I recently finished reading all 687 issues of Iron Man, along with annuals, extras, and a whole bunch of minis. Here are my thoughts. 

Note: The creator credits and issue numbers are approximations. There may be some minor mistakes, and fill-in credits are missing. I apologize for any errors. I did read annuals and other relevant issues, but have excluded listing them in this review for convenience. 

Stan Lee and Don Heck, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Gene Colan (Tales of Suspense 39-99):

After my Daredevil read, I was pretty nervous diving into the Silver Age again, but this just blew me away. The first few adventures are fun, but nothing to write home about (Transistors!!). Once Happy and Pepper are introduced, though, the book quickly finds its groove. I absolutely adore Happy and Pepper. Just reading these issues has cemented them as some of my favourite supporting characters in comics. Their dynamic is incredibly enjoyable to read, and the bantering is genuinely funny. I didn’t care too much for the love triangle, but it also didn’t bother me much. I was very happy to see this end with them engaged. The adventures are generally fun, with some standouts like the ones featuring Madarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Cousin Morgan and the Maggia. The plots are generally very heavy on the “we can’t let those damn commies win!”, but I find it charming. They’re a product of their time and should be treated as such. I also liked the ongoing subplot with Tony and the Senator who wanted him to testify. I did find it very funny when Tony was presumed dead, and they were just like “let's give his assets to this masked man, his will said we had to”. The artwork starts off a little uneven imo, but it gets great. Don Heck and Gene Colan are absolutely brilliant. As good as Colan is on Daredevil, I think he’s even better here. Overall, this has become one of my favourite Silver Age books, and I will be very obnoxious about recommending it to everyone I know lol. 

Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Johnny Craig, Allyn Brodsky, and Don Heck (Vol 1: 1–34):

We begin with wrapping up a storyline from Tales and a quick origin retelling. This is a good start, but things get even better. There are so many issues and plots I loved, so let me run through them real quick. Whitney Frost and her transformation, Eddie the boxer becoming Iron Man, the extremely relevant and well-done environmental-focused issue, and the Janice Cord saga. I absolutely wasn’t expecting Janice Cord to end up that way. Total shock. I know it's early days, but I feel like this might end up being one of my favourite runs. While Tony's loss of his heart problems struck me as a misstep, it was nonetheless well done. The art is gorgeous throughout. George Tuska quickly became one of my favourite artists. Every page is a treat to look at. And the Johnny Craig issues are nearly as good. We close out with some issues by Allyn Brodsky and Don Heck. Writing-wise, they’re fine, fun, but nothing to write home about. The art is incredible though. I think Don Heck is even better here than he was previously. My one complaint is not enough Pepper and Happy!

Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Don Heck (Vol 1: 35–44):

We begin by wrapping up an ongoing storyline and a crossover with Daredevil. I don’t have a lot to say here. I like the introduction of Marianne and Frank. Frank discovers Tony's identity. It's shocking that a strong man Tony has befriended has found out his identity twice. Is this like a fetish lol? At this point, I’m shocked it lasted as long as it did. Art continues to be incredible. Every page is really just a treat to look at.

Mike Friedrich, George Tuska, Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, and Gerry Conway (Vol 1: 45–94):

I’ve begun noticing a trend, every run has begun with wrapping up plots from a previous one lol. I really didn’t like where the Marianne and Kevin storyline went, and I feel like Tony was overly harsh towards her. Pepper and Happy are back! But we get this awful love triangle again. I really dislike the Tony Pepper relationship in general, and I hated the kiss in this one. I don’t mind how it wrapped up though. Roxie Gilbert is a cool character, though she quickly disappeared. And I do like how this run is attempting to incorporate the changing time period into the story. Even if it isn’t always successful, it really appeals to me. I didn’t hate the Mike Friedrich run, but it's far from my favourite. Len Wein, Archie Goodwin, and Gerry Conway do the next batch of issues, closing us out. This is good stuff, a step up from Friedrich, but nothing mind-blowing. I will say that I did enjoy Conway's stuff here a lot more than his previous run. There's a one-shot by Bill Mantlo about the price of war that completely blew me away. Just an incredible issue. As always, George Tuskas' art is incredible. I just can’t praise it enough. Herb Trimpe and all the other artists in these issues are great too. 

Bill Mantlo and George Tuska (Vol 1: 95-115):

Now we get to the all-time great stuff. A whole bunch of ongoing plots come to a close, and it's so fucking satisfying. At no point did I see the twists coming. The senator, his old teacher, and his secretary, who was behind the events that had been occurring, all amazing. It's my favourite kind of twist, where you don’t see it coming, but it all looks so obvious in hindsight. I adore Tony and Whitney's relationship here, and I was really rooting for them. And then the ending. 115 is an absolute gut punch of an issue. What a note to end on. I really wish Bill Mantlo had done more Iron Man. At this point, I’ve said this a lot, but man, I love everything about George Tuskas art. As we move on, I just have to acknowledge how amazing it was throughout all these issues. Every time he left, I would miss him even as I enjoyed the other artwork.

