The Ages of Iron Man

Billionaire industrialist, cold warrior, weapons designer, alcoholic, philanthropist, Avenger—Tony Stark, alter-ego of Marvel Comics’ Iron Man, has played many roles in his five decades as a superhero. From his 1963 comics debut in Tales of Suspense to the recent film adaptations—The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013)—hundreds of creators have had a hand in writing the character with evolving depictions and distinct artistic styles. This collection of essays provides an historical overview of an important figure in American popular culture and a close reading of Iron Man’s most iconic story lines, including his origin in Vietnam, “Demon in a Bottle,” “Civil War,” and “Extremis.”

Joseph J. Darowski teaches English at Brigham Young University and has published on comic book superheroes such as the X-Men, Wonder Woman, and Superman as well as on television series such as Chuck and Frasier.

Edited by Joseph J. Darowski

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 236
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7842-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2074-9
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction—Joseph J. Darowski 1

“The Iron-Clad American”: Iron Man in the 1960s—Brian Patton 5
Tony Stark: Disabled Vietnam Veteran?—Craig This 17
“Gorgeous new menace”: Black Widow, Gender Roles and the Subversion of Cold War Expectations of Domesticity—Natalie R. Sheppard 29
Fu Manchu Meets Maklu-4: The Mandarin and Racial Stereotypes—Richard A. Iadonisi 39
Does Khrushchev Tell Kennedy? Superpowered Rivalry and Silver Age Iron Man—José Alaniz 51
Ike’s Nightmare: Iron Man and the Military-Industrial Complex—Will Cooley and Mark C. Rogers 77
Socking It to Shell-Head: How Fan Mail Saved a Hero from the Military-Industrial Complex—Charles Henebry 95
Countdown to #100: Escapist Heroism and the Challenges of Modernity in the Late 1970s—John M. Vohlidka 119
Demon in a Bottle and Feet of Clay: David Michelinie and Bob Layton on Iron Man—Jason Sacks 136
War Machine: Blackness, Power and Identity in Iron Man—Julian C. Chambliss 148
From Armor Wars to Iron Man 2.0: The Superhero Entrepreneur—Jean-Philipe Zanco 164
Cold Warrior at the End of the Cold War: John Byrne’s “War Games” in an Era of Transition—Joseph J. Darowski 171
“I would be the bad guy”: Tony Stark as Villain of Marvel’s Civil War—John Darowski 181
Feminizing the Iron: Tony Stark’s Rescue—Jason Michálek 192
Iron Icarus: Comics Futurism and the Man–Machine System—Rikk Mulligan 205

About the Contributors 221
Index 225

“goes into extensive detail about the individual characters starting from their origins and their transition and evolution through the decades…makes for fascinating reading”—Collectors’ Corner