The Iron Man Armory News Last Update: May 7, 2008

Iron Man: We’ll See You Again in 2010

With the Iron Man movie a definite blockbuster, raking in (as of 5/5/08) $207,331,984 worldwide ($109 million domestic; $98 million foreign), Marvel has already announced the sequel. We’ll see Shellhead back in theaters in 2010. And he’ll have lots of company. Joining IM on the silver screen is Thor, which will also drop in 2010, followed by Captain America and The Avengers both in the summer of 2011. Other movies in the pipeline: Ant-Man (creative team announced), Punisher: War Zone (December 2008), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 2009). On the cartoon front, Marvel has firmed up the release dates of a variety of series (many previously announced): Wolverine and the X-Men, Spring 2009 release; Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Spring 2009 release on Nicktoons; Hulk Gamma Corps, Spring 2009 release; Super Hero Squad, Spring 2009 release. Finally, Marvel updated its upcoming Direct-to-DVD releases: Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, late 2008 release; Hulk Vs., early 2009 release; Thor: Son of Asgard, late 2009 release; Planet Hulk, early 2010 release.

Keep up on all the IM and Marvel movies, DVDs, and cartoons at TVGuide.com. They’ve got two Iron Man pages: TVGuide.com’s Iron Man movie page TVGuide.com’s Iron Man cartoon page

Any Doubt That 2008 Is Year of Iron Man?

Iron Man fans have had been on a great ride, and the forecast for 2008 looks even brighter. Besides the Iron Man movie, the year will see several Shellhead books blasting there way onto the shelves. First off, Marvel adds another ongoing title. The Invincible Iron Man, a new monthly from Matt Fraction (writer) and Salvador Larroca (pencils). (If you like variant covers, this is the book for you. There’s five, count ‘em five, variants from the likes of Joe Quesada, Mark Djurdjevic, Bob Layton, Billy Tan, and a special Iron Man movie cover. So what ground will IM’s second monthly cover? Marvel indicates that Invincible Iron Man will highlight more of the character’s super hero side and less of the director of SHIELD side. Editor Tom Brevoort describes the book this way: "It’s Iron Man the way you want to see Iron Man–armored up, facing big, technological threats, big sweeping stories, cool exec, heart of steel, millionaire playboy inventor by day, armored avenger by later in the day. It should be pretty good." And the first issue features Ezekiel Stane, the just discovered son of ol’ Obie Stane. The book debuts in May. Also coming out right around the big movie is the long-asked for All-New Iron Manual. This second installment of the classic guide to Iron Man’s technology, weighs in at 64 pages and promises a look at IM’s armors, supporting cast, dastardly foes, and much more!

Legacy of Doom Pub Schedule Stretched

The first fresh Layton-Michelinie Iron Man tome in several years, the conclusion to the Iron Man-Dr. Doom saga, Legacy of Doom, has had its publishing schedule extended. Originally, Marvel planned to publish the four-part mini each week in April. Now, however, Marvel has made it a monthly book and plans to publish it from April to July stretching our Shellhead bounty well into the summer.

New Printing of Many Armors of IM; Demon Hardcover This new printing of the classic trade features a new cover (a reprint itself of the great cover from #174). In 208 pages, it collects Iron Man#47, #142-144, #152-153, #200 and #218. If you are new to Iron Man or an old fan, this is a great compilation of Iron Man's greatest armors. A new premium hardcover edition of the great Iron Man/Tony Stark saga Demon in a Bottle also came out recently.

Iron Man Movie Action Figures The first wave of Iron Man movie merchandise will include five six-inch action figures. This first batch will be the Original Gray (the Mark 01), a slimmer gray armor (Mark 02), the Red and Gold (the main movie armor), and the Iron Monger. There’s also a Red and Gold Prototype figure with snap-on armor. We’ll also be treated to a Titanium Man, Silver Centurion, and others. Check out Hasbro’s site for all the cool details. www.hasbro.com/marvel/ironman/

Marvelkids.com Features IM Short Movies Marvel has a big Iron Man push going on over at Marvelkids.com. Part of that drive includes cool short films featuring the armored Avenger. Back in January, Iron Man helped launched the new Marvel Adventures Animated Advervideos. To see the vids, go to www.marvelkids.com/videos The site also features a digital version of Marvel Adventures Iron Man #1. Read it here: www.marvelkids.com/ironman

Iron Man: The Novel?

Random House has acquired the rights to four books based on Iron Man. Two will be direct tie-ins to the Iron Man film from Marvel Studios, including the official adult novelization of the movie and a nonfiction title featuring an inside look at the upcoming film as well as material on the creation of the character and his history in the comic book world. They will be released in the weeks prior to the film’s U.S. debut on May 2, 2008. Two books will be original Iron Man novels, focusing on the classic Iron Man character, and will be released at a future date.

Audi, Partner: Carmaker Launch IM Mini Site

Audi has launched a tie-in site to cross-promote the Iron Man movie. The so-called mini site has character bios with more special features to come.

Oh, and they’ve got one or two plugs for Audi cars.

You can get to it here.

Cool Steam Punk Iron Man Figure

Somebody sent me this cool site, and I wanted to pass it along. A guy has created lots of custom action figures, including a Victorian-era-ish set of Avengers. There's a cool steam punk Iron Man. Check it out.

PAST NEWS

Confirmed: Legacy of Doom Bob and Dave Are Back (Again) Michelinie Talks IM/Doom at Wizard World Chicago The epic Layton/Michelinie double-header chronicling Iron Man and Dr. Doom is about to become a trilogy. Iron fans are buzzing about Iron Man: Legacy of Doom, the four-issue mini-series coming from the all-star creative team of David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Michelinie was at Wizard World Chicago, where he dropped a few hints about their return to the book. Michelinie credited Layton for getting him back onboard at Marvel. After the Bad Blood mini they did a few years back, Dave and Bob had a number of proposals at Marvel, but editorial merry-go-round there prevented any development. Then came the green light for Iron Man: The End. Now, hang onto your seats and get ready for another IM/Doom smash-up long in the making. The third and final chapter in Michelinie and Layton’s newly christened “Camelot” trilogy takes the armored foes from earth to outer space and even to the depths of hell. But Dave let it slip that the pair won’t be traveling through time—unless you count the story’s prologue and epilogue.

The story is book-ended by current continuity, opening and closing in current continuity, but the majority of the story takes place shortly after the second IM/Doom meeting (IM 249-250; the first part took place in Iron Man 149-150). The story begins with Doom, the lord of Latveria, oppressing Stark, the current Director of SHIELD, and then quickly flashback to tell the fantastic tale.

Michelinie said that Merlin, who played pivotal roles in the first two tales, merely plays a supporting role this time out.

While in Chicago Dave told CBR: “It's mostly fast-paced action, with cool and hopefully unexpected visuals. Most of the characterization comes from interaction between Iron Man and Doom, and from the sometimes very difficult decisions they have to make in the heat of the moment. We hope the series will be fun and exciting, with readers eagerly looking forward to finding out what's going to happen in the next issue.”

The four-issue mini will be penciled by Ron Lim and inked by Layton. It’s due in stores in Spring 2008.

Favreau To Do An Iron Man Limited At the Mondo Marvel panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced a special limited series from Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Adi Granov. The book, Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas, will be under the Marvel Knights imprint, so it won’t take place in the true Marvel Universe, but it does mine IM history to produce a book, Marvel editor Tom Brevoort calls as “a compelling, exciting Iron Man story. . . . Jon and Adi will be bringing some of the same sensibility to this miniseries that they brought to the film.” The mini will be coming out around the same time as the movie and its loosely tied to that story. Brevoort promises that the book will have a similar tone and sensibility. “I don’t know that there’s anything much that I can say here that wouldn’t infringe on details about the movie. But you’ll definitely recognize this as classic, vintage Iron Man.” The story is about an ancient golden dragon that finds its way into being used as the centerpiece of a new Las Vegas casino, which is also holding a retrospective on the work of Howard Stark. “And from there, events rapidly spiral out of control as the dragon comes to life, and Iron Man must get involved,” added Brevoort. Golden dragon? Can Fin Fang Foom and the Mandarin be far behind? Favreau cited ol’ Finny, adding that he had wanted to use the dragon in the movie but couldn’t—not in the first movie. Granov threw in that their comic has a “lot of destruction, a lot of humor.” Favreau said that he built the story, taking the elements from IM’s history that he liked, “borrowing elements from wherever and whenever,” such as Tony changing into his armor from his attaché case. He also said that he liked working in comics because there were no budgetary concerns.