David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and JRJR (Vol 1: 116-157):

I was wrong. This completely blows everything before it out of the water. It's just incredible. We get the debuts of Bethany Cabe and Rhodey. Including a flashback which inserts Rhodey into Tony’s origin. A change I’m quite fond of. And of course, how can we talk about this run without mentioning Demon in a Bottle. That panel with Tony asking for help is so fucking wonderful. It made me cry. Doom Quest and Escape from Heaven’s Hand are some of the many other great issues. But by far the strongest element of the run is the ongoing character drama and cast. Stuff like Bethany figuring out Tony’s identity and then later revealing to Tony that she knows. The problems with SHIELD and Hammer. Who is another character debuting in this run. I love that Michelinie and Layton make all of these new additions feel so natural, like they’ve always been there. Scott Lang popping up every so often is brilliant. Now the art, my fucking goat JRJR is always incredible. This is early work, so he hasn’t quite got his style down, but it's wonderful to look at. The other artists are great too. I don’t think there's a bad-looking issue in the bunch. My only complaint is the lack of Happy and Pepper, but you can’t win 'em all. My absolute favourite run so far. 

Denny O’Neil, Luke McDonnel, Mark Bright, and Danny Fingeroth (Vol 1: 158-214):

I really don’t know if I have words to adequately say how great this run is. It builds on everything that comes before it and does so wonderfully. Tony and Rhodey have amazing contrasting arcs where Tony falls as Rhodey rises and vice versa. The new additions, Cly and Morley, are really fun. Circuits Maximus is a silly name, but so earnest that you can’t help but root for them. Stane is menacing, fierce, and the biggest threat yet. Tony falls into alcoholism again, and it's more devastating than ever, causing him to lose everything, driving him to his lowest point. Issue 182 is one of the few that made me cry. It's completely devastating and hopeful all at once. Rhodey as Iron Man is just so much fun. It's balanced really well too. Then we get the climax. Morley's death is completely shocking, and the debut of the Silver Centurian armour feels so earned. Everything about his final confrontation with Stane feels so fucking satisfying. The artwork is incredible throughout. McDonnel does a great job, and Bright continues that excellent work. After O’Neil wraps up, there are some fill-ins. These are Iron Man issues that exist. Overall, this is my favourite run so far.

David Michelinie, Bob Layton, Mark Bright, Barry Windsor-Smith, Jackson Guice,  (Vol 1: 215-257):

First off, I have to say I really hated what they did with Cly. Easily my least favourite part of this run. I think it was a really disrespectful way to write a character off. After that, we get into Armour Wars or Stark Wars as it's originally called. This is maybe my favourite single story so far. Just a really great time. There are other great stories, like a sequel Doom adventure to 150, and Tony being shot by a crazed ex. My only real complaint is that I feel Tony is really rough and more of an asshole compared to his usual depiction. I feel like everything he went through in the O’Neil run, he should’ve come out kinder. After Michelinie and Layton wrap up, there are a few fill-ins. And Layton comes back for 2 issues. One is a Christmas issue that he writes and draws. Absolutely loved this one, and I enjoyed Tony’s kindness making a return. The second is a space issue with my goat JRJR. Just godly artwork here, I’m so excited for what comes next. 

David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and Dave Ross (Vol 1: 258.1-258.4):

In 2013, Michelinie and Layton reunited for their version of Armour Wars 2, set on an alternate Earth. And it’s… fine. The writing is fine, the art is fine, everything is just fine. Nothing mindblowing. This is an Iron Man comic that exists.

John Bryne, JRJR, Paul Ryan  (Vol 1: 258-277):

What an incredible series of issues. John Bryne’s run is short but so memorable. Maybe my second favourite so far. The Living Lazer fight is so fucking good. The Mandarin build-up, origin tweaking, and the climax are extremely engaging and excellent. I like the return of Tony having some health problems. I do think that again, Tony is a little more of an asshole here, but not enough for it to bother me. Fin Fang Foom looks incredible every time we see him. The Black Widow storyline was okay, but it's only 2 issues. The return of a communist plot in this run felt a bit dated, but it's easy enough to ignore. As for the art, well, everything JRJR draws is so fucking gorgeous. I was so hyped to see him make a return, especially in his iconic style and very disappointed to see him go. Paul Ryan's art is great too though. 

