Superior Iron Man #1

      It’s sad to see that those guiding Iron Man’s adventures don’t seem to have a clue about the secret of the character’s success.

   So we get a spiel in this issue from editor Mark Paniccia telling us that the original Iron Man wasn’t a nice guy, was despised and "darn-right unlikeable" (as opposed to "downright").

    Perhaps I’m remembering it differently, but the original Tony Stark was just like the guy in the movie - he’s rich, successful, intelligent, funny, charming - the ladies love him, the guys all want to be just like him. Think George Clooney (or Robert Downey, Jr., natch).

   And criticizing him for making weapons (munitions) is just an attempt to rewrite history. In the early '60s, helping in the defense of the country was considered patriotic. (It even happens today from time to time.)

   Do they really think we should hate his for his success? Do we hate Bruce Wayne for being a filthy capitalist? How about Uncle Scrooge McDuck? Sheesh!

   So now they’ve made Tony a villain as a result of unseen events in Avengers vs. X-Men: Axis - hey, it worked for the Superior Spider-Man, right?  

   They have a terrific creative team on the issue, and that takes some of the sting out - but like Spidey’s Doc Ock-controlled adventures, I’ll be passing on these.

   I prefer heroes who act heroic. And in character. 

   Somebody let me know when the real Iron Man returns.

Grade: C

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