One of the most interesting things about the Iron Man is that often the trials and tribulations he faces whilst in his suit pale in comparison to what happens out of it. Safely ensconced in his pretty-much-invincible armour, there's not much Tony Stark can't deal with. When it's his life beneath the helmet that's under threat, things get a little more interesting. The first case of his professional life affecting his superheroic activities came in The Beginning Of The End, the storyline which cemented a lot of key things about the character. Part of the reason we recommend The Iron Age over actual early Iron Man comics is because, unlike a lot of his Marvel brethren, he didn't arrive fully formed. Whilst all the recognisable elements of Spider-Man were in place on his debut, and the Fantastic Four haven't changed a whole lot since their series started, the early Iron Man stories were all over the place; the character, his motivations, and the type of stories he was involved in was in a constant state of flux. It was with The Beginning Of The End that the lives of Tony Stark, celebrity industrialist and Iron Man, superhero became inextricably linked, which became one of the most important parts of the character even to this day. Especially in the films, in fact! It's also just a really, really good story. One of the first examples of a hero's fall from grace, Tony sees himself losing his company in a conspiracy plot that sees a robot doppelganger take his place. Amongst all this intrigue (and fight scenes) we also have ongoing Iron Man villain Madame Masque introduced - and unmasked - along with the first occasion of somebody else putting on the suit, as Tony entrusts his friend and bodyguard Happy Hogan with it whilst he deals with the almighty mess his personal life has become.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
