{"id":31035,"date":"2024-12-07T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=31035"},"modified":"2024-12-06T18:06:10","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T18:06:10","slug":"invincible-iron-man-omnibus-volume-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/12\/07\/invincible-iron-man-omnibus-volume-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Invincible Iron Man Omnibus volume 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Stan Lee<\/strong>, Archie Goodwin<\/strong>, Roy Thomas<\/strong>, Gene Colan<\/strong>, George Tuska<\/strong>, Johnny Craig<\/strong>, Don Heck<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Dan Adkins<\/strong>, Mike Esposito<\/strong>, Sam Grainger<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-5899-2 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Solid Gold, Sterling Silver so-Shiny Wonders \u2026 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Super-rich supergenius inventor Tony Stark<\/em> moonlights as a superhero: wearing a formidable, ever-evolving suit of armour stuffed with his own ingenious creations. An arch-technologist who hates to lose and constantly upgrades his gear, Stark continually re-makes Iron Man<\/strong> one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. There are a number of ways to interpret his creation and early years: glamorous playboy, super-rich industrialist, inventor, philanthropist – even when not operating in his armoured alter-ego.<\/p>\n

Created in the immediate aftermath of the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis at a time when \u201cRed-baiting\u201d and \u201cCommie-bashing\u201d were American national obsessions, the emergence of a brilliant new Thomas Edison employing Yankee ingenuity and invention to safeguard and better the World seemed inevitable. Combining that era\u2019s all-pervasive belief that technology could solve any problem with the universal imagery of noble knights battling tangible and easily recognisable Evil, the proposition almost becomes a certainty. Of course, it might simply be that we kids thought it both great fun and very, very cool\u2026<\/p>\n

This fabulous full-colour compendium revisits the dawn days of Marvel\u2019s rise to ascendancy via the Steel Shod Sentinel\u2019s early days: chronologically re-presenting all his solo exploits, feature, letters & editorial pages, pin-ups and pertinent sections from Tales of Suspense<\/strong> #84-99; interim attraction Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner<\/strong> #1 and thereafter Iron Man<\/strong> #1-25, spanning December 1966 to May 1970, as well as essays and Introductions from previous, less lengthy collections that were so important in establishing rapport and building a unified comics fandom…<\/p>\n

This period under review saw the much-diminished and almost-bankrupt former comics colossus finally surpass DC Comics\u2019 preeminent pole position and become darling of the student counter-culture. In these tales, Stark is still very much a gung-ho, patriotic armaments manufacturer, and not the enlightened capitalist liberal dissenter he would become\u2026<\/p>\n

Marvel\u2019s dominance of the US comic book was confirmed in 1968 when most of their characters finally got their own titles. Prior to that – due to a highly restrictive distribution deal – the company had been limited to 16 publications per month. To circumvent this drawback, Marvel developed \u201csplit-books\u201d with two features per title, such as Tales of Suspense<\/strong> where Iron Man originally solo-starred before being joined by patriotic cohort Captain America<\/strong> in issue #59 (cover-dated November 1964). Marvel\u2019s fortunes prospered; thanks in large part to Stan Lee\u2019s gift for promotion, but primarily because of superbly engaging stories such as the ones collected in this enticing hardback\/eBook edition.<\/p>\n

With the new distributor came demand for more product, and the split book stars all won their own titles. When the division came, the Armoured Avenger started afresh with a \u201cCollector\u2019s Item First Issue\u201d – but only after a shared one-shot with The Sub-Mariner <\/strong>that squared divergent schedules. Of course, Cap retained the numbering of the original title; thereby premiering in number #100.<\/p>\n

Following a critique by critic and historian Arlen Schumer in his Introduction<\/em> (from Marvel Masterworks Iron Man<\/strong> volume 5) the sterling adventures – all-Gene Colan illustrated – resume with the shiny portion of ToS <\/strong>#84 picking up soap opera style with Stark submitting to months of governmental pressure and testifying to a Congressional Committee hungry for the secrets of his greatest creation. However. at the critical moment, the inventor keels over…<\/p>\n

