Iron Man: The history, the comics, the movie, the merchandise

IRON MAN first appeared in Tales of Suspense 39, in march 1963. The concept of the businessman who builds his own suit of sophisticated armour was a collaborative effort of several people including comics legends Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Don Heck. Designed to essentially be Marvel's answer to Batman (they share a similar character basis, even if they don't share similar suits or origins), he made his early appearances solely in the Tales of Suspense title, only branching out into his own ongoing series in 1968, after a brief period in a shared title with the Sub Mariner. By this time, the famous red-and-gold theme of his armour was in full effect. The character proved to be a hit. Not quite on the same level as Spider-Man or the X-Men, but a hit nonetheless.

As the decades wore on, Iron Man gained a depth of characterization that has rarely been matched. A troubled man with a score to settle, he sets about righting wrongs with the aid of his mighty suits of armour. Over the years that armour has changed design many, many times, but that is one of the big points for fans. The armour isn't just one design, such as the suits worn by Spider-Man or Superman etc. It evolves along with technology, and, thanks to Tony Stark's genius, sometimes way ahead of it!

At the heart (excuse the pun) of the character is a shrapnel wound that threatens to pierce his heart, hence the magnetic chest plate he must always wear to ensure he stays alive. The wound aspect of the character was done away with when he underwent a heart transplant, but this led to him developing an alcohol dependency, which has been greatly covered and lampooned in many titles since then.

Iron Man is a reluctant hero; a man who has learned the error of his ways and who wants to set things right. As one of the Marvel team the Avengers, Iron Man fights alongside characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, The Vision, The Scarlet Witch and more in his unending battle against evil. The suits may change often, but the basic elements of the character remains the same- a genius billionaire, injured in an escape from evil captors, protecting the world with his technology and intelligence. There is now a great selection of Iron Man graphic novels for you to catch up on his history.

IRON MAN: THE MOVIE
The Iron man feature film has really brought the character into the consciousness of the masses. Perfectly capturing the essence of the character and his background, it is a thrilling adventure movie with some fantastic performances. Starring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, the film was a smash hit with both fans and critics upon its release, who were all bowled over by its depiction of the character, the storyline and the excellent script. While John Favreau's direction isn't perfect, the film is about as great as Superhero movies get.

A sequel is already in the works, and if you stuck around for the extra scene at the end of the credits, you'll know what else lies in Iron man's future...

IRON MAN 2
The first sequel to the blockbuster Iron man movie is already being prepped. Said to include WAR MACHINE fighting along side Iron Man, it is due to be released in 2010 alongside the CAPTAIN AMERICA movie, which in turn will help set up the forthcoming Marvel AVENGERS film...

One of the major players in the market for licensed movie merchandise is the titan that is Sideshow Collectibles. Well into their second decade of creating the finest collectibles a fan can get hold of, they have outdone themselves time and again, and their range of extremely high quality Iron Man collectibles is second to none. A huge range of Iron Man movie collectibles is available from them, including a massive selection of pieces created to commemorate the movie's release. Generally made to museum standards, the movie merchandise Sideshow range of Iron Man goods includes all manner of objects such as Maquettes, busts, statues, full size helmets and more. The classic and contemporary eras of the character is covered with metal-cast helms representing his initial armour designs, and then there's the more recent pieces such as the HulkBuster Iron Man statue taken from the comics, right up to the vast range of collectibles bearing the movie designs. That range of officially licensed movie collectibles includes some of the best pieces Sideshow have ever created, including a life-size bust of Iron Man's head and shoulders, full scale metal helmets of each version of the armour, and even an Iron Monger helmet! The statues are equally incredible, with both regular and stealth versions being hits upon their releases. Each item is a limited edition and numbered accordingly, making the Sideshow range of Iron Man merchandise one of the most sought after lines in years.

IRON MAN ACTION FIGURES

Hasbro produced a superb range of movie related Iron Man figures, including great action figures of the three versions of the Iron man armour seen in the movie, and also a superb figure of the Iron Monger. The finely sculpted plastic figures are articulated in several places and each comes packed with accessories, many of which are original ones not seen in the film! Packed on attractive Iron Man themed blister cards, these are a must have for any Iron Man Iron Fan! Hasbro certainly have the know-how to create quality action figures, after all, it was them that brought the world the Transformers! These figures live up to the company's reputation very well indeed.

IRON MAN HEADKNOCKERS
A great headknocker based on Iron Man's movie incarnation has also been released. Cast in sturdy plastic and sculpted with an oversized head mounted on a spring, its probably the only way to get Tony Stark to nod in compliance with your requests!