Iron Man: Armored Adventures

At first glance I was skeptical; making Tony 16...I went really??? But I actually dig it. As I know all products are targeted for the mid teens so I grunted but watched it anyway. I was also skeptical as adaptations tend to go wrong almost every time, they're usually focused on 'what sells' or just taking the names and the heroes 'powers' and making some TV show/movie. It's terribly disappointing for fans and insulting to the creators in my mind.

However, this is a true adaptation. It changes the original story a bit, however it sticks to the base of the story. It holds on to the elements that make Tony Stark, Tony/Iron man. It incorporates his closest friends and uses them as great reinforcements to the character.

This show is extremely well rounded. Great for kids, it helps them fall in love with heroes they wouldn't know otherwise. A 'smart' superhero as well not just a 'cool' hero. Although he is lol. It's well written in all aspects, as a writer/indie film maker I have zero complaints. In my book this is the perfect adaptation, it's acceptable to current fans, a great introduction for the new.

Happy it's on season two and I am praying it continues for season after season as I am so tired of bad television especially bad animations. This one is really great. It deserves it's time slot.

I must say that at first I did not like the style of the animation. Its different, completely computer generated. You know what I mean. But after watching a few episodes I must say I got hooked. It is one of the best animated shows out there. I might just put it right next to my favorite shows like the 1994 Spider-man TV-series, 1996 Superman TV-series, 2001 Justice League TV-series or even Samurai Jack. Shows that are not generic, shallow and with stupid,over and over recycled humor. The stories in Iron Man are intriguing, I especially like the adventurous angle. And I really must congratulate the creators on making the fights and movements and the trashing that occurs on screen feel alive. I don't know how they did it but each step that Iron Man makes in the heavy suit or in general the movements of the armor,Hulks movements etc.. everything has this incredible audio backing that makes the movements come alive somehow. When he is thrown against the wall the bass is just right, when he walks the sounds of parts moving are just right. For example compare it to the new Planet Hulk animation movie by Marvel and you will be amazed at how bad it is and how good Iron Man AA is. Like day and night. So all in all we have good interesting plots with fun twists (refreshingly well thought out and logical with attention to detail and not with lame plot holes like we can often find with such animated series) accompanied with witty dialog and clever jokes. Again I repeat, If you find the animation a bit weird at first, don't, it is amazing, especially when you realize how incredible it is mixed with the audio. It really comes alive. And the how the Mandarin is portrayed in the series is amazing. The voice, the looks. Very scary and evil. I seriously do not think I am exaggerating if I say that it shows that the authors are real fans of the comics and put a lot of effort in making everything click together. Unlike the previously mentioned Planet Hulk or some other lame attempt at animation.

The drawings are ugly. The animation is cheap. Everything to quickly exploit the Iron Man brand with the minimum of investment. The story is rigid and far from creative. Well, it is not as bad as the Pokemon series, but given the feature films made in the franchise I was expecting far more.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

My first reaction upon seeing that this was a non-canonical Iron Man story where Tony was a high school genius was: "Ugh!". But I was won over by the feel of the story and the high quality of the production.

This is a CGI series, with the "cel-shading" that first took over everything around the time of Sega's "Jet Set Radio". It feels unique compared to the mass produced animated cartoons that proceeded it and the Pixar style animation that followed. The "human" characters are a problematic sometimes - the faces can be a bit blank and stiff, and the arms and legs can resemble pipe-cleaners. Also, from an older point of view, some of the high school dramatics seem somewhat airless and underdeveloped.

But once the armor goes on, things rev up nicely. The costume and armor designs of all the good guys AND villains are convincingly sleek and high tech, the action is kinetic and bone-crunching, and you really do get a sense of the teamwork and resilience that allow a 16 year old prodigy to survive and overcome a seemingly endless wave of mechanized mayhem. As a previous reviewer perceptively commented, even the sound design for the armored combat and flight are amazingly well thought out and implemented.

Although it apparently had several seasons more that the one I caught on cable, it never seemed to catch on, but I really enjoyed what I got to see and will be tracking the remaining episodes down.

I'm a BIG marvel fan and have was very happy when they announced a new animated Iron Man series. But to my disappointment I noticed that the creators had decided to throw away the origin story from the comics and replace it with one where Tony becomes Iron Man as a teenager. This was a major turn off for me when that in most cases means a series is adapted solely for smaller audiences. In most cases...

This is not one of those cases. In a way I must say this series actually have a much better origin than the original. I love the fact that Tony is a minor and two years away from becoming Mr. Stark (owner of Stark Industries) because that opens up a lot of story to tell. Also this series is not at all childish as I expected. The dialogue is really well written and all the voices, except Peppers, is really great. Also it's a very serialized series which makes it all the more enjoyable when you watch all episodes. On the other hand it makes it harder to get into if you're missing episodes.

Actually the only really bad thing with this series is that damn Pepper Potts. She's so damn whimsy and talk so much smack with that annoying voice. I just want her to die but that would probably ruin the origin story a little to much =). It's not something that ruins the show but for me it keeps it from being perfect. It's a strange choice to make Pepper so childish and annoying when everybody else acts so mature.

Take it from someone who really dislikes it when they screw up origin stories.. This series is great! It doesn't screw up the origin, it makes a new one. One that is superior to the original. The animation seems a little bit off in the first episode but as the series progresses it gets much better. The big nemesis for Tony, The Mandarin, is made really well, as are all the other enemies as well. The only thing this series is lacking right now is some solid crossovers from other famous marvel characters but I'm sure that'll come.. Also WAR MACHINE is soooo much cooler in this series than in the live action movie! The pilot is really bad compared to the rest of the series so give it a shot and I'll think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find a mature animated show about one of the cooler Marvel characters. Even though he's depicted as a teenager.