In this review of Iron Man #1, Tony comes face-to-face with Madame Masque and A.I.M. once again
Iron Man #1
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Carmen Carnero
Main Cover: Ryan Stegman
Variant Covers: Adam Kubert, Elizabeth Torque, Gerardo Sandoval, Declan Shalvey, Annie Wu, Skottie Young, Pablo Villlalobos, Ivan Talavera, Clayton Crain
Page Count: 29 pages
Release Date: January 28, 2026
This Review Contains Spoilers
After stopping Blizzard, Iron Man #1 begins as Tony Stark arrives at an awards ceremony, where he is going to present an award named after himself to a teacher named Adam Ware. In the middle of the afterparty, A.I.M. and Madam Masque attack and kidnap Pepper Potts. Tony dons his suit and saves her, but it turns out those he was chasing were just Life-Model decoys.
While he was away, the real Madam Masque kidnapped Adam. It turns out, A.I.M. launched attacks all over the world at the same time, kidnapping people who were nominated for the Tony Stark Award. Tony intends to check every A.I.M headquarters to find them. He calls Captain America, admitting he thinks A.I.M. got their hands on something he created that he just calls “A New Nightmare.”
Captain America agrees to speak in person, but secretly, he is with other superheroes, asking them how they can take down Tony Stark as soon as the call ends.
Analysis
First, it’s clear that the MCU will inspire parts of this run. The design of the Iron Man suit and Tony’s personality, in particular, feel very reminiscent of the movies. For some comics, this can be a bad thing, as they feel like the MCU persona is completely taking over from the personality of the original, but this comic finds a decent balance. Tony has a lot of his more sincere mannerisms in this comic that he doesn’t always have in the MCU. The way he speaks to Adam and the crowd at his event feels like comic Tony, even with the movie influences.
Continuing with the art, it’s amazing. It feels like a mix between a classic and modern Iron Man style. The cover alone will pull you in, with dynamic shading and colors, and the rest of the issue does not disappoint. The colors, shading, and expression are well done throughout the entire issue, particularly when it comes to Tony and his suit.
The story for Iron Man #1 is intriguing. It tells Iron Man’s backstory in a way that fits in with what’s going on in the background. It doesn’t feel like an infodump or that any of the information is shoehorned in. You can also understand why so many people like Tony, from his exciting persona in front of the crowd to the kind and supportive way he speaks to Adam one-on-one.
The ending of Iron Man #1 leaves the reader with more questions than answers, but it’s a first issue, and it sets up future issues in an interesting way that will hook you in and make you want more, highlighting not only a conflict with A.I.M., but also a future conflict with the Avengers.
Final Thoughts
Iron Man #1 is a promising first issue with a strong start, engaging art, and solid character work.
