GEEKEPEDIA: IRON MAN ANIMATED

To get in the mood for the soon-to-be-released IRON MAN feature film, here's a swift overview of shell-head's 1994-96 animated show. At the time of writing, a new animated series (intended as a companion to the already on-air FANTASTIC FOUR) has yet to debut.

One half of MARVEL'S ACTION HOUR (and significantly better than co-stars THE FANTASTIC FOUR), this Shell-head solo show is watchable but average fare. The decision to make the Mandarin the recurring villain in early episodes (the show enjoyed a reboot for the second season) is an odd one as he's hardly a Marvel Universe heavy-hitter but the choice does emphasise the weakness of Iron Man's rouge's gallery compared with other Marvel creations. After 13 episodes, Marvel sensibly shifted the show to another studio and things improve significantly for the second half of the run. Expect to find the normal cameos and guest shots from various other Marvel characters (including War Machine and the West Coast Avengers) in need of a show of their own and some merchandising bucks.

The choice of armour design is an odd one, hardly a classic design and a serious mis-fire. Hell, even the non-trad red'n'silver incarnation introduced in Iron Man issue 200 (part of Marvel's merchandiser unfriendly 1980's policy of changing everyone's traditional costumes... sometimes for no apparent reason) would have been a better choice. And don't get us started on the CGI inserts... they really shouldn't have bothered (and didn't for the second batch of shows).

In one of those classic television cheats, Stark has the ability to switch between specialist armours by some unexplained metamorphosis in the second season. No nipping back to Stark Enterprises for a quick change of clothes before continuing the mission.

Rather conveniently, Marvel's business plan was closely tied to toy manufacturer Toy Biz during this period, allowing the toy company to merchandise the myriad of Iron Man variations seen on the show.

It's Robert (Airplane) Hayes as Tony Stark/ Iron Man.

An animated Bill Clinton makes an unexpected guest appearance, as leader of the free world, in seven episodes. Whether he receives repeat fees is unrecorded.

Marvel issued a tie-in comic based on the show (and outside usual continuity) for as long as it would sell. A companion ACTION HOUR title for the FANTASTIC FOUR also appeared.

The first season of the Action Hour aired with live-action intros from Stan Lee (ala Walt Disney) but these were dropped for the second 13. The second thirteen also have a new title sequence, improved theme tune ("I am Iron Man!" We'd like to think kids across America were chanting that mantra... and we bet Marvel wished they had too) and better writing. Compared with fare like BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and much of today's anime inspired shows, the animation (even on the superior second run when someone was at least checking for obvious errors) is standard TV quality of the time. Watchable but hardly stylish or ground-breaking.

The complete series has been released on R2 DVD but without any reference to the Action Hour and Stan's intros.
Ahead of 2008 live-action movie (and another animated series), Marvel issued a direct-to-DVD animated one-shot, THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, in 2007 which is superior fare and well worth seeking out along with the other three Marvel animated direct-to-DVD projects (two volumes of THE ULTIMATE AVENGERS and, of all people, DOCTOR STRANGE).

ESSENTIALS -
The DVD box set will ensure a complete dose of shell-head action.

Best of the episodes is the second-season two-parter based on the classic ARMOUR WARS story arc from the comics (albeit truncated for the kids). Iron Man is seen as responsible for a nuclear explosion (at least in the public's eyes... an idea which would be much expanded upon (and reworked) for Marvel's CIVIL WAR epic, albeit with other heroes taking the blame) which is a bad start to a bad day. Then Stark discovers that his not-quite top secret armour technology is being used by most of Marvel's armoured super villains, sending an obsessed Shell-head rogue as he attempts to stop the bad guys he believes he 'created'. Cue lots of guest-shots from Marvel's menagerie of armoured folk including the always-rubbish Stilt Man, Sting Ray and the Beetle (given a Liverpool accent... can't think why) as well as Nick Fury and Hawkeye.

None of the TV-based comic strips have ever been collected into book form (but perusers of the 50p bargain back issue boxes will probably get lucky) but plenty of the real-deal is out there including the Marvel UK reminisant (IE cheap and black'n'white) phone book thickness Essential collections and higher-priced (but better packaged) collections of classic story arcs including the ground-breaking DEMON IN A BOTTLE and the adapted-for-TV romp ARMOUR WARS.