Stark\u2019s controversial reputation is finally restored as the public at last learns that his life is only preserved by a metallic chest-plate keeping his maimed heart beating in \u2018The Other Iron Man!\u2019<\/em> (scripted by Lee and inked by Frank Giacoia). Somehow, nobody at all connects that hunk of steel to the identical one his Avenging \u201cbodyguard\u201d wears…
\n\"\"
\nWith the hero stuck in a hospital bed, best friend Happy Hogan<\/em> foolishly dons the suit to preserve that precious secret, only to be abducted by the insidious Mandarin<\/em> in another extended assault that begins with \u2018Into the Jaws of Death\u2019<\/em>. Prior to that, readers are whisked back to so-different days by the first letters page offering Mails of Suspense<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Propelled by guilt and fuelled by fear, still-ailing Stark breaks into his own Congressionally-closed factory to create new, more powerful armour and flies to the rescue in \u2018Death Duel for the Life of Happy Hogan!\u2019 <\/em>The cataclysmic clash rattles the \u201cbamboo curtain\u201d but is soon successfully concluded, and the Americans return home just in time for #87 and #88 to host the merciless Mole Man<\/em> who attacks from below, prompting a \u2018Crisis… at the Earth\u2019s Core!\u2019 <\/em>Sadly, the villain has no idea who hostage Stark really is, believing hottie assistant Pepper Potts<\/em> and her boss \u2018Beyond all Rescue!\u2019<\/em>, but is soon proved very wrong, after which another old B-List bad-guy takes his shot in \u2018The Monstrous Menace of the Mysterious Melter!\u2019<\/em> and tense, terse sequel \u2018The Golden Ghost!\u2019<\/em> which fabulously feature a glorious reprise of Iron Man\u2019s original bulky battle suit and a wonderfully twisty conclusion, before \u2018The Uncanny Challenge of the Crusher!\u2019<\/em> offers an all-action tale – possibly marred for modern audiences by a painful Commie-bustin\u2019 sub-plot featuring a thinly disguised Fidel Castro…<\/p>\n

Also somewhat dated but still gripping are references to then then-ongoing \u201cPolice Action\u201d in Indo-China which look a little gung-ho (if completely understandable) as Iron Man goes hunting for Red Menace Half-Face<\/em> \u2018Within the Vastness of Viet Nam!\u2019 <\/em>The urgent insertion results in another clash with incorrigible old foe Titanium Man<\/em> in \u2018The Golden Gladiator and… the Giant!\u2019<\/em> before our hero at last snatches victory from the mechanical jaws of defeat in \u2018The Tragedy and the Triumph!\u2019<\/em> (this last inked by Dan Adkins). Giacoia returns and a new cast member then debuts in #95 as eager-beaver adult boy scout S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell<\/em> is assigned as security advisor to America\u2019s most prominent weapons maker. It coincides with Thor<\/strong> villain Grey Gargoyle<\/em> attacking in \u2018If a Man be Stone!\u2019<\/em>, but he utterly mismatched and overpowered maniac is summarily defeated in \u2018The Deadly Victory!\u2019<\/em> in anticipation of Tales of Suspense<\/strong> #97 launching an extended story-arc to carry the series into the solo series and beyond, as criminal cartel the Maggia<\/em> seeks to move in on Stark\u2019s company.<\/p>\n

The campaign opens with the hero\u2019s capture as \u2018The Coming of… Whiplash!\u2019<\/em> reveals the Golden Avenger cut to steely ribbons, drawn out in \u2018The Warrior and the Whip!\u2019<\/em> and – as the magnificent Archie Goodwin assumed scripting duties and EC legend Johnny Craig came aboard as inker – trapped on a sinking submarine \u2018At the Mercy of the Maggia\u2019<\/em>, just as the venerable Tales of Suspense<\/strong> ends with the 99th<\/sup> issue…<\/p>\n

Of course, it was just changing title to Captain America<\/strong> as Tales to Astonish <\/strong>seamlessly morphed into The Incredible Hulk<\/strong>, but – due to a scheduling snafu – neither of the split-book co-stars had a home that month (April 1968). This situation led to the one-&-only Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner<\/strong> #1 to carry concluding episode \u2018The Torrent Without… The Tumult Within!\u2019<\/em>, wherein sinister super-scientists of A.I.M.<\/em> (Advanced Idea Mechanics, acronym-fans) snatch the Armoured Avenger from the Maggia\u2019s swiftly sinking submarine, intent on stealing the hero\u2019s technical secrets. Invincible Iron Man<\/strong> #1 finally appeared with a May 1968 cover-date, triumphantly ending the extended subsea-saga as our hero stands \u2018Alone against A.I.M.!\u2019<\/em>: a thrilling roller-coaster ride supplemented by \u2018The Origin of Iron Man\u2019<\/em> offering a revitalised re-telling to conclude Colan\u2019s impressive tenure on the character.<\/p>\n

