One of my all time favorite comic book heroes was Marvel Comics' "Invincible Iron Man". First appearing in Marvel's "Tales of Suspense" comics along with Captain America, Iron Man told the tale of wealthy arms industrialist Anthony "Tony" Stark, injured in a cold war ambush near Vietnam. Captured by by an evil warlord, Stark is forced to build some WMDs, all the while injured with a piece of shrapnel lodged near his heart. Stark decides to fool his captors and make a crude suit of amour, effecting a thrilling escape. With a change of heart, Stark decides to use his weapons knowledge for good and a legend is born. This new film by actor/director Jon Favreau, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's girl Friday, Pepper Potts, is perhaps, next to Spiderman, Marvel's best ever comic adaptation.

Downey is spectacular as Stark and captures the character better than anyone I could have imagined. Paltrow is equally brilliant as the long suffering Potts, with Favreau as Stark's faithful chauffeur Happy Hogan. Marvel fans will remember Favreau as "Foggy Nelson" in "Daredevil", alongside Ben Afleck's "Matt Murdock". Terrance Howard stars as Col. Rhody, a later arrival in the Iron Man sagas, but a welcome addition here. A surprisingly bald Jeff Bridges is the antagonist in the film, and does a good turn. At one point in the film, a jazz band even plays the theme to the 1970's Iron Man cartoon series!

The character of Stark in the Marvel Universe is an extremely important one, and Downey makes his character come to life, flaws, ego, wit, warts and all. Comic fans will know that Stark is not unlike Batman's Bruce Wayne, a wealthy playboy; losing his parents prematurely and also with a loyal Butler in tow, namely "Jarvis" to Wayne's "Alfred". Stark's New York mansion was also headquarters to "The Avengers", Marvel's version of DC Comics "Justice League of America". I can't even imagine how they would ever put the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp and Captain America all in one film! Stark's involvement with the spy organization "S.H.I.E.L.D." is also mentioned, albeit briefly in the film.

For years I wondered why Iron Man was never attempted before, after all, he has no super powers to speak of. After seeing this film however, I'm glad they didn't. The special effects and CGI are simply amazing and his suit is unbelievable. From the original crude suit Stark first fashions, to the technological marvel we see today with touch screens, pneumatic parts and voice recognition software, makes this a timely and modern film that couldn't have been made successfully until now.

One of the best and ironically, saddest parts of the film is the juxtaposition of the Vietnam War from the original comic book and the war in Afghanistan today. Merchants of death, U.S. involvement, greedy profiteers are all on display. Normally I don't care for these kinds of updates because they generally don't work; times change. For example that's one of the things that just killed the "Fantastic Four" films for me. A lot of the original charm was due to the era of space flight in the 1960s and with today's reality of a somewhat stagnant space program, the film just never worked on that level. In Iron Man, these conflicts are just as relevant today as they were in the '60s. Cambodia, Iraq, Pakistan, Vietnam, Red China, Al Queda are all synonymous with failed foreign policies and the quagmire of war.

True fans of Iron Man will love this film; Downey turns in one of the best performances of a comic book character I have ever seen, right up there with Christian Bale in "Batman Begins". Paltrow is just as wonderful as the "I'll do anything for my boss", Pepper Potts. Time will tell whether or not Edward Norton will succeed in resurrecting the "Hulk" this Summer; I doubt it, but that's another story. Marvel and Paramount were extremely fortunate to get a guy like Favreau to direct this film, because he loves these comics and it showed. They have had a ton of Marvel comic book clunkers, "Fantastic Four", "Daredevil", "Hulk", "The Punisher", some so-so films like "Elektra", and some winners, "Spiderman" and "The X-Men" series. "Iron Man" belongs in that rarified company now, as of one of the best and most failthful comic book adaptations ever made.

E. "Doc" Smith is a musician, recording engineer and the creator of 1980's comic book, "Tony Squak, Intergalactic Sleuth". He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick. He can be reached at http://myspace.com/edoctorsmith