Casey Talks Enter the Mandarin With the first issue of Joe Casey and Eric Canetti’s Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin out, Casey took time to talk about it over at Newsarama. Check it out with some early pics. Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin chronicles the first meeting of Iron Man and the Mandarin. The Interview

How did the book come about? Brevoort said, “Jon and Adi were both working on the movie in their respective capacities, and at some point Adi suggested that it might be a cool idea for them to do an actual Iron Man comic book story together as well.” The story, although not a direct tie-in, does have a few allusions to the movie.

It being a panel, there were fan questions:

Will War Machine be making a guest spot in Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas ? Favreau didn’t rule it out, saying that he hadn’t finished writing the story—but up to now, he’s not in it.

Will Fin Fang Foom be wearing purple pants? Granov answered no.

Will Stark be on or off the wagon? Favreau stated that it’s not that kind of a heavy story, but there might be a subtle reference to his drinking. To which Granov added, “So far, every panel I've drawn of him, there's a drink in his hand. We don't focus on it, but it's there.”

Viva Las Vegas, a four-issue mini, should be out in Spring 2008—the same time as the IM movie.

Terrence Howard discusses Iron Man, War Machine, and Teases a Sequel

Terrence Howard, star of Hustle and Flow and , who will play James Rhodes in the upcoming Iron Man flick, has let loose a few details about the movie.

Recently, Howard told ReelzChannel.com, "I don't start (shooting) until the 28th, but on the 12th of this month I get to go to Las Vegas with the United States Air Force and fly in F-15s for about two weeks—simulated battles, land on aircraft carriers, I get to do it all."

Howard also hinted at sequel plans: "In the next one they make a suit for me and I become War Machine," said Howard, "so I'm a sidekick."

To Comingsoon.net, he hinted at War Machine’s role in a possible sequel:

CS: I got to see the footage at Comic-Con a few times and I have to ask because it got me curious… did we actually see a glimpse of War Machine there for a second? Are they going to already start playing up that aspect of your character?

Howard: Ummmm… (chuckles and thinks about how to respond) War Machine is a very intricate aspect of the future franchise of this thing, but this movie is centered more around the creation of Tony Stark turning into Iron Man.

CS: That seems logical, but the fact they're bringing James Rhodes into the story so much earlier than they ever did in the comics, I was curious whether his future incarnation might be hinted at or it would all be saved for the sequels?

Howard: Yeah, we start getting into it. We start getting into it.

Misc. Iron Man Specials Coming Out

Iron Man: Director of SHIELD Annual #1 Tony Stark goes to the island nation of Madripoor where Madame Hydra has made the place a safe haven for terrorists. Christos Gage (Iron Man), and in his stunning Marvel debut, artist Harvey Talibao (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ), promise a forty-eight-page actioner in November. Ultimate Hulk/Iron Man Early 2008 will bring us even more Iron Man. Writer Warren Ellis and penciler Cary Nord will produce a six-issue miniseries, Ultimate Hulk/Iron Man. Although these two guys have fought many times, this time out, they’ll have to work together. As we saw at the end of Ultimates 2, Banner was learning to control his Hulk transformation. This team-up will see Banner looking for Tony Stark’s help in getting control. Can Stark’s nanobots control the Hulk’s cells? Pick up issue #1 and see. Speaking of Ultimates . . . Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira’s Ultimates 3 will come out in December 2007. Ultimate Iron Man 2 Coming . . . Soon? Okay, so we don’t know what to say. Orson Scott Card’s follow-up work in the Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Iron Man, Volume 2, still hasn’t come out. So far, it’s not even on the schedule. All summer Joe Q has been going around answering this question though. He mentioned several times that they wanted to have all of Card’s scripts in before they solicited it. To date, he hasn’t finished the series, which Marvel hopes to release some time in 2008. Still no word as to whether Pascal Ferry’s has begun penciling the story. (This is a good thing, fans. It’s better to be delayed then to get an issue and then wait three months or whatever for the next.)

Special IM (Collector’s) Mistake Issue

Recently, Marvel came out with a super special collector’s edition of Iron Man #16. Only they didn’t know it (at first). And this was a double-whammy for Marvel’s Production Control Dept.

First, IM #16 was found in retail and newsstand outlets (think: Borders) before being available in comic shops. This was embarrassing enough (local comic shops, a.k.a. the direct market, are supposed to get comics before retails shops), but then smart readers noticed that the issue had pages out of order. According to Marvel, most of the print run of #16 was printed with its pages out of order. Marvel ordered the whole run destroyed, but some copies got through to the trade market. This is destined to be a collector’s item.

Correct versions of Iron Man #16 hit comic shops on April 11.

Stan Talks IM’s Genesis: Today Is Yesterday

At a recent convention panel focusing on Marvel properties coming to the silver screen, Stan Lee discussed the creation of Iron Man. The discussion ambled into a discussion of how the world today resembles the world and feelings of the Vietnam era.

Asking questions about the genesis of the hero, Stan described the time period that IM was invented, the early Sixties, as a time period where a lot of the people at Marvel were opposed to the Vietnam war. He went on to say that, “I was drunk with power when I invented Tony Stark.” He then went on to say that he wanted to write a character that stood for everything you hated, but was likable.

Mark Fergus, co-writer of the upcoming Shellhead flick, added that the movie “takes war time sensibility and [the] conflicts that Stan created and modernizes them.” Fergus then connected Halliburton to Stark Industries, drawing similarities between the two.

Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel studios, tied the Iron Man chat by saying, “The challenge here is writing someone so unlikable and making him likable regardless of his past—Robert’s real treatment of Stark comes out of his understanding of the character.” Fergus added, “[Stark] has to shape himself in the midst of villains who have a better sense of self than he has.”

Stan Lee: A Star at Last

Marvel’s progenitor Stan Lee, who recently made a cameo as a bus driver on NBC’s Heroes (the “Unexpected” episode), got a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. 2008’s individuals were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held June 8, and ratified by the Chamber's Board of Directors. Walk of Fame Chairman Johnny Grant commented, “Today I am happy to announce an array of celebrities who have earned this recognition for a combination of professional achievement and community involvement.” Lee joins such luminaries as Erik Estrada, Howie Mandel, Crystal Gayle, and Lee Majors, who have also been given stars on the tourist-magnet sidewalks.

The 2008 Walk of Fame Inductees Movies: Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, Stan Lee, The Munchkins, Tim Robbins, and The Westmores of Hollywood TV: Bill Geist, Kate Linder, Howie Mandel, Sherwood Schwartz, Vince McMahon, Susan St. James, and Brian Keith (Posthumous) Recording: Christina Aguilera, Brooks and Dunn, Ricky Martin, Red Hot Chili Peppers and George Harrison (Posthumous) Theatre/Performance: Stephen Schwartz

Armory on Bob Layton’s Site Again Back in August, Bob’s Iron Man concept of the month was Firepower. The great Iron artist streamlined the walking arsenal, updating him, but leaving him no less fearsome. To go along with his dazzling work, Bob sought permission to use my bio of the military mecha. Once again, I was honored to ascent. Check out Bob’s site at www.boblayton.com. My Firepower bio is here. From the Hmmmm? Dept. At the end of his Chicago Con presentation, Joe Quesada briefly flashed a slide with the caption “What comes next?” The slide showed Spider-Woman Jessica Drew hanging upside-down and kissing Iron Man. What’s it all mean? We don’t know. Yet. But it has something to do with a big crossover event called "Secret Invasion," a storyline rolling out of the Skrull invasion in New Avengers/Mighty Avengers.

