3 stars, 4 stars... It's a fun superhero comic - don't expect too much more than that.

One thing I find really interesting about 'mainstream' superhero comics (I put 'mainstream' in quotes, as only in the world of American/UK comics can 'mainstream' mean the genre of stories about vigilantes in garish costumes) is how the backstories of long-established characters morph over time. Little small changes are thrown into the mix, some fall away, and some survive to become part of the canon.

The Ultimates universe kinda differs from that process as these stories are deliberate reinterpretations of the characters, but it is interesting to see what they keep and what they change. I _think_ that the Ultimates themselves have had a significant influence on the Marvel Films, and those in turn will influence the canonical line of Marvel comics. Probably less so with Ultimate Iron Man (particularly this volume, dealing, as it does, with Tony Stark's early life), but the comics are still a good, quick, diverting read. ( )

I like what Card did with this story - the only problem is that I want more. Lots of characters to love and despise. ( )

Disappointing. To sustain a non very original plot, the book resorts to caricatures of characters behaving in stupid ways.

Stark father, being such a brilliant engineering mind, gives his company away to his first wife, which clearly is an "evil" woman (why was he married her in the first place?). From that first marriage there is a psycopath son who repeteadly tries to kill his step brother (Iron man) and their common father. And they know it. And they keep saving his life again and again.

Annoyingly non-sensical. ( )

It gets a little bogged down in its own plotting, but this re-imagining of Tony Stark and his superhero alter-ego Ironman is as fun and gripping as you could ask for. Combining a multi-layered corporate conspiracy story with a splash of government intrigue and lots of unapologetic violence, this is the kind of book that once you finish reading it, you immediately pass it along to a friend: you'll probably never touch it again, but you want them to enjoy the ride. Perhaps more than any other title in Marvel's Ultimate universe, it is a total reinvention of the mythos, giving new readers a true fresh start without making wink-wink nods at the existing mythologies. ( )