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The Invincible Iron Man (1998) #50-69
Iron Man by Mike Grell: The Complete Collection
Collects Iron Man (1998) #50-69. Acclaimed writer Mike Grell takes the iron reigns! Weapons that Tony Stark once created and sold are now being used to kill innocents, and Iron Man's past has returned to haunt him yet again. Can he stop the carnage before it's too late? Meanwhile, at the top of the world, precious cargo is delivered to a remote monastery. And when the ornate box is unlocked, Stark's most malevolent foe will be reborn! Then, Iron Man travels back to the age of knights and chivalry - and must pit his armor against dragon fire! And Iron Man takes on Thor when the Asgardians decide to meddle in Earthly affairs! But when terrorists target the Chinese embassy, why is Tony Stark the prime suspect?!
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2021
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Mike Grell
658 books82 followersMike Grell (born 1947) is a comic book writer and artist.
Grell studied at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, and took the Famous Artists School correspondence course in cartooning. His entry into the comics industry was in 1972, as an assistant to Dale Messick on the Brenda Starr comic strip.
In 1973 Grell moved to New York, and began his long relationship with DC Comics. His first assignment at DC was on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, a high-profile assignment for an artist with no prior experience illustrating a monthly comic book. Grell says he got that job because he was walking in the editor's door to ask for work, literally, as the previous artist was walking out the door, having just quit. These stories were written by Cary Bates and Jim Shooter. The Bates/Grell/Shooter run on the title is very well-regarded today by Superboy/Legion fans, who consider it one of the high-water marks in the character/team's history. Grell's work on SATLOSH is widely thought to be some of the best beefcake/cheesecake ever committed to comic book pages, and is affectionately referred to as the 'disco Legion' in retrospect by fans of the title.
A writer as well as artist, Grell cemented his status as a fan-favorite with his best-known creation, The Warlord, one of the first sword and sorcery comics, and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late-1970s.
The character first appeared in 1st Issue Special #8 (Nov 1975) and was soon given his own ongoing title (The Warlord #1, Jan/Feb 1976). In this book, Air Force pilot Travis Morgan crash-lands in the prehistoric "hidden world" of Skartaris (a setting highly influenced by Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar). For years thereafter, Morgan engages in adventures dressed only in a winged helmet, wristbands, boots, and breechclout, and armed with a sword and (years before Dirty Harry handled one) a .44 Auto Mag.
At DC, Grell also worked on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, and the Phantom Stranger, and with writer Dennis O'Neil on the re-launch of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series in 1976.
[edit] Tarzan
Grell wrote and drew the Tarzan comic strip from July 19, 1981 to February 27, 1983 (except for one strip, February 13, 1983, by Thomas Yeates). These strips were rerun in newspapers in 2004 - 2005.
[edit] First Comics: Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer
Cover to Jon Sable Freelance #7. Art by Mike Grell.Through the 1980s Grell developed creator-owned titles such Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer. Jon Sable Freelance was published by the now-defunct First Comics. Starslayer, a space-born science fiction series, started at Pacific Comics, but shifted to First.
The titular character of Jon Sable Freelance was a former Olympic athlete, later a African big-game hunter, who became a mercenary. First appearing with a cover date of June 1983, Jon Sable Freelance was a successful non-super-hero comic book in an era when successful non-super-hero comic books were almost unheard of, and a graphically violent comic sold in mainstream comic book stores in an era when such was as rare. Jon Sable was a precursor to what would eventually be called, by some, "the Dark Age of Comics," when even long-established super-heroes would become increasingly grim and violent.
The character was heavily influenced by Ian Fleming's James Bond novels as well as drawing on pulp fiction crime stories. Also, many of the stories of Sable's hunting exploits in Africa were influenced by Peter Hathaway Capstick's novels. At a convention in the late 1980s, Grell stated that his idea for Sable was "something like a cross between James Bond and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Sable was adapted into a short-lived television series and the character's origin tale, "A Storm Over Eden," from the comic book, was expanded and novelized by Grell under the title Sable, which was publ
Grell studied at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, and took the Famous Artists School correspondence course in cartooning. His entry into the comics industry was in 1972, as an assistant to Dale Messick on the Brenda Starr comic strip.
In 1973 Grell moved to New York, and began his long relationship with DC Comics. His first assignment at DC was on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, a high-profile assignment for an artist with no prior experience illustrating a monthly comic book. Grell says he got that job because he was walking in the editor's door to ask for work, literally, as the previous artist was walking out the door, having just quit. These stories were written by Cary Bates and Jim Shooter. The Bates/Grell/Shooter run on the title is very well-regarded today by Superboy/Legion fans, who consider it one of the high-water marks in the character/team's history. Grell's work on SATLOSH is widely thought to be some of the best beefcake/cheesecake ever committed to comic book pages, and is affectionately referred to as the 'disco Legion' in retrospect by fans of the title.
A writer as well as artist, Grell cemented his status as a fan-favorite with his best-known creation, The Warlord, one of the first sword and sorcery comics, and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late-1970s.
The character first appeared in 1st Issue Special #8 (Nov 1975) and was soon given his own ongoing title (The Warlord #1, Jan/Feb 1976). In this book, Air Force pilot Travis Morgan crash-lands in the prehistoric "hidden world" of Skartaris (a setting highly influenced by Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar). For years thereafter, Morgan engages in adventures dressed only in a winged helmet, wristbands, boots, and breechclout, and armed with a sword and (years before Dirty Harry handled one) a .44 Auto Mag.
At DC, Grell also worked on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, and the Phantom Stranger, and with writer Dennis O'Neil on the re-launch of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series in 1976.