Breaking briefly for an educational Introduction<\/em> from comics historian Dewey Cassell, running down the stellar career and achievements of debuting artist George Tuska, the action accelerates into a bold new era with Invincible Iron Man <\/strong>#2. Entrenched illustrator Colan moved on and \u2018The Day of the Demolisher!\u2019<\/em> found EC megastar Johnny Craig tackling the art-chores. His first job was a cracker, as scripter Goodwin lays down years of useful groundwork by introducing Janice Cord<\/em> as a romantic interest for the playboy inventor. The real problem is a monolithic killer robot built by her deranged father and the start of a running plot-thread examining the effects of the munitions business and the kind of inventors who work for it. Also from this point on the letters page became \u2018Sock it to Shell-Head\u2019<\/em>. No comment.
\n\"\"
\nGoodwin & Craig brought back Stark\u2019s bodyguard Happy Hogan<\/em> in time to help rebuild the now-obsolete Iron Man armour and consequently devolve into a marauding monstrous menace in \u2018My Friend, My Foe… the Freak!\u2019<\/em> for #3, and retooled a long-forgotten Soviet super-villain into a major threat in \u2018Unconquered is the Unicorn!\u2019 <\/em>in #4. This particular tech-enhanced maniac is dying from his own powers and thinks Tony will be able – if not exactly willing – to fix him…<\/p>\n

With Iron Man <\/strong>#5, another Golden Age veteran joined the creative team. George Tuska – who had worked on huge hits such as the original (Fawcett) Captain Marvel<\/strong> and Crime Does Not Pay<\/strong>, plus newspaper strips like The Spirit<\/strong> and Buck Rogers<\/strong> – would illustrate the majority of Iron Man\u2019s adventures for the next decade, becoming synonymous with the Armoured Avenger…<\/p>\n

Inked by Craig, \u2018Frenzy in a Far-Flung Future!\u2019<\/em> is an intriguing time-paradox tale wherein Stark is kidnapped by the last survivors of humanity, determined to kill him before he can build the super-computer that eradicated mankind. Did somebody say \u201cTerminator<\/strong>\u201d?
\n\"\"
\nA super-dense (by which I mean strong and heavy) Cuban Commie threat returned – but not for long – in \u2018Vengeance… Cries the Crusher!\u2019 <\/em>Next, the sinister scheme begun way back in ToS <\/strong>#97 finally bears brutal – and for preppie S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell – painful fruit in 2-part thriller \u2018The Maggia Strikes!\u2019<\/em> and \u2018A Duel Must End!\u2019<\/em> Here former Daredevil<\/strong> foe the Gladiator<\/em> leads a savage attack on Stark\u2019s factory, friends and would-be new love. The saga also reveals the tragic history of mystery woman Whitney Frost<\/em> and lays the seeds of her evolution into one of Iron Man\u2019s most implacable foes…<\/p>\n

A 3-part saga follows as The Mandarin resurfaces with a cunning plan and the certain conviction that Stark and Iron Man are the same person. Beginning with a seeming Hulk<\/strong> guest-shot in #9\u2019s \u2018There Lives a Green Goliath!\u2019<\/em>, proceeding through the revelatory and explosive Nick Fury<\/strong> team-up \u2018Once More… The Mandarin!\u2019 <\/em>before climaxing in spectacular \u201csaves-the-day\u201d fashion as our hero is \u2018Unmasked!\u2019<\/em> This epic by Goodwin, Tuska & Craig offers astounding thrills and potent drama with dozens of devious twists, just as the first inklings of the social upheaval America was experiencing began to seep into Marvel\u2019s publications. As the core audience started to grow into the Flower Power generation, future tales would take arch-capitalist weapon-smith Stark in many unexpected and often peculiar directions. All of a sudden maybe that money and fancy gadgetry weren\u2019t quite so fun or cool anymore?<\/p>\n

