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Iron Man: Miniseries
Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin
Iron Man battles the Mandarin, a Chinese revolutionary leader with strange powers acquired through alien technology who is bent on world domination.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2008
2 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Joe Casey
971 books86 followersLibrarian note: there is more than one author with this name
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite among others. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Casey is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite among others. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Casey is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Casey
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 27, 2014
In this dire comic, a baddie called the Mandarin, a Chinese immortal with alien tech and magic, threatens to take over the world. SHIELD approach Iron Man to check him out and see if he's dangerous, which of course he is, but not dangerous enough that Iron Man can't take him down, which of course he does.
There isn’t anything positive to say about this book. Casey writes trite dialogue with conceits in the story that grate on the reader, though maybe most annoying of all were the bad guys. A character who dresses as a scarecrow fights Iron Man and, by unleashing the awesome power of blackbirds (actual blackbirds) he defeats Iron Man(!!).
Mandarin himself is like Doctor Strange minus the intrigue but with a Green Lantern-esque magic ring from which he gets all of his power. Whatever. I didn’t care one bit that Shane Black changed Mandarin for Iron Man 3, especially given his character in the comics is terrible anyway.
Canete's drawings of Iron Man are really poor quality. In several panels he makes Iron Man look like he has spindly, ridiculously thin legs; this isn't from a distance, the perspective is right up close and yet his legs are absurdly thin in the armour. In other scenes the suit looks like a set of pyjamas, folded up in a thin briefcase. The entire book felt like a storyboard for a simplistic cartoon for kids, especially as it was coupled with Casey's uninspired story.
So bad guy tries taking over the world with a space laser that targets cities. Yawn. The story is so hackneyed it's amazing it even got published. Marvel's quality control blinked and let this stinker through the net. "Enter the Mandarin" is the worst Iron Man book I've read – and it’s not like there are a lot of great ones around! - and a really poor comic overall. Avoid.
There isn’t anything positive to say about this book. Casey writes trite dialogue with conceits in the story that grate on the reader, though maybe most annoying of all were the bad guys. A character who dresses as a scarecrow fights Iron Man and, by unleashing the awesome power of blackbirds (actual blackbirds) he defeats Iron Man(!!).
Mandarin himself is like Doctor Strange minus the intrigue but with a Green Lantern-esque magic ring from which he gets all of his power. Whatever. I didn’t care one bit that Shane Black changed Mandarin for Iron Man 3, especially given his character in the comics is terrible anyway.
Canete's drawings of Iron Man are really poor quality. In several panels he makes Iron Man look like he has spindly, ridiculously thin legs; this isn't from a distance, the perspective is right up close and yet his legs are absurdly thin in the armour. In other scenes the suit looks like a set of pyjamas, folded up in a thin briefcase. The entire book felt like a storyboard for a simplistic cartoon for kids, especially as it was coupled with Casey's uninspired story.
So bad guy tries taking over the world with a space laser that targets cities. Yawn. The story is so hackneyed it's amazing it even got published. Marvel's quality control blinked and let this stinker through the net. "Enter the Mandarin" is the worst Iron Man book I've read – and it’s not like there are a lot of great ones around! - and a really poor comic overall. Avoid.
May 1, 2013
Writer Joe Casey pens a tale that embellishes and adds nuance to the first encounter between Iron Man and his arch-nemesis, the Mandarin. His story for this six-part miniseries builds upon the original stories by Stan Lee and Don Heck. He adds more background to the Mandarin, who is Tony Stark's dark reflection and their battles and taunts speak of the divide that exist between two men who seemingly were born to be mortal enemies.
This stories also updates much of Iron Man's earlier adventures. Of all the Marvel characters, his Silver Age stories are the most dated since his premise relies a lot on technology.
Eric Canete provides the art and though his line art may not be as polished as Adi Granov's*, it strikes the right balance between a retro feel and modernity.
This is a great introduction to one's Iron Man's signature foes and would appeal to someone who just watched the new Iron Man 3 movie showing right now in theaters and wishing to read more of the comic books that inspired the film.
Marvel made the the entire miniseries available to read for free on their Marvel Unlimited iOS app and that was where I read it.
