron Man story, it’s however not the best and I would not recommend it as a starting point. If you were expecting the type of Tony Stark/Iron Man character we have grown accustomed to from the films you will be disappointed. If like myself you have followed Tony’s adventures in the comics this book is easier to get into.
A special mention for the Iron Man armour in this book as it looks amazing and may become one of my favourites.
August 20, 2018
This story serves as the first Iron Man story within the Marvel Reboot. And since it comes after Axis, a few of the characters are "inversed" so that they are somewhat evil by the time the first issue rolls in. And while this didn't work with Captain America (in my opinion), it works well here. Tony is back to drinking, back to making money no matter the cause, and back to being pretty much a selfish bastard.
I've been reading Iron Mans chronology from "demon in a bottle" onwards, and at the beginning, his character was very much like this. Modern day telling of Tony's story has a lot to with Tony trying to be a better person and trying to redeem himself by being selfish and basically more heroic in spite of himself. This book explores what kind of Iron Man we would have if he never tried to change.
The art is solid and the story is good too with a nice co-staring role by Daredevil, who is essentially the stalwart for the more "traditional good guy". Think Rorshach to Tony Starks - Ozymandias.
Recommended for anyone who likes Iron Man, especially the old style shellhead.
I've been reading Iron Mans chronology from "demon in a bottle" onwards, and at the beginning, his character was very much like this. Modern day telling of Tony's story has a lot to with Tony trying to be a better person and trying to redeem himself by being selfish and basically more heroic in spite of himself. This book explores what kind of Iron Man we would have if he never tried to change.
The art is solid and the story is good too with a nice co-staring role by Daredevil, who is essentially the stalwart for the more "traditional good guy". Think Rorshach to Tony Starks - Ozymandias.
Recommended for anyone who likes Iron Man, especially the old style shellhead.
September 30, 2018
This is good stuff. The movie Iron Man has always been a good guy, but the comic book Iron Man...well, let's just say he can be a jerk and often. So after the X-Men/Avengers event AXIS some heroes turned villain and some villains turned hero. I think all that got sorted out, but somehow Iron Man still retained most of his evil side. I can't tell just how evil, but he sure is an arrogant and cocky SOB. Um, I mean even more than normal.
So Daredevil of all people steps up to call Tony on his jerkiness. We see a character named Teen Abomination show up (yes, the name is ridiculed) and we wonder just how evil this Tony is. Overall a very entertaining read with above average art. Interested to see how things wrap up in the next volume.
So Daredevil of all people steps up to call Tony on his jerkiness. We see a character named Teen Abomination show up (yes, the name is ridiculed) and we wonder just how evil this Tony is. Overall a very entertaining read with above average art. Interested to see how things wrap up in the next volume.
December 5, 2025
Tony basically lets his Id take control- he wants to milk his intelligence and the world for all it’s worth- he’s back on the bag and boozing, picking up ladies and being a real piece of work. I like this twist, Tony feels like he’s usually TRYING to be good but now he’s like screw it, I win!
I like the costume design- the all white feels flashy and modern like an Apple product. His ability to track and influence people using their devices also feels like an Apple product.
I had to read this because I found the marvel legend at Ross and liked the design so much, a worthwhile read.
I like the costume design- the all white feels flashy and modern like an Apple product. His ability to track and influence people using their devices also feels like an Apple product.
I had to read this because I found the marvel legend at Ross and liked the design so much, a worthwhile read.
August 19, 2024
"I'm the most intelligent, capable person on the planet. I'm not playing God - all this time... I've been playing human."
No soy pretenciosa, tengo que admitir que es de mis favoritas
No soy pretenciosa, tengo que admitir que es de mis favoritas
August 24, 2024
What?? My trust in billionaire's ethics are being severely tested...
March 10, 2025
I love how Tony Stark was written. However, I did not like the story of the app taking over people's looks, etc. Love the art design and this has become my favorite Iron Man suit.
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