Get Your Iron Man Underoos Marvel Entertainment, Inc., (NYSE: MVL) entered into an extensive licensing agreement with Fruit of the Loom for the children's underwear category. The deals reflect Marvel's brand-building licensing strategy to team its globally renowned character franchise with “best in class” partners. “We are excited to commence brand new partnerships with Fruit of the Loom . . . to help significantly broaden Marvel's impact in the apparel category,” said Paul Gitter, President of Consumer Products for North America , Marvel Entertainment. “Working with industry leaders Fruit of the Loom . . . helps us achieve significant retail space and maximize the distribution of our licensed products in the mass market.” Pursuant to the new multi-year licensing agreement, Fruit of the Loom will develop and manufacture children's underwear lines based on several premier Marvel character franchises. Fruit of the Loom will initially create product lines based on the upcoming Marvel Studios feature films Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. It has also obtained the rights to develop products inspired by a diverse range of Marvel heroes and villains including: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America , Daredevil, Thor, Fantastic Four Black Panther, Blade, Doctor Octopus, Dr. Strange, Elektra, Green Goblin, Nick Fury, Punisher, Silver Surfer, Venom, and Sandman.

Bob and Dave Back on Iron Man (Sort of)

What might’ve been? With the upcoming Iron Man movie, Marvel contacted Bob Layton about getting him back involved with the character on the monthly title. Although, Layton and Joe Quesada and Tom Brevoort didn’t find common ground, and he and David Michelinie won’t be creating the monthly Shellhead, Marvel will be publishing their once thought dead Iron Man: The End. Plus, Brevoort did express interest in working with Bob in the future. Maybe will see his inks on future issues of the Iron Man monthly.

Bob promises more updates as soon as the artist and release date are scheduled.

Read more on Newsarama here.

Iron Man Movie Cast Grows

IM Movie director Jon Favreau has built a strong cast of big names to bring Iron Man to life on the silver screen.

Acclaimed actor Robert Downey, Jr., has signed on as the main hero, Tony Stark, who will take on an as yet un-named Mandarin. Joining Downey is Terrence Howard, who will be backing him up as Stark's trusty friend James Rhodes. Pepper Potts will be played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

And, just added: Jeff Bridges has been added to the cast to play an as yet unnamed role. But the press release indicates that he will be a SI employee and long-time friend.

The Iron Man movie is still scheduled to fly into theatres on May 2, 2008.

Casey: Enter the Mandarin Mini

Near the end of 2007, Joe Casey (IM: Inevitable, Earth’s Mightiest) and Eric Canete will chronicle the first meeting of Iron Man and the Mandarin. Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin promises to be the kind of historical re-telling Casey’s know for with his Earth’s Mightiest look-backs.

Tony Stark on Forbes Wealthiest List

Forbes recently calculated the wealth of fictional characters, and the billionaire industrialist Tony Stark came in at #15. With an estimated net worth of $3 billion, Stark comes in behind the likes of Richie Rich, Scrooge McDuck, and Jed Clampett. (Although that seems a little low for guy who’s a combination of Howard Hughes and Bill Gates. I mean, c’mon, Stark’s stock has gotta be worth $30 billion, right?)

Ultimate Iron Man 2 Soon?

Orson Scott Card is working on the scripts for UIM 2, the continuation to the alternate universe Iron Man story. Joe Q recently said that a few scripts are in, and Marvel’s just waiting for the conclusion. No word on whether Pascal Ferry’s pencils are underway.

Iron Man Part of the US Postal Service 2007 Plans

Marvel joins DC with a set of comemerative stamps from the US Postal Service. Joining Iron Man are nine other heroes: Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Sub-Mariner, The Thing, Captain America, Silver Surfer, Spider-Woman, Elektra, and Wolverine.

Iron Man Part of SEGA’s Next-Gen Plans

Sega has secured the rights to produce Iron Man games for all gaming platforms based on both the upcoming film and the classic comic books.

Simon Jeffery, President and COO, of SEGA of America, Inc. said, "The Iron Man history is filled with compelling and intriguing characters and stories and with the power of the next-gen systems, SEGA will be bringing these characters to life like never before."

David Maisel, Executive Vice President of Marvel Entertainment, added, "SEGA is an excellent partner to bring our Iron Man franchise to the next generation consoles. SEGA is a powerful force in the video game space and has always been on the cutting edge of the industry. We are very excited to be bringing Iron Man to theaters in 2008 and to team with a great partner to simultaneously introduce Iron Man to the video game world."

More as it develops.

Where Will You Be May 2, 2008? In line for the Iron Man Movie Maybe?!

Paramount and Marvel recently announced that the Iron Man movie, directed by Jon Favreau (see story below), will kick off the 2008 summer movie-going season. After years of stumbling around in development hell, Iron Man will rocket into theaters on May 2.

Calling Iron Man a "very powerful character franchise," Marvel is psyched to have the movie kick off the summer. The first weekend in May has been big business for Marvel's films. Both Spider-Man and X2 topped the box office charts when they opened that first Friday in May.

Describing themselves as very excited about the movie's script to date, Marvel and Paramount described the premise behind the story in a press release as: "Based upon Marvel's iconic Super Hero, the film will follow billionaire weapons-manufacturer, Tony Stark, who confronts the sins of his past after he is injured by one of his own weapons. Equipped with a high-tech suit of armor, he becomes Iron Man to combat evil on a global scale."

The Iron Man film will be produced by Avi Arad, creative advisor to Marvel Studios, and Kevin Feige. Executive Producers are Ari Arad, Mr. Favreau and Louis D'Esposito. This project, the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment, is expected to be financed through Marvel's $525 million revolving film financing facility and distributed under Marvel's overall distribution arrangement with Paramount. Iron Man will mark the first production under Mr. Arad's newly launched production company, Avi Arad Productions. (Source: press release.)

Jon Favreau to Helm Iron Flick

Jon Favreau, star of Swingers, and director of Zarutha, and Elf, is now directing Iron Man. Currently he's in preproduction, working on a script with writers Arthur Marcum and Matt Holloway. Some reports also state that there is another writing team working on another script. In any case, Favreau hopes to have the first draft in a few weeks. He hopes to begin filming in January 2007.

Here's the answers to your most pressing Q's:

Will IM be a guy in a suit or CGI? Favreau said that he hopes to integrate motion-capture and CGI. He's hoping to combine the best of both worlds.

Who's starring? While talking with MTV, Favreau talked about IM as a franchise (meaning sequels), saying that he's not looking for a big star. In fact, he said that hopes to discover a relative unknown to star as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Origin story? "We're gonna have it take place in the present day, but there will be an origin story that has the old, gray Iron Man suit; eventually it will progress into more of the modern look," Favreau told MTV. "That's the fun of doing the first one."

Which armor will he wear? See the earlier answer.

Will he drink or not? Favreau talks about the alcoholism stories being a later development in Tony's life, saying, "I think we're going to lay the groundwork for it, but the first one's going to explore him taking on this alter ego of Iron Man, and developing the suit, and what happens politically within the Stark Corporation."

Ultimate or regular? From all his statements, Jon definitely seems to dig the classic Tony. Chances are we'll get a very recognizable, classic Tony Stark, playboy, inventor, businessman.

When does filming start? As things stand now, Iron Man will begin production in early 2007. JF hopes to start in January.

(Source: MTV.)

Marvel Movie Update

Several other Marvel film projects are moving forward. Here's an update of the most concrete ones: Captain America is being adapted by David Self, who helped bring Road to Perdition to the screen. Meanwhile, Edgar Wright (co-writer of Shaun of the Dead) is planning a comedic take on Ant-Man. A Hulk sequel is planned, written by Zak Penn. Finally, movies starring Nick Fury and Thor are also making their way through the development process.

