Collecting the first 34 Iron Man stories when he was still a second-string character without his own book. It’s very much a product of its time full of military-industrial complex jingoism, anti-communist rhetoric, insidious racism, and blatant sexism. The science is at times laughable in retrospect, and the plots repetitive. But woven throughout are some interesting characters that you really start to engage with. Revisiting the introductions of Hawkeye and the Black Widow as villains is a little jarring but sets up their relationship, while the interplay between Pepper Pots and Happy Hogan is a joy. Perhaps most surprising is that even this early there is some thought provoking introspection from Tony Stark on what it is to be a hero and how Iron Man impacts his life and aspirations. ( )

hilarious from a cultural history standpoint.
using "the reds" as a scapegoat creates an awkward humorous tension. ( )