Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Iron Man Vol. 2
Quick Summary
Pros: Most of the stories collected here are more enjoyable than before. The volume contains several stories that are important pieces of comic book history. The comic’s main narrative is more interesting. The artwork looks nice and suits the comic well.
Cons: Some of the stories collected here are pretty forgettable. The changes to the comic’s love triangle make it less appealing.
Overall: This is an improved collection of Iron Man stories that provides a decent reading experience. The stories told here have some fun action and some appealing charm to them. They also have more historical importance than some other collections. There are still points here where the story feels mundane or forgettable but these moments are more rare than they were before. Overall, fans of historical Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkeye stories should consider picking up this volume.
Story
Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2, by Stan Lee, improves upon many of its predecessor’s flaws but does not quite get everything right. The volume contains several great stories that depict Iron Man on adventures that are more tense and historically important than before, with some depicting the first few appearances of Black Widow and Hawkeye. It also enhances Pepper and Happy’s roles and introduces some compelling changes for Iron Man. However, there are still stories here that feel almost instantly forgettable and Iron Man’s changed perception of love damages the book’s love triangle. This book makes the series better than it was before but is still not quite at the level I wish it was.
(spoilers start here)
Iron Man Vol. 2 contains a number of changes that would go on to become an important piece of comic book history. This collection introduces the world to Black Widow, introduces the world to Hawkeye, and begins setting up Mandarin as one of Iron Man’s top antagonists. These are plot points that will go on to have a major impact in comic book history so seeing their origins here is pretty fun.
It also helps that these changes also make the present narrative better. Iron Man’s earlier villains were mostly lackluster and even the Mandarin was a bit generic. Now, by introducing these new characters and making old ones better, the adventures here are more exciting.
Meanwhile, changes in the central narrative of this series have more mixed appeal. I really enjoyed seeing Pepper and Happy take a more active role in Tony’s life. Their presence gives each story a cute charm and typically provides some humorous complications in Iron Man’s activities. In addition, Tony himself has become more of an interesting character. His love/hate relationship with his Iron Man armor and his dissatisfaction with his love life allow him to break away from the standard mold of perfection that most superheroes fall into.
However, not everything in Iron Man Vol. 2 is appealing. There are a couple of stories that just are not that exciting or memorable, like many of the stories from the first volume. In addition, Tony’s participation, rather than ambivalence toward, the comic’s love triangle feels like it is coming out of nowhere. This actually made me less interested in this comic’s main romance, as I didn’t care for Tony’s role in it.
(spoilers end here)
Art
The artwork in Iron Man Vol. 2 remains appealing and does well in depicting Iron Man’s adventures. Don Heck does a great job in bringing Iron Man’s action packed adventures to life. His work on the Golden Avenger always looks solid and his work with the villains adds to the appeal of the action. In addition, the visuals here do well in bringing the emotions of these characters to life. This is particularly noticeable in Tony Stark’s supporting cast, where the visuals allow Pepper and Happy to shift from optimistic to downtrodden at a moments notice. Overall, I found the art in this collection to be one of its most consistently positive points and was happy with it from beginning to end.
Continuity
Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2 continues the story started in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 1 (Review).
The story here is continued in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 3.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Iron Man’s association with the Avengers began in Avengers #1, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).
- Kraven the Hunter’s fight with Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #15, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2, is mentioned.
- The Avenger’s battle against the Black Knight is referenced. This battle took place in Avengers #6, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).