All the films will be produced by Marvel, as part of their plan to become their own production house (for which they raised $525 million), and distribute the films through Paramount (the Hulk sequel is already set up to be distributed through Universal).

Iron Man Mini: Hyper Velocity Adam Warren (writer) and Brian Denham (pencils) will be producing a five-issue Iron Man mini-series called Hyper Velocity. The first issue should weigh in in December. Iron Man Also in Spidey Mini Over on Newsarama's "New Joe Fridays," Joe Q dropped a tantalizing bit of Iron info regarding a Spider-Man mini-series scheduled for next year that he'll actually be penciling, promising "one heck of an Iron Man appearance" in the first issue. With all the fallout from Civil War, this could be explosive! Did You Check Out the Knauf's Iron Podcast Although it's a few months old now, Iron Man's current writing team, Daniel and Charlie Knauf did a podcast with Tom Brevoort on Marvel.com. Take a listen, it offers some interesting insight into how they approached Shellhead, writing together, and so on. Check it out: www.marvel.com/news/2.335.

Over on his site, Denham posted some early art. Click to see it.

Armory Featured at BobLayton.com Again

In May and June, ace IM artist Bob Layton debuted two spectacular character concepts on his site: the Melter and Madame Masque. The stunning updates of two of Shellhead's most dangerous rogues are supplemented with the bios from this Web site. (For each drawing, Bob got permission to use the character bios from the Armory's "Bios" area to round out the feature on his site.)

Check out the picture of the Melter below. And thanks, Bob, for allowing me to post it here!

Click on the pic below to see full-size versions (one straight pencils, the other a colored version).

World To Be Flooded With Iron Man Action Figures!

The comic and toy convention season of 2006 is barely underway, yet every Iron fan already has a wish list longer than their arm. Yes, it looks like 2006 will be the year of the Iron Man action figure.

The Marvel Legends line conitnues to grow, Series 14 will feature legendary heroes and villains in all their six-inch glory. Series 14 will contain First Appearance Iron Man, Longshot, Baron Zemo, Luke Cage, Falcon, and Psyclocke. A bonus variant figure is also promised: First Appearance Iron Man, sporting his golden armor. (A rumor that's been shot down stated that Crimson Dynamo would also be making an appearance, but that's doubtful now.) As if that wasn't enough to make your Arbor Day complete, Series 15 will contain: Beta Ray Bill, Moon Knight, Spider-Woman, Quicksilver,Thor-Buster Iron Man, Wasp, and Captain Marvel. (It's also possible that The Mandarin will be in this line, but see below for a more probable explanation.) Series 15 continues the recent build-it tradition. This time, MODOK will be parted out to be collected. Then, if you've got any money left, you'll want to pick up the new Modular Armor Iron Man that's coming out soon. Sold in a two-pack with the Mandarin, it's sure to separate you from your money. A Marvel "Icons" line is also due in stores. This line has Iron Man in his current armor, calling the fig "Modern Iron Man." And finally, almost vindictively, comes a House of M Iron Man from a set of the same name. (It's unclear right now whether the House of M line will be sold individually or as a set.)

Check out The Armory's Toy Area for more pics.

Iron Man Movie: A Lot Goin' On, Nothin' Much Happenin'

The Drama Continues

The on-going saga of the oft-reported upcoming Iron Man movie has taken many twists and turns. The latest zig-zag has sent Marvel back to the square one. Suprisingly, this might be good news for Shellhead fans.

As of November, the film rights to Iron Man reverted back to Marvel, but not before New Line spent two years supposedly developing the property with no results. This will allow Marvel to move Iron Man to its new internal production slate. (Recently, Marvel raised capital to produce a number of features on its own, pictures Hollywood has either had no intrest in or trouble developing.) If Marvel moved ahead with the deal, it's likely Paramount, which made a distribution deal with the comics company recently, will distribute the movie.

"Right now we're concentrating on finding the right creative talent," explained Marvel Studios' Avi Arad in Variety. "It's not a part of our slate deal, but we can raise the money to do it if we choose to. We would also have no difficulty licensing it to another studio."

Arad also told Variety that Marvel would now start development from scratch, commissioning a new script and possibly attaching a director before deciding whether to finance the film itself or license it again. Afterall, attaching a director has been difficult for Marvel.

For quite some time, director Nick Cassavetes was reported to be attached and developing the story. Then it was abruptly reported that he did not have a deal, nor was he even involved--even though Arad really wanted to work with Cassavetes. To add to the confusion, recently the Internet was abuzz with rumors that Alex Proyas would now be directing. This rumor was shot down by Cassavettes himself, who told MTV that he was in pre-production on the film. So who knows?

The Iron Man-to-film saga is begining to take on shades of the Spider-Man film franchise. Over the last ten years various stars and directors have been attached, including Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage, and George Lucas. Recently, a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) just seemed to evaporate. X-Men scribe David Hayter also had a version that went nowhere.

Quotes above from Variety

IRON MANimation 3-D??

Iron Man's animated adventures, fairing much better than his live-action prospects, are coming soon to your home TV as Marvel's partnership with Lions Gate produces quick dividends.

First off is an Ultimate Avengers direct-to-video DVD, due in stores on February 21. It will be followed up by three other releases in 2006: Ultimate Avengers 2, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange. All four are in a 2D/3D format.

At Wizard Con, Craig Johnson (who wrote the Ultimates movie) and Craig Kyle (of Marvel Films) talked about the upcoming Iron Man cartoon. "It's his origin, updated, It isn't based on anybody's specific run," said Johnson. "There are some surprises in that I think are going to thrill the fans because it's a great origin story." Kyle went on to add that the Iron Man movie will feature several suits. "We have the big refrigerator, too," he said. "He didn't always have that streamlined beauty."

Lions Gate has ambitious plans to develop a revolutionary animated library. In concert with Marvel, Lions Gate is planning a feature film project dubbed "The Marvel Collection," which, rumor has it, would feature four animated films that combined standard animation with CGI-enhancements, taking the animation beyond standard TV fare. Lions Gate may even be planning it to be an out-and-out 3-D film, as they earlier acquired the rights from Marvel to develop movies in the 3-D format.

Iron Man and friends can be seen at http://marvel.toonzone.net/avengers/.

Armory Featured on Bob Layton's Site (Again)

The January update for Bob Layton's Web site (boblayton.com) featured an updated concept of IM's friend/foe Force. Bob contacted me to use my Force bio as a sidebar to his art. It was a pleasure be included with such nice pencils. Thanks, Bob!

New IM Creative Team

Daniel and Charlie Knauf (writers) and Patrick Zircher (penciler)

Marvel recently announced that Daniel Knauf and his son, Charles, will be taking over the writing duties on IRON MAN, while Patrick Zircher will be handling the pencils. The new creative team will debut whenever the tardy Ellis/Granov debacle finishes up, a.k.a. IRON MAN #7. Knauf is the creator and executive producer of HBO's Emmy-award winning dramatic series Carnivale. He and his son, also a screenwriter, are expected to stay on for a "spectacular" six issue story arc. "What I love about Iron Man is that he's the one super hero who doesn't eclipse his alter-ego," says Knauf. "Tony Stark is a very complex, messed-up dude. This is a guy who desperately wants to help the human race, but his creative energy is almost exclusively dedicated to weapons design. What's wrong with that picture?" The elder Knauf went on to promise an explosive storyline featuring a string of high-visibility assassinations, prompting an intense investigation by Tony Stark (Iron Man's alter ego), as the killer appears to be employing the armor and weapons of Iron Man. Stark is shocked and horrified by the truth he uncovers, as a far deeper game of death and deceit is being played--with Stark himself as one of the pawns. Marvel's Editor-in-Cheif Joe Quesada was all smiles regarding the writing team, saying on Newsarama, both Knauf's are "incredibly well-versed in current continuity. The two of them teamed up and gave us just a wonderfully well thought out pitch for Iron Man." He went on to praise Daniel Knauf's past work, and the writer's "focus on dark themes and [his] emphasis on good vs. evil. Iron Man is a much-beloved Super Hero in the Marvel Universe, and I know that Knauf's new exploration of this character will certainly not disappoint." So what does the familial pair have in mind for everybody's fav tin man? "This arc will put Iron Man through the wringer," says Knauf. "I really want to dial in with big, monumental fights and action sequences, while taking Tony to some very dark places - forcing him to face some hard truths as to what it really means to be a hero and that, sometimes, 'meaning well' is simply not enough." The new penciler, Patrick Zircher (known for his work on NEW WARIORS, THUNDERBOLTS, and more recently, CABLE AND DEADPOOL), promises to be a breath of fresh air for long-suffering IM fans that have had to deal with Granov's so-late-its-ridiculous approach to "working." Not only has Zircher been a consistently made his deadlines over the years, he's also a fan favorite. And his approach to the book seems a return to good, honest illustrated storytelling. On the Iron Man Message Board at comicboards.com, Zircher wrote, "the art team is approaching this book with a new look and with a little less emphasis on 'kewl' and a lot more on storytelling." We can't wait. Quotes above from Newsarama.com and Marvel.com

