Customer Reviews

The Iron Man Omnibus, Vol. 2

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm so glad to see Marvel is continuing the Iron Man Omnibus series. These massive hardcover collections of classic Silver Age comics are perfect for those of us who want to read the original material but can't afford the vintage back issues. Volume 2 of the Iron Man Omnibus series finishes off Iron Man's Tales of Suspense run, collecting (the Iron Man halves of) issues 84-99. It also includes the Iron Man and Sub-Mariner one-shot plus the first 25 issues of the Iron Man ongoing series. The Omnibus also includes the original covers, letters pages (a real treat) and some bonus material like unfinished pages and reprint covers from the Marvel Double Feature issues, all in gloriously restored color and on high quality paper stock.

Most of the Tales of Suspense stories collected here were written by Stan Lee, though Archie Goodwin took over towards the end and continued into the Iron Man issues. The stories are dated and fairly cheesy, but they're still incredibly fun to read. There's a certain magic to Stan Lee's storytelling that's timeless. I think Iron Man's encounters with the Mandarin are the book's highlights, but there are plenty of memorable guest appearances and new villains introduced here.

Gene Colan provides all of the artwork for the Tales of Suspense issues, and George Tuska took over the Iron Man issues. Looking at their work in such brilliant color only reaffirms why their runs are so highly regarded. Colan in particular had a dynamic style that was perfect for a book like Iron Man, and he had a lot to do with what would become the iconic Iron Man look.

Kudos to Marvel for another well put-together collection of vintage Iron Man issues. I only hope they continue this series on through the 70's and 80's material, as there are so many great stories there that would be great in this format.

If all it included was the sublime Gene Colan Tales of Suspense issues ( TOS 84-99) it would be worth the money but it also includes 1 - 25 of the self titled Invincible Iron Man series putting this Omnibus into the must own category. Artist George Tuska and inker Johnny Craig ( of legendary E.C. comic fame ) take the Golden Avenger in a different ( yet still interesting) direction after Colans departure to Daredevil. Although the Tuska/ Craig team suffers in comparision to the earlier Colan artwork, it still has it's very enjoyable moments especially when combined with Archie Goodwin taking over as writer!

The reproduction quality on these issues is superb and the sewn binding allows the reader easy access to each page. Plenty of alternative covers included in the back. I would have liked to see a few more essays on the character but that is a minor complaint. When grouped with the earlier Omnibus vol 1 this book can become a cornerstone of any serious Silver Age Marvel enthusiast library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

IMO vol.2 continues where vol.1 left off. So you have the essential beginnings of Iron Man, featuring the writing of Stan Lee and his two bets pencillers Jack Kirby(vol.1)and Gene Colan (vol.2) These volumes cover shellhead's silver age run and are totally enjoyable to any Marvelite wanting to relive the history of one of comicdom's underated characters. The high quality of the books make them better than the orginals in presentation.

The quality of the paper is greater than Iron Man Omnibus Vol 1. The book is less heavy and thick.
All Marvel Omnibus must use this type of paper.
About the comic... nothing to say, is Iron Man....