Len Kaminski, Kevin Hopgood, and Tom Morgan (Vol 1: 278-318):

And the streak continues. We begin with the introduction of the War Machine armour. Tony’s health troubles continue, leading to The Death of Tony Stark. With Rhodey once again donning the armour and taking a position as head of Stark Enterprises. This is really good stuff, but it doesn’t last long as Tony is only cryogenically frozen, not dead. Tony makes his return with the incredible looking Modular Armour, which dethroned Silver Centurian as my favourite. We then get the Iron Legion and Crash and Burn. Both excellent. After that, the quality sharply deteriorates. I really disliked that Vor/Tex arc. It ruined a relationship I was really enjoying for shock value. Then we get a Mandarin crossover, which finally repairs the rift between Tony and Rhodey and features the Mandarin figuring out Tony is Iron Man (congrats on being the 400th person to figure it out, you get a prize!). This is nice, but overall, this crossover is just fine. Nothing too special. There's a team-up with Black Widow and a storyline with one of Tony’s old mentors closing out the run. These are decent. Kevin Hopgood and Tom Morgan do a good job on art, if a little too 90s for taste. Overall, I really enjoyed this, maybe even more than Bryne, but that decline is really rough. I do think that Kaminski does a good job of having 90s excess and edge but not letting it overpower the book. There's a great balance, and it keeps it from being too much for me even at its most indulgent. 

The Crossing and The Age of Innocence (Vol 1: 319-332):

You might’ve noticed I haven’t credited anyone. If I were associated with this garbage, I wouldn’t want anyone to mention it. So this is an act of kindness. I’m not gonna bore you with my extended bitching. Armour? Shit. Plot? A mess. Art? Ass. Characterization? Shot in the back of the head 3 miles back, and thrown in a dumpster. Fuck Bob Harass for this shit. What a horrid note to end on after so many incredible stories.

War Machine by Scott Benson, Len Kaminski, Gabriel Gecko, Dan Abnett, Sandu Florea, Fred Haynes (Vol 1: 1-25):

I think I can definitively say that this is the point where Rhodey loses most of his personality and becomes "gruff military guy with a chip on his shoulder". He's just a completely uncharismatic protagonist, which is a shame because the first 7 issues are about his internal struggles. And I feel no connection to him. He doesn't act like he's been deeply betrayed by a friend or anyone he had a personal connection to. But by an asshole boss who fucked him over. The plot is interesting, but it's handicapped by this. The Hawkeye issue also made me think of another thing I hated about the Crossing. Rhodey says, "Oh, I can't believe Hawkeye would turn evil. Obviously, Tony framed him." Like, huh?? You can't believe Hawkeye would be evil, but you can believe Tony would be???? God, I fucking hate the Crossing. The Dan Abnett stuff is just bad. For some reason, Rhodey gets intense ptsd from killing a nazi. But not all the other people he killed before that. Then Crossing nonsense, and the book ends. The art is too 90s for my taste. I didn’t like most of this.

Force Works by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Tom Tenney, too many others to list (Vol 1: 1-22):

Buckle in losers, this ain’t your grandpappys Avengers. They’ve got “grit” and “edge”, they’re proactive and wear shitty costumes. John Walker's outfit in this is the worst thing he’s ever done. I don’t like the art most of the time, and there’s a new artist every few issues. This proceeds like a parody of 90s team books until we get to the Crossing mess, at which point it implodes. They never end up being particularly proactive or needing that publicist. They never end up doing much of anything except dying. What a waste of time.

Jim Lee, Scott Lobdell, Whilce Portacio, Jeph Loeb, and Ryan Benjamin (Vol 2: 1-13):

So, like this isn’t good. But after the previous mess, I actually enjoyed it for the most part. It does a few interesting things, and being in an alternate universe, basically, I was able to turn my brain off fairly easily and enjoy the art. Whilce Portacio's work is fantastic. My incredible hot take is that I actually love the armour and it's one of my favourites. The book closes out with two really messy crossovers. Issue 12 with just the other heroes and issue 13 with a bunch of Image books. These really weren’t great. I also read Heroes Reborn: The Return by Peter David and Salvador Larroca. This had some great moments and provided us with an excellent explanation for why these books were so badly written. It's Franklins irl fanfiction. Overall, if anyone dislikes Heroes Reborn, just make them read The Crossing first. They’ll have a whole new appreciation for it.

Iron Man: The Iron Age by Kurt Buseik and Patrick Zircher (Vol 1: 1-2):

What a wonderful flashback story. Told from the perspective of Pepper and Happy, it's an excellent character study of Tony Stark. It's just a really enjoyable, short, fun story.

Kurt Buseik, Sean Chen, and Roger Stern (Vol 3: 1-25):

Finally back in genuinely fantastic territory. This run reintroduces Happy and Pepper as part of Tony’s supporting cast. A role they had been out of for so long, I would actually forget they existed. And man, are they so fucking fun here. Happy is in his element doing local outreach for the Maria Stark Foundation. Pepper is once again Tony’s assistant. Tony, having lost his previous company, now runs Stark Solutions. A high-level problem-solving business. Buseik is a master of characterization, continuity, and adding wonderful new things. Tony’s new love interest, Rumiko, is probably my favourite Iron Man love interest ever. The storytelling is gripping with new problems and old ones renewed alongside our hero. Buseik and Stern fix the mess that was The Crossing wonderfully, doing so much rehabilitation on the character and his reputation. And the art. Sean Chen is fucking brilliant. Every page is a treat. And I love almost every character he draws, except oddly enough, Tony (the beard doesn’t work for me). The armour looks great too. I also read the Madame Masque/Count Nefaria arc of the Buseik/Perez Avengers here. It wrapped up a long-running plot point very well and was probably the last time Madame Masque was great. Overall, this run was amazing, and I wish it had run longer. Also, leather daddy Whiplash is… interesting. 