*Adi Granov was one of the original designers on the first Iron Man movie and his design for the armor influenced the look for the franchise. He also collaborated with Warren Ellis on Extremis, the story that inspired the new movie.
This stories also updates much of Iron Man's earlier adventures. Of all the Marvel characters, his Silver Age stories are the most dated since his premise relies a lot on technology.
Eric Canete provides the art and though his line art may not be as polished as Adi Granov's*, it strikes the right balance between a retro feel and modernity.
This is a great introduction to one's Iron Man's signature foes and would appeal to someone who just watched the new Iron Man 3 movie showing right now in theaters and wishing to read more of the comic books that inspired the film.
Marvel made the the entire miniseries available to read for free on their Marvel Unlimited iOS app and that was where I read it.
*Adi Granov was one of the original designers on the first Iron Man movie and his design for the armor influenced the look for the franchise. He also collaborated with Warren Ellis on Extremis, the story that inspired the new movie.
December 17, 2020
Enter the Mandarin explores the first encounter between Iron Man and the Mandarin. A plot which sounds promising, considering how a superhero and one of his most formidable foes met. But all the hopes of a good story have been washed down the drain in this book.
The characters are one dimensional, hero and the villain both being so uninteresting that the story feels like a drag. The dialogues are poorly written and cringy at some instances. And the artstyle is unique but did not seem to be appealing at all. Iron Man armor doesn't look like an armor, instead it looks like a costume. The faces of some characters are drawn horribly.
So, I believe that readers can definitely skip through this book.
The characters are one dimensional, hero and the villain both being so uninteresting that the story feels like a drag. The dialogues are poorly written and cringy at some instances. And the artstyle is unique but did not seem to be appealing at all. Iron Man armor doesn't look like an armor, instead it looks like a costume. The faces of some characters are drawn horribly.
So, I believe that readers can definitely skip through this book.
January 9, 2022
The comic was an originstory to the nemesis story between Iron Man and the Mandarin. That was good backstory but in itself the story itself leaves a lot to hope for. The story was pretty basic "delusional evil tries to do terrorism and in the end the hero wins" -type of deal. The characters were really onedimensional, Mandarin being an absolute mad evil and Stark feeling like a cardboard cutout with no charm.
The thing I missed probably the most was the technical detailed language and exposition that Iron Man is in a big way about. Sometimes its done really cringy with "flux capacitors" and other fancy words for the sake of fancy words sprinkled in everywhere. Sometime it's just right with technical details explained open in a plausible way. In this comic there was close to none if it. There were text lines about the suit's functions and percentages, lines of ones and zeroes at seemingly random, but all of that did not do it for me.
The art style was unique. In some parts I liked it, in some parts it looked really rushed, sketchy and without detail. The thing that rubbed me wrong the most was the look of the Iron Man suit. It didn't look like a suit of armor but more like a costume since it hugged the skin pretty much everywhere. Not much of an armor really.
All in all, worth reading but nothing really special.
The thing I missed probably the most was the technical detailed language and exposition that Iron Man is in a big way about. Sometimes its done really cringy with "flux capacitors" and other fancy words for the sake of fancy words sprinkled in everywhere. Sometime it's just right with technical details explained open in a plausible way. In this comic there was close to none if it. There were text lines about the suit's functions and percentages, lines of ones and zeroes at seemingly random, but all of that did not do it for me.
The art style was unique. In some parts I liked it, in some parts it looked really rushed, sketchy and without detail. The thing that rubbed me wrong the most was the look of the Iron Man suit. It didn't look like a suit of armor but more like a costume since it hugged the skin pretty much everywhere. Not much of an armor really.
All in all, worth reading but nothing really special.
June 16, 2025
Ever since his first appearance in the pages of Tales of Suspense in 1964, the Mandarin has been a staple of Marvel Comics. One of the problems with such a long lineage is that elements of his origin begin to appear increasingly dated with the passage of time and the accompanying changes in mores and storytelling styles. Joe Casey’s retelling of his origin story offers a modernization that recounts his first encounter with Iron Man in an updated setting. The basic plot remains the same: with his identity as Iron Man still a secret to the world, Tony Stark is asked by S.H.I.E.L.D. send his armored bodyguard to investigate the activities of a mysterious warlord in China. This brings him into contact with the Mandarin, who decides to make an example of his newfound foe.
