Joseph J. Darowski teaches English at Brigham Young University and has published on comic book superheroes such as the X-Men, Wonder Woman, and Superman as well as on television series such as Chuck and Frasier.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction—Joseph J. Darowski“The Iron-Clad American”: Iron Man in the 1960s—Brian PattonTony Stark: Disabled Vietnam Veteran?—Craig This“Gorgeous new menace”: Black Widow, Gender Roles and the Subversion of Cold War Expectations of Domesticity—Natalie R. SheppardFu Manchu Meets Maklu-4: The Mandarin and Racial Stereotypes—Richard A. IadonisiDoes Khrushchev Tell Kennedy? Superpowered Rivalry and Silver Age Iron Man—José AlanizIke’s Nightmare: Iron Man and the Military-Industrial Complex—Will Cooley and Mark C. RogersSocking It to Shell-Head: How Fan Mail Saved a Hero from the Military-Industrial Complex—Charles HenebryCountdown to #100: Escapist Heroism and the Challenges of Modernity in the Late 1970s—John M. VohlidkaDemon in a Bottle and Feet of Clay: David Michelinie and Bob Layton on Iron Man—Jason SacksWar Machine: Blackness, Power and Identity in Iron Man—Julian C. ChamblissFrom Armor Wars to Iron Man 2.0: The Superhero Entrepreneur—Jean-Philipe ZancoCold Warrior at the End of the Cold War: John Byrne’s “War Games” in an Era of Transition—Joseph J. Darowski“I would be the bad guy”: Tony Stark as Villain of Marvel’s Civil War—John DarowskiFeminizing the Iron: Tony Stark’s Rescue—Jason MichálekIron Icarus: Comics Futurism and the Man–Machine System—Rikk MulliganAbout the ContributorsIndex

“provides engaging and thought-provoking perspectives on Marvel’s most unexpectedly popular superhero”—SFRA Review; “goes into extensive detail about the individual characters starting from their origins and their transition and evolution through the decades...makes for fascinating reading”—Collectors’ Corner.