Review by C.J. Bunce
Twenty years ago nobody could have guessed Robert Downey, Jr. would one day be playing both Iron Man and Doomsday. After yesterday’s cast announcement it’s hard to believe it’s been seventeen years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began. Since then 24 Infinity Saga movies arrived in theaters with more beyond the Infinity Saga taking Marvel into the future. We’re looking back to the movie that started it all today, director Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, as we revisit Iron Man: The Art of the Movie, the first of the 24-volume MCU library from Titan Books. Incredibly cool superhero tech armor collided with humor and the casting of the snarky Robert Downey, Jr., causing a shift in how superhero movies were made and viewed by audiences. Iron Man: The Art of the Movie, available here at Amazon, is a collection of the visual history of the movie from the creations of the art department and production teams that thought it up, put it on paper, then translated it all to the big screen.
With Iron Man it really is all about the armor, going back to he character’s first appearance in the 1963 Issue #39 of Tales of Suspense. Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, and Gene Colan created the playboy who Downey would become, but it was artist George Tuska who would define the look of the we know today. It’s all recounted in the opening pages of the book.
But the bulk of the book reveals the development of the armor that defined the movie’s hero and villain. Readers will follow that creation from concept design to sketches to 3D modeling to the building of the suit for Downey to wear in the movie. Favreau provides a tribute to iconic creator Stan Winston on one of his final movies. It was the team from Stan Winston Studios that would take the character from page to screen. And don’t forget–Iron Man was the first inductee to the borg Hall of Fame.
Writer John Rhett Thomas and book designer Maz include forewords by both Favreau and executive producer Louis D’Esposito. Film aficionados will probably be surprised at the many ways the movie was storyboarded. Key scenes are included, each in its own method, from quick sketches to CGI renderings.
The work of several early MCU contributors is highlighted here, from property master Russell Bobbitt to concept artists Adi Granov, director of photography Matthew Libatique, storyboard artist David Lowery, physical suit effects supervisor Shane Mahan, head of visual development Ryan Meinerding, visual effects pioneer John Nelson, production designer Michael Riva, animatic artist James Rothwell, illustrator Phil Saunders, previs artist Kent Seki, costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, and many more.
Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the series: Captain America: The First Avenger–The Art of the Movie, here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ The Avengers here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 here, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World here, The Art of Captain America and the Winter Soldier here, The Art of Guardians of the Galaxy here, The Art of Avengers: Age of Ultron here, and The Art of Ant Man here.
The original edition of this book is hard to find, so this re-release is a great buy for fans of the MCU. For every fan of the Marvel Infinity Saga and Jon Favreau’s movie that launched a cultural phenomenon, don’t miss Iron Man: The Art of the Movie, available now here at Amazon. Iron Man is streaming on Disney+.