The story that follows draws upon many of the elements of the Mandarin’s history with Iron Man, incorporating them into his extended campaign to destroy Stark and his company. Over the course of it Stark Industries is subjected to industrial espionage and the Mandarin’s own son infiltrates the company in an attempt to assassinate him. Combining these elements invokes the manifold ways in which the Mandarin has attacked Iron Man over the years, all of which test Stark to the fullest. It’s a highly entertaining tale, and while I get why Eric Canete’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste I found it grew on me as I read through the story. In all it made for a solid Iron Man adventure and a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn about his most iconic antagonist.
The story that follows draws upon many of the elements of the Mandarin’s history with Iron Man, incorporating them into his extended campaign to destroy Stark and his company. Over the course of it Stark Industries is subjected to industrial espionage and the Mandarin’s own son infiltrates the company in an attempt to assassinate him. Combining these elements invokes the manifold ways in which the Mandarin has attacked Iron Man over the years, all of which test Stark to the fullest. It’s a highly entertaining tale, and while I get why Eric Canete’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste I found it grew on me as I read through the story. In all it made for a solid Iron Man adventure and a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn about his most iconic antagonist.
October 1, 2013
A superb introduction for one of Iron Man's greatest adversaries for Iron Man beginner and veteran alike. It tells the tale of how the Mandarin and Iron Man first meet eachother and ofcourse inevitably fight.
Storywise I like how this comic gives each of the main characters (Iron Man and the Mandarin) an equal amount of focus. It tells a good introduction story on how the Mandarin came to be yet it also focusses on how Iron Man needs to deal with this new menace. The menace of a magic wielding archvillain. Its tech versus magic all around and you can definitly see that. Which brings me to what is probably the best aspect of this comic for me. The artwork. It stands out for being very cartoonish yet raw. The effects during the fight scenes are amazingly done and its almost like an explosion literally lights up from the page.
I realize that this art style is not for everyone but if you don't mind the cartoonish look, I'd definetly recommend this!
All in all this is probably one of my favourite comics that I've ever read. Its fun, its fast, its got a lot of action and the artwork has me raving.
Storywise I like how this comic gives each of the main characters (Iron Man and the Mandarin) an equal amount of focus. It tells a good introduction story on how the Mandarin came to be yet it also focusses on how Iron Man needs to deal with this new menace. The menace of a magic wielding archvillain. Its tech versus magic all around and you can definitly see that. Which brings me to what is probably the best aspect of this comic for me. The artwork. It stands out for being very cartoonish yet raw. The effects during the fight scenes are amazingly done and its almost like an explosion literally lights up from the page.
I realize that this art style is not for everyone but if you don't mind the cartoonish look, I'd definetly recommend this!
All in all this is probably one of my favourite comics that I've ever read. Its fun, its fast, its got a lot of action and the artwork has me raving.
June 14, 2021
This must be one of the worsts Iron Man stories ever written. There’s no introspection whatsoever, the characters are all mono-dimensional and the reasons behind their actions are anybody’s guess. Not to mention, every time Tony is in the suit, he doesn’t think or express any concern/idea/thought whatsoever. Instead, we get a series of codes that I guess are there for dramatic effect but they just further weight down the narrative and are plain annoying and irrelevant. If you’re thinking of reading this to find out more about the Mandarin, you’re better off with the MCU version or guessing on your own, because this story doesn’t explain anything about him, despite its title. Total waste of money and time.
November 16, 2018
An unfortunate retelling/re-imagining of the first meeting between Iron Man and the Mandarin. Joe Casey seemed like he couldn't figure out what era he was writing in. The dialogue was simply atrocious. Eric Canete's art didn't fit the book at all and was not pleasing in any way. I just don't know who this book was for or who was asking for this to be written. Overall, a big miss.
June 7, 2017
Cold War era ode to the Mandarin.
I'm a long time fan of the golden avenger and wanted to like this more, but I just felt the Mandarin's ranting/dialogue was over written. Stark's technology also seems a little too advanced for the time period- even for him.
Solid, but not a must read.
I'm a long time fan of the golden avenger and wanted to like this more, but I just felt the Mandarin's ranting/dialogue was over written. Stark's technology also seems a little too advanced for the time period- even for him.