Iron Man: Ultimated Fan favorite and living legend Jeph Loeb was named the new writer for THE ULIMATES, while Joe Madureira will be handling the pencils. And when Orson Scott Card's ULTIMATE IRON MAN 2 debuts later this year, Pasqual Ferry, who recently became exclusive to Marvel will be handling the art. No word as to whether Ferry's Iron Man will resemble Joey Mad's (below).

Iron Man Movie: Tickets on Sale in 2007?

Director not attached yet

Variety and many other sources are reporting that the Iron Man movie continues to run into problems. The much anticipated action flick, once scheduled for November of 2005, now appears to have entered development hell. It may not grace movie screens until 2007. What's more, even though New Line and Marvel Studios announced last November that they had signed Nick Cassavetes ("The Notebook") to direct Iron Man, it turns out there was never a done deal.

And according to Variety the director hasn't held talks for several months. On the upside, he is reported to be working on a rewrite of the script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and David Hayter.

"We want Nick to make the movie. We had him," Marvel Studios' Avi Arad said. "He's an 'Iron Man' aficionado. Everything was fine and then negotiations got delayed. We lost a year."

The Rest of the Marvel Movie Slate

Marvel's film development pipeline continues to flow. A look at their schedule:

X-Men 3, Fox - Script, Director, May 26, 2006 release

Ghost Rider, Sony - Filming completed, Slated for Summer 2006

The Punisher 2, Lions Gate - Writer, Director, Targeted for 2006

Spider-Man 3, Sony/Columbia - Director, May 4, 2007 release

Namor, Universal Pictures - Script, Targeted for 2007

Other flix in the works are still too far off to schedule but promised: Luke Cage (Sony/Columbia), Deathlok (Paramount), The Hulk 2 (Universal Pictures), and Wolverine (Fox).

Still more projects are in early development: Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Killraven, Nick Fury, Silver Surfer, and Thor.

Animated Iron Man Coming to Home Video

Marvel recently announced animated direct-to-video projects in development through it's partnership with Lions Gate to develop, produce and distribute original animated DVD features: Four projects in 2D/3D format are in development with the first release slated for 2006. Titles include: Iron Man, The Avengers 1, The Avengers 2, and Dr. Strange.

Iron Man: You Call This a Publishing Schedule?

Iron Man fans should be celebrating right now. Not only does the Armored Avenger have a regular title, he's got and Ultimate mini-series, while also being featured in THE NEW AVENGERS--all with high-profile creators. Sadly, the main book, the much-hyped-but-not-liked IRON MAN Vol. 4 by Warren Ellis can't seem to stay on schedule. Marvel has flatly denied any scheduling problems, and to prove it they've just released the revised schedule for the monthly IRON MAN title (I'm not making this up): IRON MAN #4 should arrive in stores on August 10th, #5 will appear in early November. Late January marks the debut of #6, and we might just see IRON MAN #7 in April.

Upcoming Iron Man (while you wait for Ellis and Granov)

During his summer convention blitz Joe Quesada teased Iron fans by revealing that he has a writer in mind for the book whenever Ellis and Granov conclude their run. He wouldn't elaborate, but Joe Q did add that it won't be fan-fav Robert Kirkman, busy writing the excellent MARVEL TEAM-UP among other books. Joe did add that there were several Iron Man-related mini-series in the works.

Since Joe's teasers, Marvel has revealed at least one of those mini's. FANTASTIC FOUR/IRON MAN: BIG IN JAPAN, a 4-issue limited series by Zeb Wells and Seth Fisher will debut in October. The book will have a manga/trippy, psychadelic feel. Joe added, "[FF and Iron Man and] big f'in monsters." Can't wait.

Hulk-Smashing Iron Man Fig Coming Soon

A new Marvel Legends line from Toy Biz, due out in October, will feature everybody's favorite Armored Avenger in the inexplicably named Legendary Riders series.

Based on the popularity of the Ghost Rider figures, this batch of figures is actually dominated by Avenger's characters, namely "Hulk Buster" Iron Man, Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch, Thing, Taskmaster, Logan, and the Avengers' deadly cyborg villain Ultron. The Ghost Rider villain Vengeance is a stand-out figure for the set. Each Marvel character in the series will come with its own vehicle and a reprint comic.

Click on the small pic to take a closer look.

Build Your Own Iron Man Armor (Almost)

Another new concept from the House of Idea's toy division is the "Marvel Figure Factory," miniature model sets assembled from pieces shipped inside small wooden "shipping crates." along with four random trading cards that can be collected and assembled into two 22X28" posters featuring Marvel's characters.

The first line, available in August, consists of 9 kits including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Hulk, Wolverine, Venom, the Thing, and several "Mystery Figures."

Click on the small pic to take a closer look.

Buy Your Own Suit of Iron Mesh Armor (Sort of)

Don your own solar-powered steel-mesh armor with the Iron Man costume from Costume City. The adult costume is a character-driven bodysuit with muscles in torso and legs and helmet in the traditional red and gold. The costume also comes in child sizes. Or, hey, if you don't want to look like a major fanboy, just buy the gauntlet-like gloves and draw the blinds.

Armory Featured on Bob Layton's Site

The July update for Bob Layton's Web site (boblayton.com) featured an awesome new design for the Uncanny Unicorn. Iron Man Armory fans also got a treat as Bob contacted me to use an excerpt of the Unicorn's bio from this very site. (Thanks, Bob, for the compliment.)

Marvel Spreadsheet: Biz Down 11 Percent

Marvel's recently released second quarter numbers for 2005, show a drop of 11 percent in its profits from same time last year. Licensng, toys, and publishing were all down. In total, Marvel earned $25.9 million in Q2 of 2005 (from last year's $29.1 million) on net sales of $88.1 million (down compared to $155.5 million of a year ago).

Analysts pegged the decreases as being indicative of Marvel's volatile nature, performance wise-- doing well (often very well) if a property clicks with audiences, and taking it on the chin as the heat from a hot property fades, and a replacement property isn't waiting in the wings to take the place of the first.

Marvel's publishing division's net sales dropped 4 percent to $20.8 million.

The licensing division saw net sales decline 7 percent to $43.9 million. International licensing net sales were a bright spot however. They increased more than 53% year-over-year to $11.6 million in Q2 2005 as Marvel's international offices continued to leverage global marketing momentum.

Blamed on the decline in Lord of the Rings products, which was expected, Marvel lost in the toy segment as well. Revenues were down a whopping 73 percent. One bright spot was the good sales of Fantastic Four merchandise, coinciding with the summer film--Marvel projects full-year Fantastic Four sales of $80 million.

Joe Q Promoted

Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics just re-upped with the House of Ideas. In addition, he will also become the chief creative officer, publishing.

