Sometimes it’s crazy to look at what a mythic character Tony Stark has become. For decades, he was the Avengers member who was well-known enough, but couldn’t make it big in the mainstream. He had a cartoon with a cheesy theme in the ‘60s, a cartoon with a badass theme in the ‘90s, a quick reference on Seinfeld, and a few appearances in some awful straight-to-DVD animated movies that nobody ever talks about.
Then 2008 and Robert Downey Jr. happened and with it came Disney’s ability to print money like nothing else with dozens of successful movies. Even with Iron Man written out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point, he’s still considered the heart of what made it work.
Meanwhile, in the comics, Iron Man has hit some major highs. Not only a founding Avenger, founding member of Marvel’s Illuminati, and once Director of SHIELD, but also one of the biggest tech-based problem solvers in a world run rampant with that kind. He’s practically turned himself into a god for the sake of keeping up with the complicated reality around him. In comics, movies, and real life, he’s exceeded his own mortality.
It kind of goes against his origins, where he was pushed by his own humility, doesn’t it? That’s what his new series will be tackling when Iron Man #1 hits in September. The series will be written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by CAFU.
Marvel released a neat trailer to hype up this new run.
Going from the comic book glowing eyes to suddenly showing his normal, human eyes underneath is a neat touch.
“I’m over the moon about getting a shot at writing the Golden Avenger. Since Bob Layton’s art in the 1980s captured my imagination as a kid, I’ve been fascinated by Iron Man, and in this new story run I’m aiming to explore the question: who should Iron Man be today? An angel? A god? Or just a humble man?” said Cantwell. “Tony’s going to try and strip the idea of Iron Man all the way down to its metal core, something that will constantly be at odds with his giant ego. We’ll see if he can truly keep his arrogant self-image in check, even as others with god complexes set their sights on the entire universe.”
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While Cantwell is going to focus on the man in Tony Stark, one can’t ignore the iron. Iron Man has had so many armor designs throughout the decades so that if you’re going to create a new one, you’ll need a big name artist to make people take notice. Well, it’s a good thing we got one of those, as the legendary Alex Ross brings us a modernized flourish on the classic ‘80s look.
He also did the cover because why wouldn’t you get him to do that?
Oh my God, Unicorn. You are the worst. Even in a big “Iron Man being overwhelmed by his rogues gallery” image, you’re still depicted as a turtle placed on its back.
Iron Man gets grounded, one way or another, this September.