QUOTE: The current series will formally adopt the unofficial title that's been on the covers for a while now: Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., while a second series, The Invincible Iron Man will launch.

Interesting.  I wonder if there is a demand for another title.

Agreed, Andrew.  Forgot to mention that that run was in the 90s, albeit at the start of the decade.

The first Iron Man Essential is good.  A lot of the very early Marvel stuff is not impressive, and Iron Man is no different.  But starting with the introduction of Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, a great runs begins (Earlier stories like the Black Widow/Crimson Dynamo arc hints at this).  It lasts until Heck's final hurrah with the Iron Man vs Titanium Man battle.

A lot of mediocrity would follow excepting the Madame Masque stories.  Many stories are actually subpar, but she's an important part of the mythos.

The next great arc isn't until the first Michelenie/Layton run, and then the second Michelenie/Layton run.

Those three runs - Lee/Heck, Michelenie/Layton 1, and Michelenie/Layton 2 are essential and simply the best.  I've heard things about the Busiek/Stern run, but never read it.  It is hard for me to evaluate JB's run because not seeing the original Layton Armor Wars II just drained me of enthusiasm.  Hard for me to look at them objectively.

Can't say I liked Layton as a penciller, but thought he did a decent Job inking Mark Bright. The first Armor Wars was a great read but within a year I had stopped collecting the book. They had set up all of this really neat stuff, and either dropped it altogether or seemed to forget about it.

There should have been a mourning period for the Original Iron Man (who was supposed to have died and been replaced in that story) but instead it seemed as if no one remembered that the original guy had ever died. Like other heroes asking Iron Man how to defeat a foe and Iron Man telling them but nobody realizing THIS Iron Man shouldn't have known anything like that. Became very villain of the month for me and found that without a real crisis I couldn't empathize with Tony.

A recent Iron Man mini arc that I found to be quite fascinating from a "technological standpoint" was Iron Man Hypervelocity !

http://www.mycomicshop.com/search?asm=24&TID=686771

I also enjoyed Iron Man Captain America: Casualities of War as it looked both backwards and forwards at the history of their relationship.  Very well done !

The Best Defense, #73-78 (published in 2003-2004) was also fun !

I have the GIT DVD and am looking forward to working my way through it from beginning to end.  I have a limited history with Iron Man as a solo character and am looking forward to getting into the majority of his history for the 1st time !  Should be fun !

The movie is going to be sweet !

Alex – I'd also recommend the Essentials. Have the first two and am about halfways through the second one, and will most definitely be buying the third volume when it's out. Roger recommended me* that as a starting point a while back when I was in similar situation as you, as well as the Demon in a Bottle and Armor Wars TPBs. I did buy the TPBs as well, and while I haven't read them yet (went for a chronological approach) they too look like a lot of fun. But start from the beginning, it's definitely worth it.

* Thanks again for that Roger. I've definitely become an Iron Man fan from this reading.