10 Iron Man Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

10. Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man Volume 1

Every hero has an origin story and that is certainly true for Iron Man. Granted, his story has been tweaked a bit over the years, but the events that played out in the first Iron Man film generally follow what went down in Tales of Suspense #39 back in 1963. That issue, along with issues 40 - 50 of Tales of Suspense featuring Iron Man are collected in this volume.

If you're new to the character, this is definitely the book to start with. The story of how Tony Stark became Iron Man is important in understanding who the man is, why he became a superhero, and why he was a significant addition to the Marvel library. Iron Man rose from Stan Lee's concept of a superhero coming from the background of what he called a "quintessential capitalist."

Lee's inspiration for the character came from the Cold War itself. He pictured a superhero that would bridge the gap between the young and old readers by creating a character who stood for everything each believed in.

The young readership hated the growing threat of war, which is why Tony Stark was a weapons manufacturer who sold his wares to the Army. This was someone nobody would like, but Lee flipped him around to become the superhero Iron Man. When Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby introduced Stark to the world, he became popular almost overnight. Here was a man who turned his back on war to become an avenging superhero everyone could relate to.