I Am Iron Man #1 (of 5)

Un Cómic Más

t is a story contained in a single installment (one shot) with a pleasant and brilliant narrative rhythm that highlights the overwhelming, eloquent and somewhat narcissistic personality of Tony Stark. ART It's textured art and illustrated with mind-blowing dynamism and spot-on detail perfect for highlighting the changes in Stark's armor technologies.

The Comicbook Dispatch

I Am Iron Man #1 was a fun story that showcases the heart of one Tony Stark. Through all the sarcasm, money, and humor, he’s truly a man of the people who cares for all life over his own. This story just glows with how much this entire creative team is enamored with the character. Moreover, the art is so incredibly clean and smooth. The colors are lighter with this almost polished gloss to them that’s so inviting, especially to a new reader. The spacing and panel layouts were widespread which provided the perfect break for the eyes making this story easy to follow allowing for sensational pacing and storytelling. All this being said, the most confusing part of the entire issue was this name, “Jerrica Benton”. Is Tony truly fighting Jem from Jem and the Holograms? Is Jem at Marvel Comics now or was that just a snarky retort to make fun of the “villain”? I need to know… Anyway, overall, I think Iron Man fans will enjoy the heck out of this issue and I feel that this creative team’s enthusiasm and creativity shine through masterfully. I Am Iron Man #1 is an easy read for any age and any fan of the character at all levels.

Comic Watch

As a celebration of the character’s 60th anniversary, I AM IRON MAN #1 succeeds in being both a nostalgic love letter to the character and examining one of Tony’s momentarily construed traits as a hero. (...) I AM IRON MAN #1 is the earnest start to honest celebration of Tony Stark that isn't attempting to appropriate and regurgitate stories of the past. With their own narrative stepped deeply within the eras of Tony and an art style that idealizes the character, its a validating showcase of why Iron Man has room to still be a compelling hero in 2023.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: An engaging and entertaining story that gives the reader a greater appreciation of the character of Iron Man and Tony Stark. The plot is interesting and there are some really compelling moments within it. The villain wasn’t particularly memorable, but she served her purpose in furtherance of the plot. While her motivations were weak, her presence did enhance the notion of Stark as a strategist and futurist which was enjoyable. The Art: Akande delivers some visually fun and engaging art throughout the issue. The art style works really well with the pacing and intensity of the story.

ComicBook.com

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.

AIPT

Serving as the spiritual continuation of one of the backups from issue #650, I Am Iron Man #1 by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande is the beginning of what’s been promised as a love letter to the character, exploring Tony Stark throughout the many eras of his armored adventures. While the exact nature of the plot is not immediately clear from this first issue alone, there is still substance to appreciate here, especially as a celebration of 60 years of publication history. (...) Finally, and this is a bit of an indirect compliment to the art and artist again, but it’s nice to see Tony employing more than one armor at once. As much as I love the current suit as designed by Alex Ross, it’s nice to see the likes of Silver Centurion, Endo-Sym, and more as Iron Man remote controls his armors to handle multiple situations simultaneously. However, despite these praises, the narrative left me a bit underwhelmed. While it’s by no means bad, and I will be picking up future issues to see how it unfolds, I am not entirely sure what is going on in the issue. (...) All in all, I Am Iron Man #1 is some fun, light reading for Iron Man fans who crave something outside of Duggan’s run. While the story has yet to blow me away (granted, this is only issue #1), the incredible artwork is more than enough to get me to pick up the next issue. Perhaps it will be an improvement, but time will tell whether this “love letter” is meant to be cherished or discarded.

Geek'd Out

I Am Iron Man #1 is one such take by writer Murewa Ayodele and artist Dotun Akande, who’ve already played with the character in the Marvel Unlimited exclusive digital comic Avengers Unlimited, as well as a backup story in last December’s landmark Iron Man #650. With an entire limited series of their own to work with now, however, the two have an opportunity to leave their imprint on this long-running and influential icon. No pressure or anything. Something I will say about I Am Iron Man #1 is that it definitely stands out from several other Iron Man comics I’ve read before. Leaning more on “vibes” than a clearly defined narrative one might expect from a comic book with “Iron Man” in the name, this introductory issue doesn’t hold the reader’s hand and explain the entire thing straight away. (...) Even if I don’t totally understand what’s happening here, it certainly looks great, with Akande’s art doing a lot of the work to keep the reader visually hooked and wanting to keep reading. His lines are soft and expressionistic, even when depicting the man sometimes referred to as “Shellhead” in his aforementioned shell, and his lighting is gorgeous, giving a photorealistic feel to what are increasingly out-there and surreal images. It’s really quite an impressive overall package for two relatively new names in the industry, and they’re definitely worth keeping tabs on moving forward.

Weird Science Marvel Comics

I Am Iron Man #1 is a love letter to Iron Man’s history, but the incoherent plot, clunky scene transitions, and incomplete ending ruin a perfectly good story. The stylized art looks great, and the action scenes have a wow moment or two, but an editor should have straightened this script out long before it went to the artists.