My alternate headline was “Does it Avenge tiresome television? “ Tony Stark came to the small screen in 2009 and some of the first episodes from the current season have just come out on DVD.
In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Season 2, Volume 1 Tony Stark is a teenager who goes to school and has access to all of the very cool Iron Man technology. If you’re like me, then part of the appeal of Iron Man is that he’s a man. He made his own way, chose a path and took it. He wasn’t bitten by a bug or suffered some otherworldly accident. Another benefit is that, because he’s a grown up he’s immune to many of the teenage subplots that vex other superheroes.
I was pleasantly surprised that I genuinely enjoyed all of the episodes in Iron Man: Armored Adventures. Sure most of the characters are teenagers but the animation and quick pace of the stories made them all fun to watch.
The animation is similar to anime, with lush, detailed backgrounds and scenery. As with anime, the facial features are the weakest, but are still much sharper than some animation and it is leagues above here anime used to be.
Even though Tony Stark is in school the stories in Armored Adventures don’t revolve around his studies. He still fights lots of bad guys, has Pepper Potts and his friend Rhodey to help him, but the stories are about the action and not the teenage drama. Because they’re about the action the series is also attractive to children aged 6 and up.
We saw an episode with a 5 year old and they weren’t too keen on it. The 6 year old liked it much more. Consider that I’m a couple years older than 6 and Iron Man: Armored Adventures can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. I enjoyed it more than the 6 year old and will watch it when no kids are around, but don’t tell my wife. Another thing I liked about the series is that Tony Stark is aging. It started when he was 16, he’s 17 this year and next year, when he turns 18 he gains full control of Stark Enterprises.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Season 2, Volume 1. All thoughts are my own.
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I watch it from time to time and while it bugs me that Marvel began the series with Tony being a teenager, I understand marketing to their target audience (which is not my age bracket). Its also kind of cool to see new designs and takes on old characters (Whiplash, Blizzard, etc.)
I enjoyed reading your blog post. It has been a few weeks now since I am babysitting my Boo.