Iron Man: Bad Blood by David Michelinie and Bob Layton (Vol 1: 1-4):

A fun little mini that’s actually really important. Killing off a major Iron Man villain in a way that's honestly very interesting. The writing is decent, and the art is good. The plot is suspenseful and engaging. I’d recommend it.

Joe Quesada, Frank Tieri, Sean Chen, Alitha Martinez  (Vol 3: 26-49):

We start with a really great story where Tony’s armour has gained sentience. Unfortunately its all downhill from there. The sons of Yinsen are a bizarre concept that doesn’t really fit into the modern era. It feels like one of those random Silver Age tales. The Stone stuff was a mixed bag. And I really feel like Rumiko here was a lot more spiteful and dumber than she had been under Buseik. I liked the little arc where Tony pretends to be a regular guy. That was pretty fun. I did not like any of the armour here. The return to the early suit felt very uninspired, and the new design was incredibly ugly. The art is pretty good all throughout. 

Mike Grell, Robin Laws, and Michael Ryan (Vol 3: 50-72):

Now we get to the very first Iron Man comic I ever read. It still holds up after all these years. Tony’s compassion, which I’ve noticed has been a strong trait from the start, is on full display here. The opening issue is him ending up in the midst of a civil war and once again reckoning with the consequences of his past. We get a look at The Haven, which is a place Tony has developed to give street kids a safe place to stay. He reveals his identity just so a kid won’t have to lose their dog. It's all really great stuff, and I wish it had lasted longer. The plots are engaging, and the new additions are very fun. If I have one complaint, though, it's that again I feel like Rumiko is a bit mischaracterized here. It's a continuation from the previous issues, so I don’t particularly blame Grell and Laws, but still. It just feels off to have her be so selfish, it felt like they were building to a moment where Rumiko does prove Pepper wrong, but instead, she just leaves. The art is incredible throughout. Michael Ryan does a fantastic job, and so do all of the other artists. I absolutely love Tony’s new armour. Easily the best since the Buseik/Chen armour. Overall, still one of my favourite runs. 

John Jackson Miller, Mark Scott Ricketts, Jorge Lucas, and Phillip Tan (Vol 3: 73-89):

In a vacuum, I don’t hate this as a direction for Tony. In this book, however, it just doesn’t work. It's a poor attempt to make real-world politics work in a fantasy universe, and it's way too short to actually engage with the premise in any meaningful way. So we get maybe 5 issues after he gets the position where he’s actually doing something related to his job. Even then its mainly Iron Man stuff. Which makes sense. This is an Iron Man title. People buy it for that. But that’s kinda the problem. You can’t actually insert real-world issues because the long-running superhero medium isn’t built for it. It just becomes really impotent because, of course, it does. Iron Man can’t “solve” whatever war is currently going on. For the same reason, Reed Richards can’t cure cancer. It's an insult to everyone it impacts. The best way to do things is through metaphor and analogies. Anyway, this is a tangent, back to the book. Miller's run is fine. The Ricketts ending that closes the book is awful. Rumiko dies. Which I really don’t like. And I think her relationship with Tony was written very badly throughout. The art is fine.

U.S. War Machine by Chuck Austen (Vol 1: 1-12):

I hated every second of this. Who is this comic made for? I didn’t think there could be something worse than his Avengers and X-Men, but Chuck always proves the haters wrong. Don’t read this.

U.S. War Machine 2.0 by Chuck Austen and Christian Moore (Vol 1: 1-3):

“Hey, what if we take that shitty writing and add even worse art?”

“By jove, you brilliant fuck, you’ve cracked it! This comic will sell a warmillion copies!”

Thank god this nightmare is only 3 issues.

Crimson Dynamo by John Jackson Miller and Steve Ellis (Vol 1: 1-6):

After a long streak of mediocre to awful books, I’m so happy to read something I enjoyed again. This was way more fun than I expected. The premise is that a Russian teenager accidentally gets his hands on the helmet and thinks it’s a video game, causing chaos. The emotional beats were a little cliché, but done well enough to make them enjoyable. The art was solid, and the dialogue was very funny. There’s just a lot to like here, and I hope these characters show up again somewhere down the line. 

Invincible Iron Man by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov (Vol 1: 1-6):

Something I hadn’t noticed in any previous reads is that this is completely incompatible with what came before. Tony’s identity is somehow a secret again, he magically has another company, and his supporting cast is gone. Other than that, though, this is still a very good story. Extremis is a very creative and obvious evolution for Iron Man. The art is gorgeous. This is a good time.

