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The Invincible Iron Man (2004) (Collected Editions) #4-7
Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Collection
Tony Stark takes on the Marvel Universe's hardest job: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.! And he's just the futurist to bring the peacekeeping intelligence organization up to date! But with Tony in the hot seat, what will that mean for Iron Man? He'll face techno-zombies, an old hero with a grudge, a traitor in the Initiative and regime change in the nation of Madripoor! Will Tony Stark crack under the pressure of being the world's top cop?
COLLECTING: IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 15-32, ANNUAL 1
COLLECTING: IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 15-32, ANNUAL 1
472 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 20, 2023
I love the graphic novel / trade paperback format. It collects issues of disparate comic books with a common theme and places them together in a neatly packaged, glossy format. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a collection of the post-civil war comic books after the pro-registration faction won.
Tony Stark takes the reins of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (the most awkward acronym word salad of an organization ever.) The story arcs that are included involve the World War Hulk storyline where Iron Man and several of the more Science Geeks (Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Tony Stark) decide to banish Hulk from the Earth. That does not go so well.
Also, the Mandarin steps up in Regime Change to once again become the global terrorist threat he always had been, but had experienced a diminution of want. He returns to his most vengeful self and attempts to make Tony Stark feel the diminution. Also, one of Stark's college pals makes his return to Tony's life and repay attempted kindness with ill. There's a vast collection of writers and artist that are brought together to make this a lovely and funtastic collection that was a sincere pleasure to read.
Tony Stark takes the reins of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (the most awkward acronym word salad of an organization ever.) The story arcs that are included involve the World War Hulk storyline where Iron Man and several of the more Science Geeks (Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Tony Stark) decide to banish Hulk from the Earth. That does not go so well.
Also, the Mandarin steps up in Regime Change to once again become the global terrorist threat he always had been, but had experienced a diminution of want. He returns to his most vengeful self and attempts to make Tony Stark feel the diminution. Also, one of Stark's college pals makes his return to Tony's life and repay attempted kindness with ill. There's a vast collection of writers and artist that are brought together to make this a lovely and funtastic collection that was a sincere pleasure to read.
March 13, 2018
Wow! What a breath of fresh air after so many mediocre Iron Man comics.
This is just... this reminds me why I never hated the 616 Civil War arc. It also reminds me why the MCU version is such a disappointment. Some of the best Marvel runs came during and after that arc and this is one of them. I don't believe I've read much by Daniel and Charles Knauf before but I'll be checking out more of their stuff because their work in this series was fantastic! I've never seen someone understand Tony Stark's mentality this well since Busiek stopped writing for him. They seem to get precisely how Tony's brain works and how he would feel about being put in charge of SHIELD. These hiring choices were made at a time when Marvel actually gave a damn about who was writing their comics.
The Knaufs understand one simple fact: Tony Stark never won the war.
He lost one of his oldest and best friends, he took another close friend off life support, several of his former teammates stopped talking to him, the world hated him every other day and he was put in charge of an organization that didn't want him. He was doing his best, okay?
This series does something so wonderful with Dugan and Tony. Dugan hates him and his leadership style from the get go but, over time, we get to see Dugan come to realize that Tony doesn't want to be in charge either and he's doing his best to protect others. Tony has always been more of a solo act and trying to put him in charge of a military sort of organization was the worst thing for him. The mutual respect that forms between Dugan and Tony was just wonderful to see! I'm still so attached to it because it was so well done! By the end of the book, Tony calls him "Tim" and they trust each other enough to communicate without words.
So much was done with Tony’s self destruction, grief and depression post the war! They really did a lot to show their understanding of Tony Stark's desire to prevent more death. He will do everything in his power to avoid killing and so much of his tech is designed to protect others. He equips SHIELD agents with Iron Man suits! Yet, here he is trying to run SHIELD like a business, because that's what he knows, and we have Dugan explaining that SHIELD can't work that way. The difference between Stark Industries and SHIELD is that Tony's orders could get people killed and Tony admits that he knew it but he didn't feel it in his gut the way Dugan and Nick Fury did. It was so interesting to see, although it tore Tony apart of do the job.
The treatment of female characters isn't perfect. Maya and Maria Hill are footnotes. I didn't like the decision to have Tony sleep with Maya, to be honest. It's probably part of why that ugly ass, misleading cover is on this book, to be honest.
I must say, the use of the Mandarin was A++ here. I gripe about Iron Man 3's decision to go for humor all the time because holy shit is he an amazing villain! He's so powerful and with a great artist like the one in this book, the fight scenes were glorious to see! I loved every showdown between him and Tony.
The art was wonderful, I must say. Tony was gorgeous but more than that, they captured expressions so well! Tony's grief when he spoke of the war, Dugan's loyalty when he refused to stay with SHIELD if they got rid of Tony and Tony's face when was sentenced. Such a great team working on this book!
I expected to hate the World War Hulk tie in but, surprisingly, I was just intrigued. The writing for that was wonderful as well! So many people mistakenly assumed that Tony sent the Hulk to space on his own but this issue (and the issue where they actually send him) confirm that the Illuminati made the choice; not just Tony. But this tie in speculates that Bruce would have approved of Tony's choice and I agree with that, to be honest. The tie ins were actually interesting and showed more of the growing closeness between Dugan and Tony.
That ending line was killer! (There was also a Firefly reference!) It's definitely a recommend from me and it's the best book I've read in 2018 so far!
5 stars
This is just... this reminds me why I never hated the 616 Civil War arc. It also reminds me why the MCU version is such a disappointment. Some of the best Marvel runs came during and after that arc and this is one of them. I don't believe I've read much by Daniel and Charles Knauf before but I'll be checking out more of their stuff because their work in this series was fantastic! I've never seen someone understand Tony Stark's mentality this well since Busiek stopped writing for him. They seem to get precisely how Tony's brain works and how he would feel about being put in charge of SHIELD. These hiring choices were made at a time when Marvel actually gave a damn about who was writing their comics.
The Knaufs understand one simple fact: Tony Stark never won the war.
He lost one of his oldest and best friends, he took another close friend off life support, several of his former teammates stopped talking to him, the world hated him every other day and he was put in charge of an organization that didn't want him. He was doing his best, okay?
This series does something so wonderful with Dugan and Tony. Dugan hates him and his leadership style from the get go but, over time, we get to see Dugan come to realize that Tony doesn't want to be in charge either and he's doing his best to protect others. Tony has always been more of a solo act and trying to put him in charge of a military sort of organization was the worst thing for him. The mutual respect that forms between Dugan and Tony was just wonderful to see! I'm still so attached to it because it was so well done! By the end of the book, Tony calls him "Tim" and they trust each other enough to communicate without words.
So much was done with Tony’s self destruction, grief and depression post the war! They really did a lot to show their understanding of Tony Stark's desire to prevent more death. He will do everything in his power to avoid killing and so much of his tech is designed to protect others. He equips SHIELD agents with Iron Man suits! Yet, here he is trying to run SHIELD like a business, because that's what he knows, and we have Dugan explaining that SHIELD can't work that way. The difference between Stark Industries and SHIELD is that Tony's orders could get people killed and Tony admits that he knew it but he didn't feel it in his gut the way Dugan and Nick Fury did. It was so interesting to see, although it tore Tony apart of do the job.
The treatment of female characters isn't perfect. Maya and Maria Hill are footnotes. I didn't like the decision to have Tony sleep with Maya, to be honest. It's probably part of why that ugly ass, misleading cover is on this book, to be honest.
I must say, the use of the Mandarin was A++ here. I gripe about Iron Man 3's decision to go for humor all the time because holy shit is he an amazing villain! He's so powerful and with a great artist like the one in this book, the fight scenes were glorious to see! I loved every showdown between him and Tony.
The art was wonderful, I must say. Tony was gorgeous but more than that, they captured expressions so well! Tony's grief when he spoke of the war, Dugan's loyalty when he refused to stay with SHIELD if they got rid of Tony and Tony's face when was sentenced. Such a great team working on this book!
I expected to hate the World War Hulk tie in but, surprisingly, I was just intrigued. The writing for that was wonderful as well! So many people mistakenly assumed that Tony sent the Hulk to space on his own but this issue (and the issue where they actually send him) confirm that the Illuminati made the choice; not just Tony. But this tie in speculates that Bruce would have approved of Tony's choice and I agree with that, to be honest. The tie ins were actually interesting and showed more of the growing closeness between Dugan and Tony.
That ending line was killer! (There was also a Firefly reference!) It's definitely a recommend from me and it's the best book I've read in 2018 so far!
5 stars
"How many have died?" he asked. "Too many", I said. But I didn't tell him the rest. What happens when you... make those decisions. All those people I've touched... I remember them. I remember them all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2022
High quality writing, strong character work, and dynamic art makes for an interesting and engaging series of arcs for Tony Stark. Only the World War Hulk tie-in issues feel out of place—those two should be read with the World War Hulk event for full effect.
May 27, 2019
Look, I was not a big fan of Iron Man or Tony Stark.
I am a fan of Daniel Knauf .
He writes in a way that makes me care about Iron Man and Tony Stark.
Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
You'd think it would be fun, that it would come with spy mobiles and babes.
Nope. Tony is on the run the entire time. And Iron Man is an asset in the field.
This is a good read
Lots of his old laissez-faire attitude toward problems blow up in his face in these pages.
Lots of his answers make the problem worse.
Oh yeah, and S.H.I.E.L D. is not just another Stark company.
September 18, 2021
This run felt like it was greater than the sum of its parts. It follows Tony Stark as the Director of Shield, which is kind of like seeing James Bond suddenly run the entirety of MI6. There are some obvious issues: Tony ends up taking over almost every mission, which limits casualties but also isn't the Director's job, and replaces a room for the officers with a daycare center, because he doesn't believe in separating high-level and low-level workers. It's clearly a job he didn't want, isn't entirely suited for, and he's emotionally in a very bad place (since this run picks up right after Civil War and Captain America's death). Basically, despite my James Bond comparison, don't judge this comic by the cover: it's mostly Tony having a terrible time but shouldering responsibility every step of the way.
The arcs themselves were solid-but-not-great, but I really enjoyed Tony's characterization, and seeing him in a drastically different role. His relationship with Dugan was a highlight. The other supporting characters are ones introduced in the Extremis arc, so overall I recommend reading this after the rest of Iron Man v4: Extremis (#1-6), and Execute Program (#7-12), with a bonus of the Civil War tie-ins (#13-14). But if nothing else, definitely Extremis!
The arcs themselves were solid-but-not-great, but I really enjoyed Tony's characterization, and seeing him in a drastically different role. His relationship with Dugan was a highlight. The other supporting characters are ones introduced in the Extremis arc, so overall I recommend reading this after the rest of Iron Man v4: Extremis (#1-6), and Execute Program (#7-12), with a bonus of the Civil War tie-ins (#13-14). But if nothing else, definitely Extremis!
December 15, 2021
**Spoiler Free** FULL REVIEW - https://youtu.be/03-RKCfNZt8
Best Read of 2021 So Far
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars
Art: 4.75 stars
Prose: 4.75 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Pacing: 5 stars
Character Development: 5 stars
World Building: 5 stars
Best Read of 2021 So Far
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars
Art: 4.75 stars
Prose: 4.75 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Pacing: 5 stars
Character Development: 5 stars
World Building: 5 stars
July 4, 2022
Knauf’s run on Iron Man is an underrated one. In my search of quality Iron Man reading material, I’ve come up light. Someone mentioned Knauf somewhere, and as it turns out this was really good!