Solid, but not a must read.
September 15, 2017
This Iron Man graphic novel was very good. It had Iron Man pitted against his arch nemesis and showed the beginnings of their war against each other. The illustrations were not bad and overall it was a good graphic novel.
May 10, 2025
2,5/5. A modern re-creation of the original Mandarin storyline on Tales of Suspense #50 and #54. What was left was trying to make him the purpotedly strategic genius, keeping the cartoonish megalomaniacal side and the senseless plot twists. Still, very entertaining.
December 30, 2017
Fun read, it was interesting seeing a Tony Stark still hiding his secret identity.
April 19, 2021
A re-imagining of Iron Man's first meeting with the Mandarin in the 1960s.
There is some interesting touches, and an awful lot about ideology. A good read.
There is some interesting touches, and an awful lot about ideology. A good read.
July 17, 2022
No entiendo como son solo 6 issues pero igualmente se siente largo y aburrido. Siento que tranquilamente podrían haber sido menos porque en un punto se torna un poco repetitivo.
July 16, 2023
DNF.
Did not hook me in the slightest bit. Writer Joe Casey is hit or miss for me.
Did not hook me in the slightest bit. Writer Joe Casey is hit or miss for me.
April 30, 2025
The only reason I’m giving this two stars is because of Tony, obviously. He’s a baddie and warms my soul, no matter how bad the comic is. ❤️🔥
March 5, 2016
Enter The Mandarin is basically a quintessential book that pragmatically illustrates the reason why Iron Man and The Mandarin are arch-enemies. Not many know that, but the book isn't an original creation. It is basically a modern re-interpretation of the earliest encounters of Iron Man and Mandarin from the 60's. It has resemblance to those original stories but it dives more deeply into the story and gives more sophistication to the characters. The pacing and the structure of this book is great. It doesn't drags for too long. The dialogues are well written and fun to read. The art is also good. Many people who are used to drawings by people like Alex Ross or Salvador Larroca will probably not find this art good enough. Personally, I think it's not bad. It's just not typical. The art doesn't feel pretty or surrogate. It feels very filthy and rough, similar to Leinil Yu's style, which creates a great mood for the story, which, even if its based of a lighthearted sixties comics, feels very dark and serious in tone. The highlight of Eric Canete's art is how he illustrates the action. Fights between Iron Man and Mandarin are brutal and stylistic. You almost feel every punch and every lazer blast. Enter The Mandarin unarguably has the best fistfights between Iron Man and Mandarin. This Mandarin is the most physically proactive one. Before and after this story, Mandarin wasn't really going up against Iron Man with his bare hands. He was mostly just shooting him with his makluan rings. This story showed that he can be a legit threat even without his rings.
But the best thing about this book is definitely The Mandarin himself, which isn't a strange thing, considering that the book is named after him. Maybe I'm the only person on this planet that completely adores the character of The Mandarin in all incarnations (yes, even the Silver Age). I know that after the release of the Iron Turd 3, which is a pretty overrated and poorly written movie, many of those who are on the defense side of that travesty, started to justify some of the decisions that were made with some characters, by trying to disrespect the characters themselves. In this case, The Mandarin. All tho, I thought that the movie was bad overall with its defective story, awful structure, dull humor and one-dimensional acting. The awful portray of some specific characters was simply a last nail in the coffin of that movie.
But I don't care. I L O V E comic book Mandarin as a character. And this book makes me love him even more. Yes, his personality in this book is not as complex and unorthodox as in the amazing John Byrne's run, which gave the most humanistic and relatable portrayal of The Mandarin. But the purpose of this book is not to make you relate or sympathize with The Mandarin. Purpose of this book is to show you that The Mandarin is a great villain and he's a bad-ass. And Enter The Mandarin succeeds in this. This Mandarin is brutal, uncompromisable, unstoppable and unforgiving. And I love the panel in which he and Tony Stark have a conversation about their views, and I love that Mandarin justifies his actions and attitude, but without trying to sound pretentious and without making himself look as a good guy, like Ra's Al Ghul does. He knows he's not a good person. He basically says I'm not a good person but don't pretend that you and many like you are any better. And, what is also so great about this story, is the only book that did showcased the relationships between Mandarin and his son Temjuin, who was intruded in early 2000's, when Mandarin was considered to be dead and Temujin was offered to take his father's mantle. The sad thing about that, is that Temujin abruptly vanished from the comics and we never got a chance to actual see any actual backstory between him and The Mandarin. I think it would've been great to just have a story that focuses primary on Mandarin and Temujin and which shows their relationships as a father and son. That actually would gave to Mandarin even more depth and complexity. At least this story illustrates some of that.
All in all, definitely one of Iron Man's best stories and one of Mandarin's strongest stories.
But the best thing about this book is definitely The Mandarin himself, which isn't a strange thing, considering that the book is named after him. Maybe I'm the only person on this planet that completely adores the character of The Mandarin in all incarnations (yes, even the Silver Age). I know that after the release of the Iron Turd 3, which is a pretty overrated and poorly written movie, many of those who are on the defense side of that travesty, started to justify some of the decisions that were made with some characters, by trying to disrespect the characters themselves. In this case, The Mandarin. All tho, I thought that the movie was bad overall with its defective story, awful structure, dull humor and one-dimensional acting. The awful portray of some specific characters was simply a last nail in the coffin of that movie.
But I don't care. I L O V E comic book Mandarin as a character. And this book makes me love him even more. Yes, his personality in this book is not as complex and unorthodox as in the amazing John Byrne's run, which gave the most humanistic and relatable portrayal of The Mandarin. But the purpose of this book is not to make you relate or sympathize with The Mandarin. Purpose of this book is to show you that The Mandarin is a great villain and he's a bad-ass. And Enter The Mandarin succeeds in this. This Mandarin is brutal, uncompromisable, unstoppable and unforgiving. And I love the panel in which he and Tony Stark have a conversation about their views, and I love that Mandarin justifies his actions and attitude, but without trying to sound pretentious and without making himself look as a good guy, like Ra's Al Ghul does. He knows he's not a good person. He basically says I'm not a good person but don't pretend that you and many like you are any better. And, what is also so great about this story, is the only book that did showcased the relationships between Mandarin and his son Temjuin, who was intruded in early 2000's, when Mandarin was considered to be dead and Temujin was offered to take his father's mantle. The sad thing about that, is that Temujin abruptly vanished from the comics and we never got a chance to actual see any actual backstory between him and The Mandarin. I think it would've been great to just have a story that focuses primary on Mandarin and Temujin and which shows their relationships as a father and son. That actually would gave to Mandarin even more depth and complexity. At least this story illustrates some of that.
All in all, definitely one of Iron Man's best stories and one of Mandarin's strongest stories.
June 22, 2013
Not the best graphic novel I've ever read. I picked this up because I've seen "Iron Man 3" three times in the theater now and have basically decided it's the Best Superhero Movie Ever, and I really liked what they did with the Mandarin, their villain -- but I knew their interpretation of the character was quite different from his comic book origins. I was curious to see what the "original" Mandarin was like, so this seemed as good a place as any to start.
The problem is that, if this book is any indication (and I am more inclined to blame the character than the specific writer of this specific book, sorry to say), the Mandarin kind of sucks. Perhaps when he was first thought up in the 60s, he was sort of original -- but now he just comes off as every supervillain ever. The Power Must Be Mine, I Am Invincible, All Must Bow Before Me, Democracy Is Weak, etc etc. I felt like sending him over the Evil Overlord List just because I sense he might need some pointers: http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/ove...
I never got a handle on his philosophy. The Joker wrecks chaos across Gotham in his never-ending quest to prove that Life is just one big joke. Lex Luthor really thinks he's on a crusade to save the world from the influence of that control-freak Superman. The Mandarin ... has Power Rings and near-immortality and wants to rule his Empire because reasons. I dunno. I just didn't care. And since most of the book consists of Iron Man going back and forth to Asia to try to beat the Mandarin up another time, not being horrified and captivated by the villain's motives and philosophy just basically made this a book of punching. I need more than that.
It does get a second star for the artwork, which was done in a truly unique, slightly-cartoony, angular style that I really dug. I don't generally fuss about who draws a book (I'm more interested in who wrote it), but I'd pick up something else from this artist just because I like how his work looks.
The problem is that, if this book is any indication (and I am more inclined to blame the character than the specific writer of this specific book, sorry to say), the Mandarin kind of sucks. Perhaps when he was first thought up in the 60s, he was sort of original -- but now he just comes off as every supervillain ever. The Power Must Be Mine, I Am Invincible, All Must Bow Before Me, Democracy Is Weak, etc etc. I felt like sending him over the Evil Overlord List just because I sense he might need some pointers: http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/ove...
I never got a handle on his philosophy. The Joker wrecks chaos across Gotham in his never-ending quest to prove that Life is just one big joke. Lex Luthor really thinks he's on a crusade to save the world from the influence of that control-freak Superman. The Mandarin ... has Power Rings and near-immortality and wants to rule his Empire because reasons. I dunno. I just didn't care. And since most of the book consists of Iron Man going back and forth to Asia to try to beat the Mandarin up another time, not being horrified and captivated by the villain's motives and philosophy just basically made this a book of punching. I need more than that.
It does get a second star for the artwork, which was done in a truly unique, slightly-cartoony, angular style that I really dug. I don't generally fuss about who draws a book (I'm more interested in who wrote it), but I'd pick up something else from this artist just because I like how his work looks.
April 30, 2013
Ya la portada a lo Rocketeer nos pone sobre aviso de que vamos a dar un salto en la historia del personaje. Y es que aquí volvemos a un tiempo donde la identidad de Iron Man era secreta y nadie sabia quien era realmente, aparte de ser un guardaespaldas de Tony Stark. Ni siquiera SHIELD, ni los vengadores sabían quien se escondía tras la armadura. Armadura, también de estilo reto, que para eso estamos reinterpretando las primeras épocas del personaje. Incluso tenemos a Vanko trabajando en la armadura carmesí en Stark Industries.
En el otro lado del mundo tenemos al Mandarín, figura de poder inmenso, venerada y temida incluso por el partido comunista. El Mandarín cuenta un poco de su origen, de la obtención de los anillos, de su supuesto parentesco con Gengis Kan, hasta el punto de que su hijo, al que conocemos aquí recluido en el tibet, se llama Temujin como el gran conquistador Mongol.
La acumulación de poder del Mandarín hace que SHIELD (aun sin Nick Fury al frente), encargue a Iron Man una misión encubierta a China para desentrañar los misterios que ni los satélites espías ni el propio gobierno chino pueden descubrir y así es como al fin el Mandarín encuentra un rival que esta minimamente a su altura.
Esta interesante en el contexto de revisar al Mandarín de cara a a película que se estrena hoy, pero poco mas. El cómic te deja muy frío y el dibujo tampoco me gusta nada. Lo mas interesante para mi es el hijo del Mandarín y no es algo en lo que se apoye excesivamente la historia. Por otra parte este Tony Stark joven, es tremendamente soso. Un cómic que no pasara a la historia, como suele pasar con los que ocupan muchas de sus paginas con peleas y que falla incluso en el climax.
En el otro lado del mundo tenemos al Mandarín, figura de poder inmenso, venerada y temida incluso por el partido comunista. El Mandarín cuenta un poco de su origen, de la obtención de los anillos, de su supuesto parentesco con Gengis Kan, hasta el punto de que su hijo, al que conocemos aquí recluido en el tibet, se llama Temujin como el gran conquistador Mongol.
La acumulación de poder del Mandarín hace que SHIELD (aun sin Nick Fury al frente), encargue a Iron Man una misión encubierta a China para desentrañar los misterios que ni los satélites espías ni el propio gobierno chino pueden descubrir y así es como al fin el Mandarín encuentra un rival que esta minimamente a su altura.
Esta interesante en el contexto de revisar al Mandarín de cara a a película que se estrena hoy, pero poco mas. El cómic te deja muy frío y el dibujo tampoco me gusta nada. Lo mas interesante para mi es el hijo del Mandarín y no es algo en lo que se apoye excesivamente la historia. Por otra parte este Tony Stark joven, es tremendamente soso. Un cómic que no pasara a la historia, como suele pasar con los que ocupan muchas de sus paginas con peleas y que falla incluso en el climax.
December 26, 2008
First off - the enclosed cover art is awesome. I'm a sucker for this kind of stylized art. It's good enough to deserve its own separate review!
This is a retelling of an old series of Iron Man stories from the 50's. This isn't a bad thing, though having communist Russian and Chinese bad guys was a little eyebrow raising. It's a straightforward action-adventure tale of Iron Man, and has few surprises on that front. If you're in the mood for a rolicking adventure tale, it's a fun read.
It falls short, however, when it comes to character development. In what is supposed to be an emotional moment, it's only an incidental character (introduced shortly before) who dies. We don't even get to see this through Stark's eyes - and that robs it of a lot of the drama. In many ways, this is like a series of episodes in a sitcom; they are fun, and can be set anywhere within a broad swath of the mainstream continuity. If you happen to read this as a TPB out of order, it won't be horribly confusing, and it can still be a fun Iron Man story.
That's is both this collection's strength and weakness.
This is a retelling of an old series of Iron Man stories from the 50's. This isn't a bad thing, though having communist Russian and Chinese bad guys was a little eyebrow raising. It's a straightforward action-adventure tale of Iron Man, and has few surprises on that front. If you're in the mood for a rolicking adventure tale, it's a fun read.
It falls short, however, when it comes to character development. In what is supposed to be an emotional moment, it's only an incidental character (introduced shortly before) who dies. We don't even get to see this through Stark's eyes - and that robs it of a lot of the drama. In many ways, this is like a series of episodes in a sitcom; they are fun, and can be set anywhere within a broad swath of the mainstream continuity. If you happen to read this as a TPB out of order, it won't be horribly confusing, and it can still be a fun Iron Man story.
That's is both this collection's strength and weakness.
July 23, 2008
I’m not (in the least) an Iron Man fan, but Canete’s art is far too good to pass on. Hopefully he’ll work with better writers in the future.
Writing/story 2 stars, art 5 stars.
(I read the individual, monthly issues. I don’t really get this "wait for the trade" mentality. If you like comics, support the monthlies; if sales are not great for those, the title may not last long enough to make it to trade)
Writing/story 2 stars, art 5 stars.
(I read the individual, monthly issues. I don’t really get this "wait for the trade" mentality. If you like comics, support the monthlies; if sales are not great for those, the title may not last long enough to make it to trade)
March 19, 2013
Una historia simple e introductoria, narrando el primer encuentro con el Mandarin, pero con excelente dibujo de Canete. Explica algo del origen del nemesis de Iron Man (Magia versus Ciencia)
Es el primer tpb que tengo de Iron Man, y cumple muy bien esa funcion, no aspira a mas. Comparado con ultimas cosas que he leido de Iron Man, esto me parece un mejor resultado.
Buen apronte para Iron Man 3, en los cines.
Intentare continuar con "Demon in a Bottle" y "Armor Wars"...
Es el primer tpb que tengo de Iron Man, y cumple muy bien esa funcion, no aspira a mas. Comparado con ultimas cosas que he leido de Iron Man, esto me parece un mejor resultado.
Buen apronte para Iron Man 3, en los cines.
Intentare continuar con "Demon in a Bottle" y "Armor Wars"...
April 15, 2012
Iron man investigates a strange occurrence and finds the Mandarin causing trouble.
Great art but not much story.
However, Iron man fans will probably still enjoy it.
Includes a brief Mandarin origin story.
Notes
Artist Eric Canete provides a unique look for Iron Man.
Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers.
Great art but not much story.
However, Iron man fans will probably still enjoy it.
Includes a brief Mandarin origin story.
Notes
Artist Eric Canete provides a unique look for Iron Man.
Learning Curve
Low: Good for new readers.
August 31, 2012
Superb "re-telling" of one of Iron Man's oldest tales. I only use quotations because although this story obviously takes place in the past, there are some things going on that give it a more modern feel. This was distracting enough for me to give it a 4 rather than a perfect 5. Artwork is amazing, and at its best when the Scarecrow makes his appearance.
July 17, 2024
Canete’s art is so stylish and evocative that it makes up for the slightly-too-drawn out narrative. The running updates on the suit make for an interesting replacement for the usual thought bubbles or narration.
December 8, 2008
a nice origin story of a villain, and lots of Iron Man blasting the shit out of him!
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