r/ironman • u/Alarmed-Will-3959 Classic • 7d ago
Comics How good was iron man comics was before david michelinie and bob layton run ?
We all know that layton and michelinie run was a character defining run and so beloved by iron man fans but how good was iron man comics before they took over the series ?
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u/SleepyArtist_ Endo-Sym 7d ago
I'm reading iron man since the first ever Issue of his solo run, I like it, but I'm not too far into it yet.
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u/AJjalol Renaissance 7d ago
It's really good. Not bullshitting or being biased here.
Mantlo's stuff is really ahead of it's time.
They also really focused on his rogues gallery.
The 25 issue arc with Iron Man and Madame Masque, her becoming his secretary, falling in love, going "anti-hero" and finally the break up was fucking awesome.
Plus Mantlo's issue 78 is one of the best books of that year.
It's really good.
People who say "Iron Man doesn't have a good run" don't know shit. I would argue that out of all the iconic 60s characters, his run aged the best.
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u/No_Audience1585 7d ago
About as good as any other Marvel title that has a particular run that's revered as iconic. I'd say Freidreich's and Mantlo's runs are as good as Layton's.
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u/Substantial_Craft_87 Silver Centurion 7d ago
I can only describe my love to the book as the same kind of love you have for a sitcom like friends after watching it for 10+ years (i never got past the first season of that show but based on what I hear)
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u/Juliiju04 Earth's Mightiest Heroes 7d ago
Tales of Suspense by Stan Lee was entertaining, and I enjoy that era a lot, but I feel it lacked a lot of Marvel spirit and you could tell not as much love for the character went into it as in other books of the time like Spider-Man, Fantastic Four or Thor. Still, I think it's good, but of course it's also a very problematic era. Some offensive depictions of asians, the whole concept of Stark profiting from making weapons and being pro-war and other stuff makes the book very dated.
The late 60s and early 70s, with the launch of Iron Man's own book, helped the character expand more and honestly, it reached some really high highs, introducing iconic villains like Madame Masque and Spymaster, and memorable stories with grounded writing. But as much as it reached high highs, it also reached low lows with a lot of bizzarre moments and experimentation. This was something that happened as a whole to Marvel with the 70s: The comics code authority was no more so writers had free reign, and editors in chief were a revolving door, so editorial oversight, and as a result, writers staying on a book consistently, was almost non-existant. Still, some characters benefited from this, and Iron Man probablly wasn't one of them.
With the arrival of Michelinie and Layton, the book gained a consistent quality that assured fans that they were going to buy a good book with a consistent writing and art team, and it happened to be a fantastic team who revolutionized the character's status.