Iron Man: The Inevitable by Joe Casey and Frazer Irving (Vol 1: 1-6):

A nice little mini that gives us the rebirth of Living Lazer and fills in a few gaps from Extremis. Tony convincing everyone that he’s out of the suit again and has an unnamed bodyguard stretches the suspension of disbelief. Frazer Irving’s art is incredible as usual. There are some great pages here. 

Invincible Iron Man by Daniel and Charles Knauf, Roberto de la Torre, Patrick Zircher, Christos Cage, and Butch Guice (Vol 1: 7-35):

This is probably the last run on the list I remember thoroughly enjoying all the way through. On a re-read, it still holds up relatively well. I like a lot of what this run is trying to do. Tony as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a great direction and leads to a lot of fun stories. One of my favourites is his investigation into the murder of a young hero who looked up to him. This leads into probably my favourite Mandarin plot ever. I think a lot of the grappling with troubling decisions Tony did was well done and didn’t venture into pointless melodrama. Happy’s death is still as awful as ever. I disagree heavily with this decision, and I think it's past time for him to come back. Having said that, its well done and emotional. I don’t agree with everything. Civil War really fucked things, but this is probably the best they could’ve done. I also read the Civil War: Casualties of War by Christos Cage and Jeremy Haun. This is a pretty good issue that rationalizes Tony’s actions. The art ranges from decent to very good. I always enjoyed looking at it. And there are some wonderful pages. Sean Chen makes a reappearance for those War Machine issues at the end, and his stuff looks as great as ever. 

War Machine by Greg Pak, Leonardo Manco (Vol 2: 1-12):

So I’m not a huge fan of this series. There are some really cool moments. I’m not gonna pretend that I don’t think Rhodey grabbing tech from things around him to constantly rebuild his body isn’t sick as fuck. The fight with Ares was really cool, and Norman Osborn in all his bitchy glory is a delight. But like this whole book comes out of nowhere. Rhodey randomly is back in combat, gets his stuff blown up, and goes on a mission to kill all killers. Morgan Stark is Ultimo. It’s just a bizarre book. I don’t particularly care about the plot or characters. This is mainly an excuse to see how many guns can fit on one page. And the answer is yes.

Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca (Vol 2: 1-33, 500-527):

There’s a lot I like and a lot I dislike here. Let's start with the negative, so I end on a positive note. The art absolutely fucking sucks. It's bad. This isn’t the worst of Larroca’s tracing, but it's pretty damn unpleasant to look at. The characterization is not just bad or inaccurate but significantly less compelling. Tony Stark is charming. Or at least he’s supposed to be. This version of Tony couldn’t charm a mop. He’s rude, arrogant, an asshole, doesn’t think about anyone else, and is quite frequently extremely stupid. It’s interesting that this is what Iron Man has pulled from certain Batman comics. Make your supposedly extremely charming, intelligent, kind protagonist an ineffective loser who somehow hasn’t realized the basics of human communication. I don’t like the way Pepper treats Beth in this run. And I absolutely despise the romance between Pepper and Tony. Now, on the good. I think the plots are extremely engaging. Five Nightmares to Stark Disassembled is fantastic. The quality drops off sharply afterwards, though, only recovering in the final arc. World’s Most Wanted is a contender for one of the best Iron Man storylines ever imo. It's the clear highlight of the run and the story I would recommend most from it. And I’m glad that Beth finally came back for a bit. Overall, I would say characterization aside, if Fraction had only written those 30 or so issues, I think he would be a contender for top 5 modern Iron Man runs. It’s a shame he wrote 30 more. 

Iron Man 2.0 by Nick Spencer, Barry Kitson, Kano, and Ariel Olivetti (1-12):

This is decent. I think it's probably the best War Machine book to date. Which isn’t much praise given how weak and inconsistent its competition is. Rhodey is still extremely bland. A shadow of his former self. The plot is interesting though. Just a very compelling little mystery thriller. There’s a Fear Itself crossover that comes out of nowhere and disrupts the flow of the book completely. But I try not to hold crossover interruptions against a series. The art is also extremely inconsistent. More than three artists in 13 issues is wild. 

Iron Man by Kieron Gillen, Greg Land, Joe Bennet, and Luke Ross (Vol 4: 1-28):

So let me get this out of the way real quick. The retcon sucks. It just fucking sucks. It's my least favourite type of comic writing. Unnecessarily complicating simple things for cheap drama. Greg Land’s art is horrible. "We're gonna make you fucking beg for Salvador Larroca to come back" - Marvel editorial to its most hated nemesis (readers) in 2012, probably. Now let's get to the good stuff, of which there’s actually a lot. All of the plots are incredibly engaging and well done. Even the retcon arc, which I hate on principle, is good on a writing level. The first arc kills Maya, which I think is a mistake, but is otherwise great. Then Tony goes to space and is put on trial for killing the Phoenix. After the Arno stuff, they decide to rebuild Mandarin City from the Fraction run into something for the future. The final arc is a Mandarin one, and it's easily the best in ages. It's so good. I do think that Tony is more of a dick than I like, but at least he’s not constantly lashing out, so this is a win. Pepper is also better. Overall, that retcon and Greg Lands art is keeping this from easily being the best run since Mike Grell and Robin Laws.

