Iron Man Epic Collection: Stark Wars Paperback – 3 Feb. 2015

This is without doubt one of the best of the Epic Collections series to date collecting a host of classic tales from 1987-1988 written by David Michelinie with most of the artwork by Bob Layton.It is one of the few books that I have managed to read in just a couple of long sessions, the stories are so expertly woven that I hated putting the book down.Most of the tales revolve around Justin Hammer a competitor to the newly launched Stark Enterprises, there's action by the bucketful as Hammer attacks Stark behind the scenes whilst AIM, Spymaster and The Ghost attack in person. The Ghost in particular has Stark fearing for his safety. Although the early part of the volume is superb the later part known as Armour Wars is even better as Stark discovers that parts of his technology have been sold by Hammer to help power an array of armoured felons leading Iron Man to go on the warpath across the globe to remove any trace of Stark's technology, starting with Stilt Man, The Controller and the Raiders as well as traditional foes like Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, The Beetle however along the way he also confronts Government agents like Stingray, SHIELD, and in a reverse of the more recent Civil War scenario Captain America, only this time the Captain is fighting for the Government and Iron Man is working outside the system. At the height of the Armour Wars story The Avengers also appear to confront Iron Man.The final story is a one off with Stark confronting his inner demons.As with most of these collections there are a few extras at the back an article from Marvel Age magazine a few pin ups and a few brief articles written by the Editor at that time Mark Gruenwald.I hope the Epic Collection is allowed to run its course unlike The Essential series which came to a sudden stop after just 5 issues ending at 1976, although the Essential series did have the handicap of being printed in black & white and on poor quality paper. The Epic collection is a great and reasonably priced way to catch up on all the stories I missed with the bonus of them being in full colour and printed on decent paper.

This collection will be Volume 13 in the eventual complete Iron Man chronology (Volumes 1, 10 and 16 have already been released), and covers the years 1987 and 1988. This might be the best run released so far in the series, as it covers one brilliant story arc, and nearly a dozen very good ones that lead into it.The stories are nearly all co-written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, and they are safe hands for ol' Shellhead to be in. They manage to balance every aspect of Tony Stark's life - the avenging superhero, the playboy dilettante, and the driven businessman. What's better, they make those aspects mesh believably and in ways that ramp in the excitement in each. The art likewise is nearly all the work of Mark D. Bright and Layton, and they have a clean, classic style that works for epic aerial dogfights as well as tense meetings in gleaming skyscrapers.So, to the stories themselves; as the collection opens, Tony Stark is working his way back to the top, rebuilding his company and enjoying his flashy new red-and-silver suit. The first half of the book sees him facing the evil scientist collective AIM, intangible saboteur the Ghost and mysterious new heroine Stratosfire, before attempting to protect villain-turned-witness Force from Beetle, Blacklash and Blizzard. These are all exciting tales that still find time to flesh out Tony and his supporting cast, especially best friend and ex-Iron Man stand-in Rhodey.After these short stories, though, the titular story arc (more commonly known as Armour Wars among the fandom) begins, and it is simply brilliant. When Tony discovers that his technology has been incorporated into the armour of several supervillains, he holds himself responsible for every death caused by their hands, and vows to destroy the technology - no matter the cost.As well as seeing Iron Man thrillingly tackle bad guys such as Stilt Man, the Controller, Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man, the arc also forces the golden avenger into conflict with his friends, including Steve Rogers, as he also struggles to destroy the technology used by SHIELD and supervillain prison the Vault. We follow every internal torment of Stark as he risks friendships, his livelihood and his reputation in order to achieve his goals. It's a classic storyline.As an epilogue to the storyline, legendary writer-artist Barry Windsor-Smith provides a typically intense issue that goes inside Tony's mind, portraying his inner turmoil is visceral, graphic style. It's the perfect end to a wonderful collection.Extras include a preview page and full interview from Marvel Age, pinups from Marvel Fanfare, letters page commentary from Mark Gruenwald, a house ad, and the original cover art and introduction from the Armour Wars trade. It's a complete package, and one that thoroughly deserves a place on your shelf.

I really enjoyed this era of IM with Michelinie's writing and Bright pencils, the constant problems at Stark International, The Ghost, Stingray and always great to see the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man. Some nice extras like the layout of Stark grounds, Armor Wars covers and Marvel Age extras and pin-ups.