I've been collecting Iron Man TradePaperbacks (or comics compiled into one book) for some time now. TPBs are usually pricey, but makes comic book reading easy. Iron Man: Director Of Shield TPB is the 4th compilation that came out from the 4th volume of the Iron Man comic and it reprints volume 4: issues 15 to 18 plus some classic strips where Iron Man and Shield Team Up. As an added bonus in this compilation, we also get a comprehensive history of Iron Man (with all his armors) and some info on who became part of the SHIELD organization.
Spoiler Free Review:
Iron Man assumes the role of SHIELD director. Some people like the way he runs SHIELD, some do not. This TPB also explores Tony Stark / Iron Man's relationship with Maya Hansen and Sal Kennedy. We also get to see the return of Iron Man's numero uno nemesis: Mandarin. This will sound like nonsense to you if you don't follow Iron Man's story, so I suggest you search for him in Wikipedia. If there's one thing I really like about this TPB, it's the art by Rob De La Torre. Adi Granov is great, but I always felt that his art is good for pin-ups and covers. De La Torre on the other hand, is perfect for this title. He can draw great backgrounds, people and expressions, technical stuff and most of all, intense action. The story is a big improvement for Charles and Daniel Knauf (who wrote HBO's Carnivale), I think they're starting to nail Tony Stark's personality in the right direction. To top things off, I love the 6 page history of Iron Man from volume one to four. They showed thumnails (bah) of all his armors and specs of the current armor. The only thing I don't like about this TPB are the backup stories and you have to follow Iron Man's comics to understand what's going on in this book.
BATTLE DICE: IRON MAN P200
I don't know how to play Marvel Battle Dice, but since this is an Iron Man figure, I have to get it. For a small figure, this thing is very detailed. It measures less than an inch including the base where it stands. This is probably the smallest Iron Man figure to date (see the comparison pic with Ultimate Iron Man heroclix). You can get this item when you buy a Battle Dice booster pack for P200. A pack has 3 random figures. Problem is, you don't know what you'll get when you buy these booster packs. I was lucky enough that someone in the "pinoytoykolektor" forums offered me one for P200.
Is it worth it? If you're a die-hard Iron Man collector (like me), it's a good thing to have. This thing is so small it won't be missed if you don't have it in your Iron Man collection. :)
The Rundown:
• Smallest Iron Man figure
• Nice sculpt for a miniscule toy
• Good Paint application
• A bit tough to find since you have to buy blind boxed booster packs (3 figures for P200)
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