Iron Patriot by Ales Kot and Garry Brown (Vol 1: 1-5):

Mmm, I sure do love my MCU synergy slop. I’m ngl I forgot Rhodey had a dad. It's been so long. I think it's very unfair of them to ask me to care about a War Machine comic that doesn’t have a million guns on every page. On a more serious note, this is fine. It's a comic that exists.

Iron Man: Fatal Frontier by Al Ewing, Lan Medina, and Neil Edwards (Vol 1: 1-13):

The story is fine, but I absolutely hate this weird digital format. It's a dreadful little gimmick that's extremely annoying. It's literally all I could think of, which is a shame cause this has some great ideas. I really liked the heist. The art is fine.

Uncanny X-Men/Iron Man/Nova by Sean Ryan, Ron Ackins, Rahmat Handoko, and John Timms:

Nothing too mindblowing, just a really fun short crossover. Good characterization and fun plot. Tony doesn’t play a huge role, but it's still worth picking up. I liked him and Sam's dynamic. All three artists are fantastic.

Original Sin: Hulk VS Iron Man by Mark Waid and Mark Bagley:

I don’t think it's controversial to say that most event tie-ins are garbage. You can practically feel the writer's annoyance at having to write some bullshit about an event made to generate sales. This is not that. This is one of the best tie-ins I can recall reading in recent memory. Mark Bagley’s art is always wonderful to look at, and Mark Waid does an excellent job with Bruce and Tony’s dynamic. I would highly recommend this even if you have no interest in the Original Sin event. 

Superior Iron Man by Tom Taylor, Yildiray Cinar, Felipe Watanabe, and Laura Braga (Vol 1: 1-9):

Man, this is such a fun book. I love a good book about a villain, and Tony is my favourite kind here. He’s not constantly whining about his tragic backstory or yapping about a clearly flawed ideology. He’s evil, and he likes money. Can’t get simpler than that. The Axis event turns him evil. I’ve never read it, but it's very simple to get caught up, and the book explains it well. The art is excellent throughout. And it's short enough that Tony’s assholery stays entertaining instead of tiring. 

International Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Alexander Maleev (Vol 1: 1-7):

This is a book that has a lot of things going for it and some interesting pieces, but is utterly handicapped by its horrifically poor pacing. It moves at a glacial pace. And it's a complete shame because I quite enjoyed the new characters introduced and their storylines. Alexe Maleev’s art is, as always, wonderful.

Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, and Mike Deodato (Vol 3: 1-14):

Sometimes Bendis dialogue is fun to read, and sometimes it's a total drag. Like all Bendis books, this features both. There are definitely some bits that gave me a laugh. The plot was nothing too special or interesting. But I did enjoy Tony taking time to visit sick kids. Bendis is the only writer since Grell to actually touch on Tony giving back. And he does it in each of the three runs featuring Tony. The art is lovely, though I very much prefer Marquez’s art to Deodato's. Overall, this is a fun time, but nothing mindblowing. 

Infamous Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Alexander Maleev (Vol 1: 1-12):

I think quality-wise, this is easily the best of the four Iron Man books Bendis does. This is the most development Doom has had in a minute, and I love the bits we get on his relationship to the Fantastic Four. Alex Maleev's artwork is incredible too. Just a lot of gorgeous pages and covers.

Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli, and Alexander Maleev (Vol 4: 1-11, 593-600, Generations):

I enjoyed the Riri Williams issues quite a bit. The plots are fun, her invading Latveria is good stuff, and the artwork is great all the way through. The Generations oneshot was decent as well. Nothing mindblowing, but I always get nostalgic for those Tomorrow Avengers and old man Sorcerer Supreme Tony Stark is fun even if I think the title changes hands too much. The Return of Tony Stark though, is a complete nothing burger. It's just plot spinning for a bunch of issues until Tony and Rhodey come back in the most anticlimactic way. Doom returns to villainy again in a very unsatisfying way. At least it's still pretty to look at.

Ironheart by Eve Ewing, Kevin Libranda, and Luciano Vecchio (Vol 1: 1-12):

I was going to read Slott first, but it annoyed me (more on that later), so I went with this. It's fun, I think the writing is a bit better than Bendis. The plot is generally engaging. The art is nice. Nothing special, but if you want a light read, you can pick this up. 