In the announcement, Dan Buckley, Marvel's COO and publisher said, "I'm thrilled to have Joe as a partner in this resurgence of interest in the comic book market." Buckley continued by complimenting Quesada's role in the current sales climate, "[he's] been invaluable in taking Marvel Comics into new and inventive creative directions, and the fans are responding to that. Thanks in part to his efforts, Marvel Comics has seen four straight years of revenue growth."

"Over the next couple of years, my ultimate goals will remain further growing Marvel Comics' leadership position and expanding our mainstream presence," said Quesada. "I want comics to have the same consumer prominence as movies, TV and novels and in doing so continue to grow Marvel Comics as among America's premiere storytellers."

Marvel and Stan Lee Settle

In April, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. announced that it has settled all pending litigation with long-time Marvel creator, Stan Lee. The settlement covers the lawsuit filed by Lee in November 2002. Lee claimed that he had been entitled, under an a past greement with Marvel, to a participation in Marvel's profits from various sources, but mainly from the late Marvel movie boom. The settlement covers Stan's participation claim for both past and any potential future payments. Specific terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed.

NEWS FLASH: Warren Ellis' Iron Man Brutally Parodied

Writer Warren Ellis came onto the Iron Man scene with high expectations and a lot of baggage. His Iron Man-free IRON MAN has inspired a wickedly insightful parody site. Click on the link below and enjoy.

ULTIMATE IRON MAN IN MARCH

The first week in March brings us a fresh Iron Man mini-series--one that will hopefully remain on-schedule. ULTIMATE IRON MAN, the latest in the ULTIMATES universe weighs in with science fiction author Orson Scott Card on the keyboard and Andy Kubert on the pens.

Ultimate Iron Man will mark Scott Card's first comic book writing effort. The initial storyline will center on Tony Stark's childhood and how his parents' experiments with re-creating and rebuilding human skin/armor led to the death of his mother. This tragic event will provide the foundation for Scott Card to then delve into how Tony Stark will develop as a man and super hero.

"Iron Man is a strong and much-beloved character in the Marvel Universe," said Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics. "I know that Orson's new exploration and defining of him as a super hero will delight traditional comic fans and definitely appeal to a whole new audience of fans drawn to the science fiction element in his storytelling."

Latest on the Shellhead Flick

Nick Cassavetes To Direct For 2006 Release

New Line Cinema and Marvel Studios, a division of leading global entertainment company Marvel Enterprises, have signed Nick Cassavetes ("The Notebook," "John Q") to direct the highly-anticipated big screen adaptation of "Iron Man," based on the legendary Marvel Super Hero. The film is scheduled to be a 2006 tentpole release.

The project, which is being produced by Marvel Studios' CEO Avi Arad ("Spider-Man," "X-Men") and Angry Films' Don Murphy, is based on a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and David Hayter. The studios will begin casting immediately.

"This is an ideal situation because Nick is a tremendous talent with a passion for the material, and we have had such incredible success working with both him and Marvel in the past," said New Line production president Toby Emmerich. "Teaming up again to launch a franchise as promising as 'Iron Man' is very exciting."

Arad added, "Being able to work with such an acclaimed writer/director as Nick Cassavetes to bring one of our pre-eminent Super Hero franchises to the big screen is really special. Nick grew up reading 'Iron Man' and personally loves the character. He shares our vision of how to bring 'Iron Man' to life in a way that will appeal to a mass audience as well as the core Super Hero fan base. This deal with Nick marks the perfect way to launch our second big Marvel franchise with New Line, a studio that we have enjoyed a great relationship with in building the Blade character into a Hollywood heavyweight."

In an earlier press release this is how they describe their movie character Iron Man:

Based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, "Iron Man" tells the story of Tony Stark, the enigmatic heir to the Stark Enterprises fortune. A driven inventor and executive who seems to have it all, Tony is haunted by his dark side. Though he commands his empire by day, by night he secretly becomes "Iron Man," the living embodiment of decades of defense spending and innovation. Strapping on billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art armor and weaponry each night to fight crime, terrorism and corporate espionage, Tony begins to crack under the strain of his fractured lifestyle and must ultimately confront the one enemy he can never beat -- himself.

IM Movie Spoilers

At one point in development The Mandarin had be written to provide the villainy. Instead, rumor has it that Tony Stark will face-off against his own father, military industrialist Howard Stark.

It's been confirmed by a number of Web sites that Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes will be in the movie, although details are sketchy. Rumor has it that Tony's love interest will be none other than Bethany Cabe--although an early draft had Pepper Potts.

Earlier reports have revealed that Tony's origin will be "completely different" in the movie than the Vietnam War-era one of the comics. Previous Iron Man screenwriter Miles Millar advised Wizard Magazine that Tony is "not really in touch with where his money comes from, unaware that his wealth lies from weapons, and that history comes back to haunt him. ... It's a great arc for a character to begin with, this selfish reckless playboy, that in the end becomes a hero."

Last summer, Marvel Studios CEO and Iron Man exec producer Avi Arad advised Cinescape Magazine that "Iron Man is about a kid whose father was bigger-than-life and he felt like, 'What's in it for me?' ... Then he loses his parents and never got to say a kind word to [his father] like, 'Dad, I admire you and I love you and I didn't mean to be an [expletive]."

Toy Biz Releases Another IM Fig

Marvel Legends series eight includes modern armor Iron Man, based the on Adi Granov's art from recent issues. Although the proportions are not as great as the recent Silver Centurion armor, the mask and shoulders seem kind of small, the figure is welcome addition to any fan's collection. The figure comes with a cool poster book that includes various pics of IM and a trading card.

And stay tuned toy fans, War Machine part of series nine is already showing up in stores and on the Net. It should be in wide-spread release in April.

Iron Man Punished?

Gamers, check out the Punisher computer game. A level called Stark Towers features looks at Tony Stark's labs and even a few scenes of Iron Man equipment being tested. Later in the game, Shellhead gives a helping hand and also appears in a sequence at the end of the level.

Two Cool IM Statues Coming

Two nifty Iron Man statues are making their way to an Internet portal near you.

Diamond Select is adding to their impressive list of maquettes with their new offering, Marvel: Iron Man Maquette. A sculpted mini statue of Shellhead in his classic threads.

Also available now are the first two Hyperchild designed pieces from their MARVEL SAGA COLLECTION: Spider-Man and Iron Man. The nine-inch polyresin statues are fully painted. The packages include a sturdy window box with flap, with history of character on inside flap. Each Marvel Saga Collection is very limited to only 500 pieces of each for the Hong Kong market. Check e-Bay to get yours.

Overstreet Goes Celebrates Iron Man

The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide will feature Iron Man on the cover of their 35th edition, which goes on sale in April. Iron Man Armory fans will get an extra special surprise on the inside.

Stan Lee: Mr. 10%

Marvel told to pay him 10% off movie profits

Stan Lee, the legendary cartoon hero creator who gave Spider-Man his powerful “spidey-sense,” is feeling a tingling of his own — in his wallet.

A Manhattan federal judge has ruled that Lee is entitled to a potential multimillion-dollar payday from Marvel Enterprises off profits generated by the company’s TV and movie productions — particularly the box-office smash “Spider-Man,” which earned more than $800 million worldwide, and its hugely successful sequel.

“It could be tens of millions of dollars,” Howard Graff, attorney for Lee, said Wednesday. “That’s no exaggeration.”

The Monday ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet found that Lee was entitled to a 10 percent share of the profits generated since November 1998 by Marvel productions involving the company’s characters, including those created by the prolific cartoonist.

Sweet’s decision didn’t mention a dollar figure, although Graff was anticipating a windfall since the ruling also included DVD sales and certain merchandise. “The court essentially ruled in our favor virtually across the board,” Graff said. “This is a sweeping victory for Mr. Lee.”

John Turitzin, general counsel for Marvel, promised an appeal. Turitzin noted that Sweet ruled that Lee was not entitled to money from certain movie-based merchandise, and that the judge withheld judgment on money from joint-venture merchandise sales linked to the Spider-Man and Hulk movies.

