I have enjoyed [[[Iron Man]]] as a character since discovering the Marvel super-heroes through the limited animation shows of the 1960s. That led me to the comics and so on. All along, shellhead has been one of my favorite characters so you can imagine my delight at the Jon Favreau film and the chance to write an original novel adventure.

I’ve been looking forward to this week’s sequel and no surprise; have been sent his animated adventures for review. When the live-action film came out two years ago, the mainstream press kept referring to him as a lesser known character and that may have been true to film critics, but he’s been a well-known television character for decades.

After all, he was seen in the 1960s series plus a guest appearance on [[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]], before gaining his own half-hour show as part of the Marvel Action Hour from 1994-1996. He has guest starred on other Marvel animated shows, had his own animated feature and most recently, the youthful [[[Armored Adventures]]] show. Not too shabby.

His 26 episode series from the 1990s is available this week as a three-disc set from Disney Home Entertainment. The two 13 episodes are quite different yet neither are very good. On the one hand, the series hews very closely to the comic book look and feel of the era.  The details, though, are very different starting with the green-skinned Mandarin as the main foe throughout. The Golden Avenger’s familiar foes all seem to be work for him as does a diminutive and poorly characterized MODOK. It’s the Mandarin who captures the injured Stark as revealed in the two-part origin story so it focuses their enmity from the beginning, not entirely unlike what Favreau is setting up in the films. Perhaps the biggest origin alteration is that slivers of metal threaten his spine, not his heart. Is it better or more plausible? Maybe.

Rather than focus the series on Tony Stark and his armored alter ego, it includes the West Coast Avengers, er, Force Works so time is given over to War Machine, Century, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Spider Woman. Julia Carpenter becomes Tony’s romantic interest complete with engagement, so that’s different.

(more…)

Of course there was going to be a new [[[Iron Man]]] animated series in the wake of the smash success of the 2008 movie. Marvel delivered [[[Iron Man; Armored Adventures]]], airing on Nicktoons as of spring 20098 with a second season promised this fall.  Vivendi Entertainment has also collected the entire first season on five discs, being released today, the week [[[Iron Man 2]]] jets onto screens coast to coast.

Unlike the 1994 series, also being released this week, this one has no connection to the movie reality or the comic book continuity. Instead, the team lead by showrunner Christopher Yost decided to make this an all-ages Iron Man. Possibly inspired by a storyline that reconfigured Tony Stark into a teenaged shellhead, this series introduces us to teenaged wunderkind Tony, his best pal Rhodey and hits the ground running.

In short, Obadiah Stane has engineered Howard Stark’s death and takes over the company. Tony, not yet of age, is now living with Rhodey and attending high school but accesses a hidden warehouse where he had built the Iron Man armor and uses it when its clear Stane has perverted his father’s work.

We get familiar faces in new roles with Pepper Potts as the gosh-wow female love interest and Happy Hogan as the school dumb jock. Stane, played too much like Lex Luthor rather than an original character, is saddled with a daughter. Whitney, who becomes Madame Masque in a key variation from the source material. New to the mix is Gene Khan, son of the Mandarin and desirous to replace his father, obtaining the five rings of power – one of which Howard Stark found and Stane stole.

The entire first season sets up Stark vs. Stane and Gene’s quest for the five rings of power. Along the way many of Iron Man’s classic foes are repurposed and brought in as pawns or distractions. All 26 episodes rocket us along at a quick pace ending with a cliffhanger, keeping people waiting for the second season to arrive.

(more…)

Tony Stark isn’t just a cool exec with a heart of steel. He’s also the technological hero called Iron Man. And with Iron Man 2 coming out this Friday, we’re sure to see new suits of armor with cool improvements. Over the years, Tony has constantly redesigned and updated his armor. There’s been stealth armor, undersea armor, space armor, briefcase armor, armor that has horned face plates, armor with extended shoulder pads, etc., etc.

But some changes are not all they’re cracked up to be and perhaps should’ve been left on the drawing board. So let’s take a look at some of the silliest upgrades Iron Man has made to his famous armor.

(more…)