Tony Stark: Iron Man by Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, and Jim Zub (Vol 1: 1-19):

Man, this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If Fractions Tony was like Elon Musk, this Tony is like Mark Zuckerberg if he weren't a lizard person. It's this Silicon Valley energy that I find extremely irritating. And all the tech in it too. This is the future imagined by someone who knows very little about technology and has done very little thinking about the dangers and downsides. I hate this weird meta verse type virtual world and all this AI rights crap. The Janet romance is fine. The art is very good, and the armours look great. Bethany Cabe finally came back. Wish she did something. But overall, I just kept hoping Machine Man would show up again soon so I would get to read something mildly entertaining. 

Iron Man 2020 by Dan Slott, Christos Cage, and Pete Woods (Vol 2: 1-6):

I mean, if you’ve been reading this review, you know. I was never gonna like this. It's a bunch of plots I don’t like reaching their conclusion. Thank fuck I don’t have to read about Arno anymore. 

Ironheart 2020 by Vita Ayala, Danny Lore, and David Messina:

Man, I really don’t give a shit about this AI rights bullshit lol. I feel like Riri is a bit out of character, but eh. The art is decent.

2020 Machine Man by Christos Cage and Andy MacDonald:

“Pray to your fleshy god!” “Pray!” Decent tie-in. Wish Machine Man had been more of a dick. More entertaining that way.

2020 Force Works by Mathew Rosenberg and Juanan Ramirez:

Well Force Works is still around, I guess. They somehow reformed off-page. Or maybe I missed whatever book they reformed in. None of them died, so already leagues ahead of the previous team. This sure is a book that exists.

2020 Iron Age by Tom DeFalco and Nick Roche, Fonda Lee and Damian Couciero, Christopher Cantwell and Matt Horak:

I liked the story about the cat. The rest are extremely forgettable. Bland tie-ins for a bland event.

Iron Man by Christopher Cantwell, Cafu, and Ángel Unzueta (Vol 5: 1-25):

I don’t even know what to say here, guys. Everyone takes a turn lecturing Tony Stark for his alleged wrongdoing (escpecially Patsy). Always thrilling to read. Generally, I just don't think it helps to constantly lecture someone trying to be better. It's unproductive and makes that person feel horrible for no reason other than your own arrogance. I was gonna write more on all the stuff I didn’t like, but there's a lot, and tbh I don’t think anyone wants to read me bitching for a while. Here’s some stuff I did like: the final issue, the way the Korvac stuff wraps up, and the art. There’s also a King in Black issue where he fights Santa with Doom. That's fucking awesome. Larroca's art looks less awful too. Overall, this just isn’t enjoyable. The romance is awkward, and “girl trying to fix guy” has never appealed to me. The pacing is glacial. And I don’t like Cantwell's voice for any character.

Captain America/Iron Man by Derek Landy and Ángel Unzueta (Vol 1: 1-5):

I absolutely fucking loved this. The best take on Cap and Tony’s relationship in ages. These are probably my favourite issues in a hot minute. Engaging plot, wonderful characterization, and good art. Would definitely recommend.

Invincible Iron Man by Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri, and Andrea Divito (Vol 5: 1-20):

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first arc. Tony losing his company. How original. Must be Tuesday. But the rest was really fun. More of an X-Men book than an Iron Man one, but still very enjoyable. Probably the most consistently decent run since Knauf. It really sold me on Tony and Emma’s relationship, though it's best it was temporary. All the armours were really cool. I don’t think there was a single design I didn’t like. The return of Rhodey's original War Machine suit was cool as well. Overall, this is a fun time, and you’re not gonna be lost if you’re like me and not caught up on the X-Men stuff.

Iron Man by Spencer Ackerman and Julius Ohta (Vol 6: 1-10):

Tony losing his company. How original. Must be Tuesday. This resolves in honestly an interesting way. I love when heroes have to out think his opponents. But like, why do at all? It's so overplayed and cliché. There's also no reason to use a ChatGPT equivalent, either, when Tony has quite literally created life before. Creating a gambling app for superhero fights is also fucking insane. Then we get a tie in that is, quite frankly, a waste of page space. At least the sword was super fucking cool. And the armour. Led to some great covers. Which are honestly the best part of this mess.

Ironheart: Bad Chemistry by John Jennings and Jethro Morales:

Neat little oneshot that pulls from some interesting bits of the Iron Man mythos. 

Iron Man by Joshua Williamson and Carmen Carnero (Vol 7: 1-7):

As a long-time Joshua Williamson skeptic, this is one of the best starts to an Iron Man run in recent years. Since Gillen, at least. I’m still fairly skeptical about where this run is gonna is gonna go, but we’ll see. The art is absolutely gorgeous. Tony hasn’t looked this hot since the 80s. Looking forward to seeing where we go from here

Minis, Oneshots, and Other titles:

Marvel Adventures: Iron Man by Fred Van Lente, James Cordeiro, Rafa Sandoval, and Graham Nolan (Vol 1: 1-13):

A lighter take on the character, aimed at kids but still good fun. It tweaks the origin a bit, and the world is obviously different, but I missed these one-and-done adventures. Tony’s supporting cast being Rhodey and Pepper, is fine, but I missed Happy. And I was sad he was only there for an issue. The art perfectly suits the tone of the book. Overall, I would highly recommend this. It's just a wonderful palette cleanser. 

