So, I finally saw Iron Man the other day. Yes, it took me six months to see it. I know, I should turn in my Merry Marvel Marching Society membership.Sigh. It’s not that I didn’t want to see it - I did - but I just didn’t get around to it and then it was “may as well wait until video” time. Ah well, now I’ve seen it, finally.

In fact, I’ve seen it twice - that’s how much I liked it, I watched it twice in two days.

I liked it more than Dark Knight. More than any other super-hero movie since Spider-Man 2, actually. I thought it was just great.

First off, let’s start with the cast. Robert Downey Jr. was perfectly cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man. You just can’t say enough about his portrayal of the millionaire industrialist who undergoes a life-changing experience - it was spot-on.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who I normall don’t care for, was also great in a totally understated role as Pepper Potts. Terrence Howard was also quite good, if underused, as Rhodey (more on this in a minute).

Finally, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, was, to be honest, one of the best comic-book movie villains in recent memory. No, not as good as the Joker, I’ll admit that. But you have to agree that most times, the bad guys in super-hero movies tend to ham it up and snarl and try to look evil and generally come across as campy, even when there are good actors behind the roles (like, say, all of the villains in the Spider-Man series except Doc Ock).

Sure, he had a couple of bad one-liners, but overall, he plays the role with just the right amount of flair and seriousness. And he looked great with the shaved head and beard!

(Story-wise, Stane falls into that whole “suspend your disbelief that one second, he’s a middle-aged businessman, and the next second he’s a super-villain capable of taking down the hero” problem that, again, all super-hero movie villains seem to share. How come we got a half-dozen scenes of Tony stuggling to learn to use the armor - that he designed! - but Stane knows how to use it as soon as he straps it on? Can’t fault Bridges for that though).

The movie was incredibly well-paced. I’m not a fan of this idea that Hollywood seems to think all movies are OK at 2.5 hours or more now. SOME movies are. Not all. Iron Man would be one that would NOT be good at any more than two hours - it was pitch-perfect as is. It starts off with a bang, gives you the origin, a nice action sequence, and sprinkles in some good character stuff before everything hits the fan with the big climax.

I do wish there had been a little more screen-time for Stark and Rhodey - as I say, Terrence Howard was underused - but I understand that any more character stuff would have slowed it down too much. It’s a shame, especially since it now looks like Howard is out of the sequel, that we’ll never see that develop.

The visual effects were also very well done. Iron Man looked fantastic, but not out of this world - too often in the comics he either looks like a guy in a regular old costume (as opposed to a suit of armor) or a robot. But he really looked like a guy in an armored suit. There were a couple moments where he and the Iron Monger suit probably moved a little too fast considering their size and weight, but hey, it’s still a comic book movie.

Anyway, overall, great comic book movie. I admit I’m surprised - when I heard Marvel was taking over backing their own films, I thought it was a mistake, that they wouldn’t have the money or clout to make the films the way they should be made. I was wrong, obviously, since both this movie and the Hulk were well-budgeted and had good casts. Good for them, and I hope to see many more down the line!

Naturally, watching Iron Man got me thinking about the character quite a bit. I was a pretty big Iron Man fan back in the day, collecting his adventures from the late 80s through early 90s, and filling in many back issues.

The most famous Iron Man story is of course, the “Demon in a Bottle” story that culminates in Iron Man #128 (it’s available as a trade by the same name, or as “The Power of Iron Man.”) Over the course of the previous issues, Tony is seen drinking a little too much, and it all comes to a head when he yells at Jarvis (who was just doing his job), stands Bethany up on a date (because he was too drunk to remember the address) and cracks a container of chlorine gas causing a mass evacuation (because he couldn’t handle the armor correctly in his state). In the end, he overcomes the pressure to drink again but loses control of the Stark Industries to SHIELD (temporarily).

I think that it’s a monumentally important story and one that had to be told. Some great Iron Man stories flowed from this, and in addition, it was one of the first steps in comic books moving out of the “kid stuff” genre to being considered acceptable forms of art, literature and entertainment. I do think it’s a little overrated; it is still stuck in the 1970s style of writing, with characters making speeches at each other instead of talking, a few cheap thrills and over-the-top shenanigans. (I love this: Bethany says to Iron Man, “you’re a terrible bodyguard,” and he says, “but how would you know… unless…” “That’s right,” she says, “I’m a bodyguard too!” Sigh.)

I’m not slagging David Michelinie’s writing - that’s just the way comics were done back then. Art-wise, John Romita Jr’s work is good, but he’s still starting out in his career with a lot of room for improvement. Bob Layton is the inker, and co-plotter (he and Michelinie are generally considered the best Iron Man creators), and his inks always looked good no matter who was penciling.