Tony is officially in the big boy chair, and he is definitely not Nick Fury. He takes a much more corporate and much more hands-on approach. He heads operations as Iron Man with an Alpha team of watered-down Iron Men, addressing terrorist threats and weaving through political red tape worldwide. This is soon after Tony’s Extremis enhancements, and Extremis (and Maya Hanson) play a central role. The main antagonist is an oldie but a goodie, and although the ending felt too quick given the buildup, it was quite a ride. Seeing Tony in his new role, the responsibilities he assumes, his relationship with Dugan, and the effects it has on him is fascinating. The art is good and consistent, though muddled at times.
Most of my review has to do with the first ~80% of this collection (which I would give 4 stars). The last 4 issues, though, collect the With Iron Hands story arc, which is bad. I’d give it about 2 stars. It had almost nothing to do with the previous storyline, and felt slapped together to fill space in the meantime.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for good modern Iron Man, and would suggest you skip the last arc entirely.
Tony is officially in the big boy chair, and he is definitely not Nick Fury. He takes a much more corporate and much more hands-on approach. He heads operations as Iron Man with an Alpha team of watered-down Iron Men, addressing terrorist threats and weaving through political red tape worldwide. This is soon after Tony’s Extremis enhancements, and Extremis (and Maya Hanson) play a central role. The main antagonist is an oldie but a goodie, and although the ending felt too quick given the buildup, it was quite a ride. Seeing Tony in his new role, the responsibilities he assumes, his relationship with Dugan, and the effects it has on him is fascinating. The art is good and consistent, though muddled at times.
Most of my review has to do with the first ~80% of this collection (which I would give 4 stars). The last 4 issues, though, collect the With Iron Hands story arc, which is bad. I’d give it about 2 stars. It had almost nothing to do with the previous storyline, and felt slapped together to fill space in the meantime.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for good modern Iron Man, and would suggest you skip the last arc entirely.
April 22, 2019
I really loved this from beginning to end! Even the two issues around World War Hulk were very interesting and I really liked the relationship between Tony and Dugan that slowly evolved after Dugan so extremely against him in the beginning.
The first couple of issues in the beginning of the Collection were a bit confusing, but a necessary starting point for the main story that followed after. I enjoyed this a lot! I'm a huge fan of this spy/terrorism storylines with a touch of sci-fi. The whole story was a real page-turner. I had actually thought the whole collection was one ongoing story, sadly it wasn't. The 'With Iron Hands' storyline was also quite interesting, I just wish it had been a bit longer. The story included two different threats - both were great, maybe both of them should have deserved their own run.
The main artist of the collection was Robert De La Torre. I think his illustrations are okay, but I'm not such a huge fan of it. Some issues were illustrated by Butch Guice which I thought were simply fantastic. It is a bit sad, he didn't do more work within the Iron Man series.
The first couple of issues in the beginning of the Collection were a bit confusing, but a necessary starting point for the main story that followed after. I enjoyed this a lot! I'm a huge fan of this spy/terrorism storylines with a touch of sci-fi. The whole story was a real page-turner. I had actually thought the whole collection was one ongoing story, sadly it wasn't. The 'With Iron Hands' storyline was also quite interesting, I just wish it had been a bit longer. The story included two different threats - both were great, maybe both of them should have deserved their own run.
The main artist of the collection was Robert De La Torre. I think his illustrations are okay, but I'm not such a huge fan of it. Some issues were illustrated by Butch Guice which I thought were simply fantastic. It is a bit sad, he didn't do more work within the Iron Man series.
January 10, 2022
Hay arcos que están bien y alguno flojillo. El arte regulero.
El Anual es un espanto, típicas mujeres irreales con kilos de silicona y poca ropa.
El Anual es un espanto, típicas mujeres irreales con kilos de silicona y poca ropa.
February 17, 2023
Solid high stakes espionage action.
May 5, 2023
Major quibble that kept this from being a 5 star review: Who decided it would be a GOOD idea to put a superhero in charge of a SPY agency?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews