It would be too easy to bash the first volume of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures†on DVD, considering that Tony Stark as a teenager, aided by the equally as young and inexperienced duo of James Rhodes and Pepper Potts isn’t exactly the best situation for these characters.
Simply put, anyone looking for a womanizing, drug addict Stark needs to look elsewhere.
However, what originally starts off as disgust, turns into a fun viewing experience, as long as you can separate yourself from the source material long enough to appreciate the cool stories told and excellent animation.
Considering this, “Iron Man: Armored Adventures†probably isn’t for the hardcore Iron Man fan, who would never want to see Stark [voiced by Adrian Petriw] and his friends with no drug problems, facial hair or sexual innuendos being thrown around. However, despite its different feel at first, the young Stark maintains his brilliance and cocky attitude just enough to maintain the feel and style of the character and make him attractive to new fans. With the movies bringing in the older crowd, this animated bonanza has the tools to make the character something it never was, cool to the younger generation.
However, there are some changes that may be even a bit too much for the casual fan. For one, seeing Rhodes, essentially playing “Oracle†to Stark and Potts being the annoying, but useful researcher/sidekick through the first six episodes, things can and will get a little annoying. The same thing goes for the his battle against Obadiah Stain, without one appearance of the Iron Monger. Instead, haphazard battles with Blizzard, Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash take place, with a few episodes going into a slow development of a drastically changed Mandarin character. The fact that all of this takes place in New York City is a bit weird as well and will limit how long fans of the comic can sit and watch it.
This won’t bother the kiddies though, who will fall in love with the character and the crisp computer-generated animation. Reminiscent of the Spider-Man series that appeared on MTV about a decade ago, “Iron Man: Armored Adventures†looks great and matches the essence of the comic entirely. Able to capture the character’s sense of speed and use of technology, you can’t ask for much more when it comes to the look and feel of the show.
The same thing goes for the voice acting, which is also solid behind Petriw, Daniel Bacon [Rhodes] and Anna Cummer [Potts]. Again, the stories may be a bit more juvenile than many older fans would like, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t a quality show.
Again, while its not on the same level as some other animated series based on comic books, it has a lot to like and with a great look and plenty of room to grow, “Iron Man: Armored Adventures,†isn’t a let down, but a sidestep for the revered hero.
Leave a Reply