“We intend to appeal those matters on which we did not prevail, and to continue to contest vigorously the claims on which the court did not rule,” Turitzin said in a statement. The remaining issues could go before a jury if the two sides can’t reach a settlement.

The lawsuit marks an acrimonious final chapter in the long and productive relationship between Marvel and Lee, who spent the last six decades working for the company. During a storied career, Lee created indelible Marvel fixtures such as the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and The Fantastic Four.

“Mr. Lee did not begin this lawsuit without a lot of thought and reservation,” Graff said. “He was not pleased to do it. He was saddened by the fact that things came to the point where he had to actually start a lawsuit against Marvel.”

The money involved was substantial, particularly involving the Spider-Man movie. Marvel eventually collected more than $50 million in profits from “Spider-Man” earnings.

Article from AP.

November 2004 Is Iron Man Month (Sort Of)

November brings a whole bunch of titles featuring your favorite Avenger, Iron Man. Not only is the armored one getting a reboot to #1, but he'll be a part of the new Avengers line up (also restarting at #1), star in the retro AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, and a new title, aptly called, YOUNG AVENGERS.

IRON MAN, Volume 4, #1, part 1 of a six-part arc, drops in November. Shellhead's reboot is written by Warren Ellis, with art by Ari Granov. Although a "trilogy" was originally planned, Joe Quesada recently revealed that Ellis' IM gig is open-ended, adding, "If Warren wants to stay for a hundred issues, I'll be more then happy to let him stay." Joe Q also hinted that Iron Man's armor design would be story-specific. Look for it on Nov. 10th.

AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES is an 8-part mini-series that looks at the early days of the Avengers. Featuring Iron Man in his golden armor, as well as other early incarnations of earth's mightiest heroes, the story promises to be a lot like the fan-fav AVENGERS 1/2. Written by Joe Casey, with art by Scott Kolins it reveals the untold stories behind the early days of their partnership. Look for it bi-monthly, begining Nov. 3rd and Nov. 17th.

NEW AVENGERS #1 drops November 24th. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by David Finch, this relauch comes in the aftermath of Avengers Disassembled. The new team: Capt. America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Finally, November also brings the mysterious YOUNG AVENGERS. Brought to us by Allan Heinberg (writer) and Jimmy Cheung (art) the series featuring all-new characters that resemble some well-known characters. The new title, which takes place between the last issue of the Avengers Disassembled story and the first issue of the new ongoing Avengers series, is promised to be a winner. "This is one of the best pitches ever--nothing like you think it's going to be," said Joe Quesada.

More Essential Iron Man

If all the new Shellhead comic books aren't you bag, get ready to grab up ESSENTIAL IRON MAN, VOL. 2. In stores November 24th, this black and white collection features classic IM tales, reprinted are: TALES OF SUSPENSE #73-99, IRON MAN & SUB-MARINER #1 and IRON MAN #1-10.

New Iron Man Figure In Stores

Those fine folks at Toy Biz have finally released another Iron Man figure. Part of the ever-growing Marvel Legends line, the new Shellhead fig features the armored avenger in his Silver Centurion Armor. The figure sports a bulky rocket pack and comes with a wall-mountable display base. look for it at a store near you!

Iron Man Movie: November 2005?

Cruise, Gough/Millar attached?

Marvel Enterprises has schedule the long-anticipated Iron Man movie for a November 2005 release, with production hoped to start in just a few months, despite the fact that no talent is contractually attached--though Tom Cruise appears to still be interested. Several media reports indicate that the super star is very interested in starring as Iron Man, but his participation depends largely on his schedule. As for a director, apparently Steven Spielberg has passed.

The Iron Man project which has at one time or another been linked to Nic Cage, Joss Whedon, and George Lucas has had--like many Marvel movies--a long road to the big screen. Currently, Smallville's Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are said to be writing the screenplay. (See next two articles for more Marvel movie news.)

Here We Go Again: New Iron Man Origin??

Wizard reports that Shellhead scribes Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have changed Iron Man's origin in their screenplay for the much-anticipated actioner.

Tony Stark will not become the Iron Avenger in the classic TOS #39 manner. Looking for more realism, the writing duo is aiming for an "origin that is completely different." Said Millar: "[Tony Stark] is not really in touch with where his money comes from, unaware that his wealth lies from weapons, and that history comes back to haunt him." Millar continued to explain that the movie features "a great arc for a character to begin with, this selfish reckless playboy, that in the end becomes a hero."

Millar and Gough also plan to reinvent the armor. Insisting that is has a real science basis to it.

Marvel Movie Update

Boosted by the success of "Spider-Man," "X2", and "Blade," Marvel Enterprises plans to bring many more mutants and heros to a theater near you.

Marvel Studios head Avi Arad recently released the slate of upcoming film adaptations. Both "The Punisher" and "Spider-Man 2," will be out soon. He called Spidey 2, which opens on July 2, a "spectacular movie." Arad added that "Blade: Trinity," due out later this year, is "bigger and better" and once you see it you'll see why Blade 4 will be in the works. Finally, October brings the release of "Man-Thing."

Arad said that "The Fantastic Four" would debut in July of 2005. Also scheduled for that year is "Elektra" (which starts production this May) and "Iron Man" (which starts production mid-2004 for a Nov. 2005 release. "Ghost Rider" and "Luke Cage" may also come out in 2005.

Other films in works are: "X-Men 3" (2006), "The Hulk 2" (2006), "Namor" (2006), "The Punisher 2" (2006), "Iron Fist," "Black Widow," and "Deathlok."

Arad stated that Sony and Marvel are aiming Spider-Man 3 for 2007. Talks about bringing Captain America and Nick Fury to the multiplex are under way.

New IM Game; Marvel Forms Special Game Division

In order to expand it's game-licensing, Marvel has created a new game division to develop a number of Marvel hero-based games, including Iron Man, due out in 2005 from Activision. Also coming soon: Spider-Man 2 Movie (Summer 2004), X-Men Legends (Fall 2004), The Punisher (Fall 2004), Fantastic Four (2005), The Hulk 2 (2005).

IRON MAN FIGURES IN STORES NOW...

After a long merchandising drought, Shellhead fans are blessed with not one, but two new Iron Man figures from Toy Biz. Debuting last month, the new figures are pretty sharp. So get your hands on them before they are all gone.

These two new Iron Men are part of the new Marvel Legends line. Although more expensive than other recent IM offerings, these figures are worth every penny. They feature vastly improved articulation, highly realistic sculpts and removable masks.

The standard Iron Man is in the classic red and yellow armor, while the variant is pained a darker red with a metallic gold paint. The gold paint variant features the horned faceplate as well. Each figure comes with a reprint copy of IRON MAN #149 and a solar charging stand. The line also includes Captain America, Hulk and Toad.

Click here for a look at the man behind the iron.

Click here for more on these and past IM figures.

MARVEL MAKING MONEY, WHO'D OF THUNK IT???...

A change in accounting rules and the rights to Spider-Man put Marvel back in black for the first quarter of 2002, and the first time in quite a while. With more movies and more merchandise coming, the near future looks pretty good for the largest comic company home to Captain America, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four.

In May, Marvel Enterprises reported $760,000 in net income for the latest quarter, this is a vast improvement over an $8.7 million loss in the same quarter last year. Revenue increased 34%, rising to $57.2 million.

While Marvel's share of the $225 million brought in by the Spider-Man blockbuster, won't be calculated until the second quarter, Marvel did have approximately $6 million in licensing revenue for this past quarter.

Marvel estimates that this new period of success and profitability is just begining. "The release of Spider-Man has marked the begining of a new golden age of Marvel and our character portfolio," said Marvel CEO Peter Cuneo.

With all of the film rights finally in order Marvel characters are marching to the screen in quick succession which will provide the company with licensing income as well as profits from merchandise manufactured by the Toy Biz arm of Marvel.(For more on Marvel movies see several articles below.)

Marvel's bottomline was also helped in this past quarter by the recent elimination of goodwill and intangibles amortization in the accounting of quarterly expenses.