Goodwin, Tuska & Craig build on a sterling run of solid science-flavoured action epics with the introduction of a new sinister super-foe in #12 as \u2018The Coming of the Controller\u2019<\/em> sees a twisted genius using life-energy stolen from mind-slaved citizens to power a cybernetic exo-skeleton. Along the way he and his brother embezzle the fortune of Stark\u2019s girlfriend Janice Cord to pay for it all. Of course, Iron Man is ready and able to overcome the scheming maniac, culminating in a cataclysmic climax \u2018Captives of the Controller!\u2019<\/em> as the mind-bending terror attempts to extend his mesmeric, parasitic sway over the entire populace of New York City…<\/p>\n

Another educational and fascinating Introduction – The Tony Stark\/Iron Man Dilemma<\/em> – by dynamic draughtsman George Tuska, detailing his stellar career and achievements, leads us into an era of constant change. Originally, combining then-sacrosanct belief that technology and business could solve any problem with the universal imagery of noble knights battling evil made the concept behind the Invincible Iron Man<\/strong> an infallibly successful proposition.<\/p>\n

Of course where once Tony Stark was the acceptable face of Capitalism, the tumultuous tone of the closing decade soon resigned his suave image to the dustbin of history. With ecological disasters and social catastrophe from the abuse of industry and technology the new mantras of the young, the Golden Avenger and Stark International were soon confronting some tricky questions from the increasingly socially conscious readership. All of a sudden maybe that money and fancy gadgetry weren\u2019t quite so fun or cool anymore?<\/p>\n

With an Iron Clad promise of stunning action and compelling intrigue this iconic hardback (and digital) chronological compendium covers Iron Man<\/strong> #14-25, spanning June 1969 – May 1970, and opens with an educational and fascinating Introduction from dynamic draughtsman George Tuska, detailing the stellar career and achievements of the veteran artist.<\/p>\n

Writer Archie Goodwin and illustrious illustrators Tuska & Johnny Craig continued a sterling run of genre-flavoured action epics as IM<\/strong> #14 depicts \u2018The Night Phantom Walks!\u2019<\/em> with the scripter craftily paying tribute to Craig\u2019s past history drawing EC\u2019s landmark horror comics. Here the artist pencilled & inked the tale of a zombie-like monster prowling a Caribbean island, destroying Stark Industry installations. As well as being a terse, moody thriller, the story marks the first indications of a different attitude as the menace\u2019s ecologically inspired reign of terror includes some pretty fair arguments about the downsides of \u201cProgress\u201d and rapacious globalisation…<\/p>\n

With Craig back inking, Tuska returned with #15 and \u2018Said the Unicorn to the Ghost…!\u2019<\/em> as the demented former superspy allies himself with Fantastic Four<\/strong> foe The Red Ghost<\/em> in a desperate bid to find a cure for his drastically shortened lifespan. Attempting to kidnap Stark, the Ghost betrays the Unicorn and retrenches to an African Cosmic Ray research facility in concluding instalment \u2018Of Beasts and Men!\u2019<\/em>, where it takes a fraught alliance of hero and villain to thwart the ethereal mastermind\u2019s ill-conceived plans…<\/p>\n

A suspenseful extended epic opened in IM<\/strong> #17 after an advanced android designed to protect Stark\u2019s secret identity achieves sinister sentience and sneakily replaces him. \u2018The Beginning of the End!\u2019<\/em> also introduces enigmatic Madame Masque<\/em> and her malevolent master Midas<\/em>, who plans to take over America\u2019s greatest technology company… as hostilely as possible…<\/p>\n

Dispossessed and on the run, Stark is abducted and aligns with Masque and Midas to reclaim his identity, only to suffer a fatal heart-attack in \u2018Even Heroes Die!\u2019<\/em> (guest-starring The Avengers<\/strong>) before a ground-breaking transplant – still practically science fiction in those distant days – offers renewed hope in \u2018What Price Life?\u2019 <\/em>When the ruthlessly opportunistic Midas instantly strikes again, Madame Masque switches sides and all hell breaks loose…<\/p>\n