[edit] Tarzan
Grell wrote and drew the Tarzan comic strip from July 19, 1981 to February 27, 1983 (except for one strip, February 13, 1983, by Thomas Yeates). These strips were rerun in newspapers in 2004 - 2005.
[edit] First Comics: Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer
Cover to Jon Sable Freelance #7. Art by Mike Grell.Through the 1980s Grell developed creator-owned titles such Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer. Jon Sable Freelance was published by the now-defunct First Comics. Starslayer, a space-born science fiction series, started at Pacific Comics, but shifted to First.
The titular character of Jon Sable Freelance was a former Olympic athlete, later a African big-game hunter, who became a mercenary. First appearing with a cover date of June 1983, Jon Sable Freelance was a successful non-super-hero comic book in an era when successful non-super-hero comic books were almost unheard of, and a graphically violent comic sold in mainstream comic book stores in an era when such was as rare. Jon Sable was a precursor to what would eventually be called, by some, "the Dark Age of Comics," when even long-established super-heroes would become increasingly grim and violent.
The character was heavily influenced by Ian Fleming's James Bond novels as well as drawing on pulp fiction crime stories. Also, many of the stories of Sable's hunting exploits in Africa were influenced by Peter Hathaway Capstick's novels. At a convention in the late 1980s, Grell stated that his idea for Sable was "something like a cross between James Bond and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Sable was adapted into a short-lived television series and the character's origin tale, "A Storm Over Eden," from the comic book, was expanded and novelized by Grell under the title Sable, which was publ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 27, 2023
The first act of the book starts strong but the 2nd act falls pretty hard, makes it a grind at times but the 3rd act picks it back up to a different level making the whole 2nd act process worth going through. The art is cool but it's all about Tony Stark as the character. They wrote him well and showed us who he really is or has become at this point of his life. The final story is amazing and badass. I did wish we got more action but stayed for the complex relationships. A very likable and underrated take on Tony Stark/Iron Man that still sticks to his true nature. A Superhero The World Deserves.
April 19, 2024
Uneven but overall solid run. Basically the start are personal, darker stories of the after effects of war and also living a street life. It gets Tony's personal side down and actually works well. Second half feel smore superheroish and while fun it's not nearly as investing. Overall a 3 out of 5.
June 11, 2021
A really strong and underrated run for Iron Man. Too often forgotten, but it contains a lot of elements that are significant to the character going forward. There’s the rekindling of Tony’s love for Pepper, the Thorbuster suit of armor, the Mandarin’s son is an interesting new villain, and there’s even a new armor AI assistant called Friday (as seen in the movies). Mike Grell put a fun emphasis on social and political issues in the book and it’s great to see how Stark operates in that context.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
It's a shock to the system to see futurist Tony Stark rescuing kittens from trees and jumpstarting his heart.
This is a pretty grounded Tony Stark. Grounded, as in no epic space battles or alien invasions. The only things that really pop from this collection are the Stark/Thor battle for a few issues and the fight with Temugin. A nice little cameo of the Mandarin's 10 rings.
This is a pretty grounded Tony Stark. Grounded, as in no epic space battles or alien invasions. The only things that really pop from this collection are the Stark/Thor battle for a few issues and the fight with Temugin. A nice little cameo of the Mandarin's 10 rings.
February 2, 2025
Pretty damn good and overlooked era of Iron Man.
It is unfortunately brief, as Mike Grell left halfway through the final arc here, but it manages to present an interesting analysis of Tony Stark as well as American Foreign Policy paranoia in a world that was just recovering from 9/11.
The book is split in arcs ranging between two to three issues in length (with the longest one, lasting 5 issues, being placed at the end) and they all ta Kyle a different aspect of what being human means to someone like Tony Stark, and it’s done through some creative ways, like illusions and time travel.
Overall, my only major issue with it is that it doesn’t really feature any noteworthy or memorable villains, it had something interesting going with one that is introduced towards the beginning, but that’s quickly swept under the rug by the end of the book (again, probably because of Grell leaving and the new writer wanting to fast track into his own ideas)
The art is also super solid throughout, no complaints there.
Overall, an era I think should’ve lasted longer, but I’m happy with what we got.
It is unfortunately brief, as Mike Grell left halfway through the final arc here, but it manages to present an interesting analysis of Tony Stark as well as American Foreign Policy paranoia in a world that was just recovering from 9/11.
The book is split in arcs ranging between two to three issues in length (with the longest one, lasting 5 issues, being placed at the end) and they all ta Kyle a different aspect of what being human means to someone like Tony Stark, and it’s done through some creative ways, like illusions and time travel.
Overall, my only major issue with it is that it doesn’t really feature any noteworthy or memorable villains, it had something interesting going with one that is introduced towards the beginning, but that’s quickly swept under the rug by the end of the book (again, probably because of Grell leaving and the new writer wanting to fast track into his own ideas)
The art is also super solid throughout, no complaints there.
Overall, an era I think should’ve lasted longer, but I’m happy with what we got.
May 24, 2022
A grounded, more human take on Iron Man. He doesn't battle aliens or insanely supernatural threats rather more grounded villains. To me, it was enjoyable seeing a Tony Stark that cared more about the average person, that genuinely tried to save more people in need.
I enjoyed this collection and would recommend it to people who want to see Iron Man in a different light.
I enjoyed this collection and would recommend it to people who want to see Iron Man in a different light.
May 18, 2023
Great surprise never knew Greek wrote and drew a few issues of Iron Man.
February 23, 2025
new obsession: marvel comics
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews