The Invincible Iron Man #6

Iron Man was one of my favorite Marvel heroes for years. Then he wasn't. Then he was. Then he wasn't. Now he is again.

I know, I'm fickle - but let me explain. The original concept of Iron Man was absolute genius. We start with the millionaire playboy Tony Stark (this being a time when a million dollars was a lot of money). You probably know his origin story - he was caught in an explosion, captured by the enemy, forced to built a suit of armor to keep his heart beating, decided to dedicate his life to fighting the bad guys, etc.

So here's a hero who could be any of us, if we only had that cool suit of armor. And a few million dollars. Despite his tragic heart condition (which offers lots of chances for drama), he's a brilliant inventor, leads an active social life with supermodels chasing after him, and he's a founding member of the Avengers. Did I mention that he's incredibly rich?

This was the Iron Man I grew up reading in Tales of Suspense and into his own title, and I enjoyed his adventures - including such classics as his first battle with the Titanium Man (by Stan Lee, Don Heck and Wally Wood), his battles with the Mandarin (including art by Gene Colan) and his later struggles with alcoholism (by David Michelinie, John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton).

Then they decided to reboot him as teenage Tony Stark (don't ask), and I lost interest. Then they restored him to the status quo, and I was interested again. Then came the Civil War, and they managed to make Tony into one of the greatest villains in the history of the Marvel Universe, as he created gulags, imprisoned heroes, employed villains as muscle, and created a murderous clone of one of his best friends. For the first time in about 40 years, I stopped buying the Iron Man comic.

Then the movie came along, and Marvel was smart enough to do a comic that featured the film version of Tony Stark (I trust you all saw the movie) - which brings us the The Invincible Iron Man, the newest incarnation of the character.

It features a story by Matt Fraction and art by Salvador Larroca, and both are excellent. The story brings Tony back to his origins, as a brilliant inventor, a daring hero, fighting overwhelming odds with intelligence and compassion. Oh, and now he's a billionaire. The comic has been exceptional, and once again, I'm a fan.

Glad to have you back again, Tony. Loved your movie, too.

Grade: A-