I Am Iron Man #1 Review: An Imaginative, Imperfect Anniversary Issue

In 1963, just as the Marvel Comics universe was beginning to experiment with what a superhero story looked like, Iron Man made his debut in Tales of Suspense #39. In 2008, just as the landscape of superhero adaptations was undergoing a similar metamorphosis, Marvel’s live-action Iron Man movie helped the character become a bona fide household name. This week, those two legacies converge in I Am Iron Man #1, the first chapter in a new limited series celebrating the Iron Avenger’s history. While the issue might lean a little too heavily on the prospect of remixing the character’s greatest hits, its execution is absolutely admirable.

I Am Iron Man chronicles stories from all across Tony Stark’s legacy – beginning with a tale that uses time travel to navigate several of those eras. As we check in on Tony across various parts of his life and superhero career, a new threat makes itself known, and provides Tony’s personality and morality an opportunity to shine.

Let’s get one thing out of the way – this is a standalone comic adventure, with little-to-no obvious set-up for some grand narrative. That storytelling decision is inherently admirable, especially since it leans into the kind of one-off tales that Tony was spotlighted in for the first couple decades of his tenure. But it is jarring having this particular plot be the first (outside of a few smaller backup stories the creative team has contributed in recent months) of those stand-alone installments. Maybe that’s because the concept of I Am Iron Man #1, and the time travel narrative devices it utilizes, are compelling enough to fill six issues on their own. Maybe it’s also because the recently-wrapped Iron Man ongoing rarely passed up an opportunity to let its plot simmer, creating space for some genuinely compelling character beats. Either way, by the time the narrative crux of this issue really clicks into place, it’s already over.

That’s a shame, because the actual plot Murewa Ayodele creates for I Am Iron Man #1 is excellent, albeit a little understated. The pacing of events go from Tony’s days in his very first Iron Man suit, to a wild future setting, delivering some charming Easter eggs and fight scenes at practically every turn. Without getting into spoilers, the emotional wallop of the issue is the kind of dilemma that countless protagonists have endured over the years, but it still feels extra sentimental when placed onto Tony’s unique moral compass. There are even shades of Tony’s penchant for classic rock music, playing off of the ways the Iron Man movies helped give him three-dimensional swagger.

Dotun Akande’s art helps anchor the story across its various eras and settings, but it does cause some aesthetic elements to fall through the cracks. The use of panel composition and angular framing is fascinating, and there’s a novelty to seeing Tony’s various suits rendered in a photorealistic context. But for every few panels of inspired execution, there is one that feels a little too under-baked, or is ruined by an awkward facial expression. Akande’s color work, particularly the use of blues and oranges, feels like a spiritual successor to Frank D’Armata’s earthy work on the last Iron Man run, but it does leave some extravagant moments a little muddy. Joe Caramagna’s lettering is as consistent as ever, with a reliability that’s useful given the wide scope of the issue.

Sixty years after his first appearance, a lot of Iron Man’s Marvel Comics tenure still feels like an unlikely success, both on the page and on the screen. In a way, I Am Iron Man #1 might be the perfect microcosm of that, delivering a standalone tale with heart, action, and some imperfections. While this individual story might be too self-contained for its own magnitude, it does have me excited to see what else Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande have in store for future issues.

Published by Marvel Comics

On March 1, 2023

Written by Murewa Ayodele

Art by Dotun Akande

Colors by Dotun Akande

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Dotun Akande