The X-Men<\/strong>\u2019s dimensionally displaced alien nemesis attacks the restored and recuperating hero in \u2018Who Serves Lucifer?\u2019<\/em> (inked by Joe Gaudioso – AKA Mike Esposito) before being rudely returned to his personal dungeon dimension, after which African-American boxer Eddie March<\/em> becomes the new Iron Man in #21\u2019s \u2018The Replacement!\u2019<\/em> as Stark – free from the heart-stimulating chest-plate which had preserved his life for years – is briefly tempted by a life without strife. Unfortunately, and unknown to all, Eddie has a little health problem of his own…<\/p>\n

When Soviet-sponsored armoured archenemy Titanium Man<\/em> resurfaces, it\u2019s in conjunction – if not union – with another old Cold War warrior in the form of a newly-upgraded Crimson Dynamo<\/em> in #22\u2019s chilling classic confrontation \u2018From this Conflict… Death!\u2019 <\/em>With a loved one murdered, a vengeance-crazed Iron Man then goes ballistic in innovative action-thriller \u2018The Man Who Killed Tony Stark!!\u2019<\/em> before ultimately finding solace in the open arms of Madame Masque as Craig returns to fully illustrate superb mythological monster-mash \u2018My Son… The Minotaur!\u2019<\/em> and stays on as imminently departing scripter Goodwin pins Iron Man\u2019s new Green colours to the comic\u2019s mast in #25\u2019s stunning eco-parable \u2018This Doomed Land… This Dying Sea!\u2019 <\/em>Ably aided and abetted by Craig – whose slick understated mastery adds a sheen of terrifying authenticity to proceedings – the Armoured Avenger clashes and ultimately teams with veteran antihero Namor the Sub-Mariner<\/strong>. Ultimately the turbulent rivals must destroy Stark\u2019s own hyper-polluting facility, consequently overruling and abandoning his company\u2019s previous position and business model. Tragically, his attempts to convince other industry leaders to do likewise meets with the kind of reaction that tragically then (and again now) typified America\u2019s response to the real-world situation…
\n\"\"
\nAlthough the action ends here, there are many fantastic extras to enjoy, beginning with a comedy short gleaned from Marvel\u2019s contemporaneous comedy pastiche magazine Not Brand Echh<\/strong> #2 (September 1967). Here Roy Thomas, Don Heck & Dan Adkins pit clunky 20th<\/sup> century crusader The Unrinseable Ironed Man<\/em> against a parody-prone 40th<\/sup> century stalwart old fans will surely – if not surlily – recognise, even if here he\u2019s called \u2018Magnut, Robot Biter!\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

With covers throughout by Kirby, Colan, Gil Kane, Bill Everett, Craig, Tuska, Marie Severin, Giacoia, John Romita, Esposito, Larry Lieber, & John Verpoorten, other art treats include a character-packed Colan self-portrait from 1970; 15 pages of interior page and cover art, and the covers of Marvel Double Feature Classics<\/strong> #1-19 and Marvel Super-Heroes<\/strong> #31; plus the text-free art for this collection by Salvador Larocca & Frank D\u2019Amata.<\/p>\n

On show here is a fantastic period in the Golden Gladiator\u2019s career, one that perfectly encapsulates the changes Marvel and America went through and some of the best and most memorable efforts of a simply stellar band of creators. These are epic exploits, still charged with all the urgency and potency of a time of crisis and a nation in tumult, so what better time than now to finally tune in, switch on or return to the Power of Iron Man?
\n\u00a9 2024 MARVEL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Stan Lee, Archie Goodwin, Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, George Tuska, Johnny Craig, Don Heck, Frank Giacoia, Dan Adkins, Mike Esposito, Sam Grainger & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-5899-2 (HB\/Digital edition) Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Solid Gold, Sterling Silver so-Shiny Wonders \u2026 9\/10 This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Super-rich supergenius inventor … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Invincible Iron Man Omnibus volume 2”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,94,75,239,255,98,125,120,79,174,127,219,169,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-avengers","category-crime-comics","category-drama","category-environmentalism","category-hulk","category-humour","category-iron-man","category-marvel-superheroes","category-nick-fury","category-nostalgia","category-s-h-i-e-l-d","category-spy-stories","category-sub-mariner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-84z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31035"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31042,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31035\/revisions\/31042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}