STAN AND HOWARD...'NUFF SAID...

Cultural icon Stan Lee went toe-to-toe with the King of All Media the other morning, as part of a national promotional push to get the word out on his new projects, POW! Entertainment, the long-promised biography (Excelsior: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee), his new DVD with Kevin Smith (Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters and Marvels), not to mention the Spider-Man movie.

IRON MAN MOVIE RUMORS: PEARCE AND WHEDON OUT?...

Based on quotes from an annonymous source the website IGN FilmForce is putting to rest two recent IM movie rumors, regarding the involvement of Guy Pearce and Joss Whedon.

The source, allleged to be close to the non-exsisent production, says that The Time Machine's Guy Pearce "has nothing to do with Iron Man." The same source also stated that Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, who is currently involved with a new, upcoming television show Firefly is not going to be involved either, contrary to many reports. This rumor debunking rumor goes on to say that producers are still looking for a writer.

MORE WAR MACHINE ON THE WAY...

Chuck Austen will be back with more WAR MACHINE in July. Slated to be another maxi-series, the new WM will be in color.

NEW IM FIGURE COMING SOON...

In early Spring 2002, look for a new Marvel Legends line from Toy Biz, featuring a classic Iron Man with removable helmet variant. The line, featuring "iconic versions" of Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and Toad, follows the Spider-Man Classics lines. Each six-inch figure includes a display base and a comic book. The new line is schedule for March or April.

IRON MAN MOVIE UPDATE...Iron Man gets penned by the script-slayer, Hulk, DD and Wonder Woman on their way as well.

Coming Soon! is reporting that according to their reliable source, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon is now officially on board to direct the comic book adaptation of "Iron Man". The project is set up at New Line Cinema for a possible 2004 release date.

CS also reported that if Whedon was to take on the film he would also be starting fresh on the screenplay.

There are also several other Marvel movies working their wat through Hollywood. In their merchadising offering, a schedule to solicit merchandising partners, Marvel has these movies and release years listed:

2002:

Spider-Man

Blade 2: Blood Hunt

Daredevil (with Ben Affleck)

X-Men 2

2003:

Hulk (Ang Lee, director)

Fantastic Four

Iron Fist

2004:

Ghost Rider (Nic Cage rumors persist)

Silver Surfer

Iron Man (Joss Whedon?)

The Punisher (I guess the 1990ish movie with Dolf Lungren isn't the definitive version)

Turning back to Coming Soon!, they also revealed that Warner Bros. greenlit the "Wonder Woman" movie adaptation in December. No word yet on any talent attached to that project.

NEW ARMOR, NEW TEAM...With the departure of Bobbie Chase and writer Frank Tieri, Iron Man is in the hands of a new creative team. As of issue 50, the new regular writer is Mike Grell, while the regular artist is now Michael (Cable) Ryan. The title is edited by Tom Brevoort.

Grell has enjoyed an extensive career as a writer and artist, and is maybe best known for his work on DC's Warlord and Green Arrow Longbow Hunters, and First Comics' Jon Sable: Freelance. Ryan has some previous experience with Iron Man, having penciled the Avengers during the Heroes Reborn year-long run.

Asked why he picked Grell to writer the title, Brevoort told Newsarama he was originally going to edit a Grell-written Spider-Man project that fell through, but that he stayed in contact with the creator, looking for something for him to do at Marvel, preferably in one of the books he edits.

"I was talking with Kurt Busiek about who we could get as a new Iron Man writer when Mike's name came up," Brevoort said. "If you look at everything Mike has done, his work has all the components of what make up good Iron Man stories - he does good, adult characters, has a good handle on technology, understands politics, and knows about the world of high finance - all in all, he has a good handle on characters. Every character he writes has some real 'meat' to it."

With the addition of Grell, Brevoort explained that the Iron Man would move slightly into an arena Grell knows well from his previous work. "It used to be that Iron Man was Marvel's political strip," Brevoort said. "It was something that made it unique and grounded it in a little more reality. We're going to try and put a little more of that real world emphasis in Iron Man again. That's not saying that there won't be color and action, but we will be trying to deal with the real world and how that's changing."

As for Ryan, the artist had worked with Brevoort before on various projects, and was tapped to provide the pencils on this year's Iron Man Annual. "I'd been looking for something for Mike to do for a while," Brevoort said. "After I gave him the Annual and started seeing his pages come in, I asked if he'd be interested in doing this on a more regular basis. He's been working in the trenches for a while, and really hasn't had a breakout project. I suspect Iron Man just may be what he really gets noticed on. Michael is poised to be this decade's Iron Man artist."

According to the editor, in their first issue, a threat from Tony Stark's past will come back in an ugly way. "Something Tony did years ago is going to come back and bite him in the ass, and really put him in a situation that he's never been in before," Brevoort concluded.

ULTIMATE AVENGERS...

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch are teaming up on the fourth Ultimate title from Marvel Comics, called The Ultimates.

The Ultimates team will include Iron Man (picture on the right), Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Wasp and Giant-Man.

Click here for another look at the "ultimate" Iron Man.

ACTIVISION ACQUIRES FANTASTIC FOUR, IRON MAN RIGHTS... Activision announced it has signed a deal to bring Marvel's Fantastic Four and Iron Man to the interactive arena.

Activision has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and publish interactive games for the next-generation console systems and the PC based on the properties. Fantastic Four and Iron Man complement the company's current slate of Marvel characters that include Spider-Man, X-Men and Blade.

Twentieth Century Fox is currently in development with a theatrical film based on The Fantastic Four and New Line Cinema is developing a motion picture based on Iron Man. Both projects are slated to be released in 2003/2004.

Russ Brown, senior vice-president, consumerproducts, promotions and media sales for Marvel said, "After seeing the excitement and success surrounding Activision's Marvel video games, it is obvious to me that the people at Activision understand Super Heroes and know what our fans expect. Fantastic Four and Iron Man are two other properties that possess extremely loyal fan bases who have been waiting a long time to be able to share their adventures in the form of video games."

JOE ON HOWARD...

Marvel E.I.C. Joe Quesada called into the Howard Stern show on Feb. 4th to talk comics and upcoming Marvel movies. Stern, well-known for his love of DC heroes like Superman, let it be known that he prefers to read TPB collections of comics. He is currently enjoying a PUNISHER collection.

Stern, excited about the upcoming Spider-Man movie then went on to say that he would wear a Spider-Man costume to the movie's premiere. Quesada, who'd seen a rough cut of the film, described the movie as "unbelievable" and "incredible." Quesada said he would try to get Howard the new costume from the movie.

They also discussed the upcoming Daredevil movie that will star Ben Affleck. Although Stern slammed the actor as not being right for the part, Joe insisted that Marvel has "confidence in Ben Affleck." Stern show regular Artie Lang mentioned that he had read for the part of Matt Murdoch's friend Foggy.

MAGNA IRON MAN...Marvel is going magna in a big way, and Shellhead may help to lead the charge.

A few years back the publisher released translated U.S. reprints of the original Japanese Spider-Man and X-Men manga series, and this fall's U.S. War Machine limited series by Chuck Austen has a heavy manga influence. Now Marvel plans to go all-out, introducing a Marvel 'Mangaverse' in January of 2002.

The Maxi-Series kind of event will be edited by Ralph Macchio, Brian Smith and Joe Quesada. Publisher/creator Ben Dunn of Antarctic Press (home of titles like Ninja High School and Warrior Nun Areala) will reportedly plot and illustrate the first and last 'bookend' issues. Six 'middle' one shots will be written and drawn by various creators.

Plans are for the Marvel Mangaverse include incorporating characters like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and Iron Man with proposed titles like "Super Sentai Fantastic Four," "Combat Mecha Iron Man" and "God Warrior Thor".

GET ALL THOSE COOL SUPER HERO GADGETS...

A company called Factory-X is making true to life replicas of Cap's shield, Thor's hammer, Iron Man's helmet and Dr. Doom's mask. Check out their website for more info:Factory-X.com