Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Iron Man Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: This collection’s opening issue is a treasure from a historical standpoint and still holds up well to today’s standards. The quality of the series starts to improve and the narrative becomes more interesting as it progresses.

Cons: Outside of the volume’s opening chapter, many of the stories collected here are not that memorable or that interesting.

Overall: This is a collection with an amazing moment in comic book history and several less amazing ones. Iron Man’s origin story manages to feel fresh and interesting today, despite having aged several decades. However, the rest of his adventures do not stand out nearly as well. Readers looking for Iron Man’s origins should definitely read this collection, but readers looking for the best of the best Silver Age comics might be better off looking elsewhere.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 1, by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Robert Bernstein, is an excellent piece of comic book history but is not quite as explosively entertaining as some of its contemporaries. The stories told here often have a habit of feeling less exciting and quickly slip out of memory. The volume improves as it goes along, mostly through some refinements to Iron Man’s character and the introduction of Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts, but does not do so that quickly. However, the quality and impact of this volume’s first issue, Iron Man’s origin, cannot be denied and is so good that it nearly justifies the existence of the entire collection. 

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The biggest positive in Iron Man Vol. 1 comes from this volume’s opening chapter, Iron Man #1. This issue introduced the world to Tony Stark and showed how this unusual millionaire went on to become one of the greatest heroes of all time. Its importance in comic book history cannot be denied.

It also helps that this opening chapter still, mostly, holds up today. The story of a genius tricking his captors and turning their own technology against them is great and works on a number of levels. It is also fantastic seeing how little most modern adaptations have altered this origin story.

Unfortunately, after this opening chapter, the appeal of this volume is a little mixed. While comics like Fantastic Four and Avengers were introducing incredible concepts and exciting new villains in nearly all of their early issues, the early issues of Iron Man feel less memorable. Tony Stark ends up facing off against a number of villains that never feel like they pose a significant threat. Meanwhile, some illogical decision making and overly silly scenarios make it hard to get fully invested in the read.

Luckily, the quality of these stories starts to rise as the collection moves into its second half. The series introduces readers to Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, and the humorous dynamic that forms between them and Tony Stark. Alongside this, Iron Man’s powers become more refined and do not have him suffering from a lack of power in every chapter. This all helps give the indication that these classic comics are about to get even better.

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Art

The quality of the artwork in Iron Man Vol. 1 is mostly positive and features some truly historical visuals from a couple of key creators. Don Heck’s imposing Iron Man design from this volume’s first issue sets the stage for the character for decades to come. His work here consistently makes both Iron Man and Tony Stark look good. Meanwhile, Jack Kirby brings out his traditionally excellent approach to visuals. Kirby’s work in Tales of Suspense #43 does a particularly fantastic job in making Iron Man’s world feel unique, mostly through the introduction of the Netherworld. Together, Don Heck and Jack Kirby have some of the most “classic” looking visuals from this era, which really gives this entire volume some artistic importance.

Unfortunately, there are also some minor downsides to the visuals here. I wasn’t a big fan of Dick Ayers’ inking in Tales of Suspense #41 and felt it came off a bit too bold for this particular story. Meanwhile, Tales of Suspense #47, though otherwise great looking, has an off-putting habit of making Tony Stark’s naked arm look as large, if not larger, than his arm with armor on.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 1 collects some of Iron Man’s first appearances. This volume introduces the entire concept behind Iron Man and does not require any prior reading.

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• This volume contains a pseudo-crossover with the X-Men series. The origin of the X-Men is explained in the first issue of that series, collected in Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 1.
• Iron Man’s association with the Avengers is alluded to. This association began in Avengers #1, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).