Anyway the point I’m trying to make, is that “Demon in a Bottle” is a good story, and very important for its time - but it’s a little dated now, and doesn’t really stand the “test of time” that many other great 1980s comics do.

However, as I say, it does lead to some great stories down the line. First up, the underrated “second drunk Iron Man story,” which runs a good 30 issues, when Stark gets so boozed up he quits being Iron Man, loses control of his company for good, and actually ends up a bum in the street. It’s definitely not as “important” a story as the original Demon in a Bottle, but I think it’s good nonetheless, and it’s generally forgotten.

Written by Dennis O’Neil and drawn my Luke McDonnell, the story does lose focus and drag in parts - it’s not as tightly plotted as the “arc-driven” stories we see today. But at least that meant you never knew what was going to happen next or how long the story would last!

What’s most important is that we really, really see the effects of alcoholism, no holds barred, and it doesn’t wrap up neatly in one issue. Issue #182, where Tony finally hits rock bottom, is one of the best Iron Man comics ever. We also see someone else in the armor for the first time; see Tony actually use his brain and business acumen to rebuild his life and career from the bottom up; and hey, some great super-hero action to boot.

O’Neil’s writing is solid as always, and McDonnell’s art is… well, it’s definitely a bit of a different take on Iron Man. You know, it’s funny, at times, it’s dynamic and tight; other times, it looks like he may be rushing, perspectives seem off, faces seem “mushy”… basically it runs the gamut from “pretty good” to “pretty bad.”

McDonnell leaves before the end, and after a couple of fill-ins, new regular artist Mark Bright takes over in issue #200 - when it all comes to a head. Seriously, this is a classic Iron Man comic, when Stane dons his Iron Monger armor, Stark dons his red-and-silver armor (my favourite!) and they duke it out for all the marbles.

But in the end, all doesn’t end up happy, as Stark still doesn’t have his old company, his new company gets destroyed, and he loses his close friend Morley Erwin.

Bright is one of my favourite Iron Man artists; while his work on “regular” faces always left a little to be desired, I thought he drew a fantastic Iron Man.

As I said, it’s probably not as good as the original Demon in a Bottle, but it’s a worthy companion piece to it.

The next story that I think deserves credit is the so-called Armor Wars story from issue #’s 225-232. It’s probably the second-most famous Iron Man story, and I don’t think it would have happened without “Demon in a Bottle” story.

Tony doesn’t drink here, but an obsessive, compulsive - almost addictive - reaction to what happens around him is clearly cut from the same vein as his alcoholism. In this story, Tony discovers that someone has stolen some of his armor designs, and goes on a quest, or vendetta if you will, against anyone using it. He seems willing to go to any lengths necessary to secure his designs, to make sure no one else is using it to hurt anyone.

The story is written by Michelinie, co-plotted and inked again by Layton, and penciled by Bright. Tony’s obsessive, addictive personality is clearly something they instilled in the character.

This story is a rip-roaring ride, filled with action, intrigue, betrayals, guest stars, and more action. Tony makes a whole bunch of enemies, the red-and-silver armor gets destroyed (boo on that, but what a great finale!) and a new red-and-gold suit emerges. It works so well, I think, because it combines all the elements of Iron Man in one story - there’s super-hero action, there’s Tony’s obsessive personality, there’s corporate intrigue, there’s government weapons manufacturing issues, there’s Tony doing the James Bond “create a gadget” thing, there’s different armors… it’s all there and it’s all good.

And to top it all off, you get a wicked “epilogue” issue, drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, in which Tony has a nightmare about everything he’s done recently. Words can’t do it justice, it’s just creepy and weird and totally BWS… and it’s awesome.

For my money, Armor Wars is the best Iron Man story ever. It’s better than “Demon in a Bottle” - Michelinie’s writing has firmly graduated into the 1980s, and Bright and Layton’s art is some of the best ever to grace the title. It’s better than the Rhodey-takes-over Iron Man issues - much more tightly plotted and focused, better dialogue, better art. If you want a good Iron Man story, find this in paperback and give it a read - you won’t be disappointed.

So those are my quick-hit Iron Man recommendations. Yes, Demon in a Bottle is the most famous Iron Man story, and it’s good, but I think the Rhodey-as-Iron Man stories from Iron Man #’s 168-200 are also a worthy read, and I think Armor Wars is the best of the bunch.

(PS - speaking of The Armor Wars - check out this cool image I found while Googling Iron Man. The page I found it on was not in English and barely had any text on it anyway; I’ll give credit to an Ian Sokoliwski, whose name was on the page, although I see Bob Layton’s signature on it, so maybe it’s a commission by him, I’m really not sure… The point is - it’s super-cool! Kudos to whoever created it.)

Tags: Iron Man