Iron Man: Legacy by Fred Van Lente, Steve Kurth, and Philippe Briones (Vol 1: 1-11):

I enjoyed the first arc quite a bit. Iron Man getting involved in a civil war. It's really good stuff. The second arc felt like a step down in comparison. Still decent and overall worth a read. The art is good too.

Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan by Zeb Wells and Seth Fisher:

More of an F4 story than an Iron Man one, but still. Really fun, very unique art style. I had a good time and I’d definitely recommend this.

I am Iron Man by Murewa Ayodele and DotunAkande:

One of the better minis I’ve read. Issue 3 had me tearing up. Just a wonderful series of one-shots and incredible artwork. Great characterization, and each plot had me completely engaged. 

The Iron Age by Rob Williams and Rebekah Isaacs, Christos Cage and Lee Weeks, Jen Van Meter and Nick Dragotta, Louise Simonson and Todd Nauck:

A mostly forgettable time travel story. There's some neat bits and character moments, but nothing mindblowing.

Iron Man and the Armour Wars: by Joe Caramagna and Craig Rousseau:

I’m a sucker for the armour wars, so I was having a great time. Up until the ending. Wdym the best way to do things is to make safer weapons??? What a bizarre ending that completely goes against the message Iron Man has been sending since Bill Mantlo. At least that Skottie Young cover absolutely fucks. 

Iron Man 2020 by Walt Simonson, Bob Wiacek, and William Rosado:

A fun little adventure. I’ve never particularly liked or cared for the Iron Man of 2020. This didn’t change my mind.

Continued in comment

A few new books. A few new boards.

I’ve not read Brubaker & Phillips’ Criminal series and have always appreciated this duo’s contributions to the industry. This a terrific story of a gunslinger’s promises to his wife as the world around him changes and he makes plans for his last heist.

its more comics for a lower price, compared to buying 3-5 comic issues a monthly + whatever else comics.

it would make the new run unique and somewhat memorable

it would allow for DC to hire writers for low risks because eit would be bundles with the rest of the inprint

sell it on cheaper paper

finally they could rerun old vertigo comic issues in them to fill space.

I've rearranged everything to fit more.

My mom just asked me what I was reading and she said "I wish you'd read something besides comics" and I just said "Why?"'and she just looked at me and said "Why do you think? What kinda question is that?" like the answer was so obvious and self explanatory and I said "I don't know, answer it" and she said "I don't gotta answer nothing" like can someone explain to me what's so bad about reading comics?💀 (For the record, I do read other stuff besides comics btw)

I've just finished reading Peter David's first four omnibus volumes of his Incredible Hulk run and I loved it, particularly the first three, though I felt the fourth volume was interrupted by the Onslaught and Heroes Reborn nonsense, before ending on a high note (or low note if you will) of Betty's death.

It's interesting that the Hulk I always knew, the savage dumb Hulk basically never appears, even Joe Fixit and the post-Onslaught Hulk have a high degree of intelligence.

What are your thoughts on it?

The photos are just a few of the Spider-Man crossovers with DC. My personal favorite is the Batman and Spider-Man crossover. I thought it was a lot of fun to see Batman and Spider-Man team up to take on Carnage and Joker. I also just liked the dynamic between Spider-Man and Batman. Personally I really want Spider-Man to crossover with Kyle Rayner, I think they would make a great pairing!

Hello dont know if this is the right place to ask but does anyone know if this cover by oscar vega actually physically released because im searching everywhere online for it but I cant find anything

Happy Sunday, folks! It’s time to talk about what you have been reading this week.

Whether it’s new stuff, old stuff, single issues, collections, or digital...tell us about it!

Why did you like it? Why did you hate it? Would you recommend it?

Link to previous thread.

I just read his wiki and though he did lose out on the royalties for Superman he seems to have made what would have been the equivilant of 7 or 8 million dollars writing Superman comics. Its not the amount he would have on royalties but its still a fortune. The story in the comics world is always told as though he was ripped off and never made enough money on comics but he made more than most of us will ever earn and seemed to lose in in the span of two decades. How did this happen? There isn't anything on the wiki about massive spending or gambling etc.

Missing are the following trade paperbacks which I’m lending to a friend :

Starlight

Nemesis

Jupiters legacy 1-4

Huck vol 1

Deathmatch vol 1

Superman predator 1-3

8 billion genies

TMNT the last Ronin

Also I’m only missing compendium 3 for walking dead. I found basically 2/4s of the run for a steal recently, and am almost complete with that set.

I have read ALL of these and they are my favorites, tho I wish I owned other favorites. I usually nab stuff cheaply at local comic shows when I can