Why did Iron Man have this horrible looking suit for most of his existence? Looks like a skin tight leotard more than a mechanical armor
Same with the eyes, not sure why the eye windows where can see into his actual eyes stuck around so long
Why did Iron Man have this horrible looking suit for most of his existence...
Wasn't it a skin-tight "flexible titanium alloy" or something like that?
My guess is that it's faster to draw an entire comic book if everyone shares the same 'generic body builder' look. Then you don't have to worry about learning a new design!
Why did Iron Man have this horrible looking suit for most of his existence?
no taste detected
Looks like a skin tight leotard more than a mechanical armor
it was, initially, a cost cutting measure because they had to get these out on schedule
but it was kept through the 70s until the 80s because they decided they liked the muscled-look better and it was on-brand with the other avengers who were all pretty muscled too
not sure why the eye windows where can see into his actual eyes stuck around so long
because it looks cool
that was the original intention, but it was kept even after they had more resources available because they decided it looked better and sold more toys
Surely it’s simpler for an artist to draw his traditional solid looking armor though?
By definition you don’t need to account for a wide range of body positions, the bend limits are less visible, and you don’t need to think in terms of what muscles should move where and such.
Sure initially learning it probably takes more effort than just doing default bodybuilder superhero bodies, but once you know it, an artist could probably draw him quicker than most other characters they do
When have they ever “changed” the shape of his eyes? They’ve always been little rectangles. The only thing different is that they now glow.
They used to be actual holes you could see his eyes through.
Because your modern conception of mecha armor didn't exist. And the first suit had already been a bulky piece of armor, so the next step was to go very streamlined. Simple as that.
Once armored and Japanese mecha design became more popular you see them integrate aspects of that into Iron Man from the late 80's onward, but really gearing up at the turn of the century. Ironically it meant in some ways, his suit from the 2000's onward is downgraded because his old suit was very advanced in that it was incredibly light weight and form fitting.
When Ditko designed the red and gold suit, it wasn't necessarily meant to show every little muscle sinew, the red was thicker and the yellow on the limbs was like an advanced, magnetized chainmail. As time went on, other artists would make the abs and limbs more visibly muscular.
Stuff like the eye slits can be chalked up to being like how suits of armor were. Again, not thinking of it like a mecha design yet
not to mention, mecha in the 60s/70s was still really kinda blocky
if you just removed the visible abs off of iron man, he would fit right in with the super robots
you dont start to see the more complex mecha with lots of working inner bits until the 80s
That's another good point
As for the visible eyes, in some ways Iron Man is closer to the serial Rocket Men design than a powered armor. It's basically just a suit of armor with some energy based attachments, not as advanced as it'd become with onboard AI or targeting systems.
Flexible scifi magic metal cloth armor is honestly way more feasible than like movie style Iron Man "his fingers somehow fit in and control this glove five times as thick as an unwieldy winter glove that's solid, blocky, and rigidly jointed" and "his helmet fits like a mask, but somehow inside it's like a screen a foot away from his face" shit that only makes sense when you absolutely don't think about it
Plus, it's comic books, it's the same reason Transformers have metal faces that are flexible and nobody questions it, because it's stylized 2D art and it works, but once it becomes Bayformers they need to "logically" make it a million moving mechanical parts that resemble a face
Oh it's because it looks way better than any of the alternatives
Also, modular is the best
They were far more expressive and Jack O Lantern-y than what Tuska drew.
The Rocketeer is a more accurate depiction of Iron Man than what Tuska drew from 71-78.
uses the modular armor for the 90s show
never actually uses the modular gimmick
MvC was probably the only time he ever actually did what the modular armor was supposed to do with the ability to interface with add-on equipment like PROTON CANNON
Isn't this the proton cannon?
Artists who actually like machines and care about how they work aren't appreciated in America.
it is also worth pointing out a lot of his suits were explicitly air tight even when they had visible eyes
so there is either a clear covering over them or they just clamp shut when needed
These isn't a machine that can work in any logical way, this isn't the work of a mechanic lol. These are just ornate super powered robot samurais
Iron Man's utilitarian design, even if done in a superhero manner, is still more actual scifi brained than this
You don't know shit about mecha. You just googled "gundam" because it's the first name that comes to mind for japanese stuff and then you grabbed a random picture.
Japanese shit is gay, if you were really into Military mechanics you wouldn't care about it either way. What do you know about tanks or jets, actual machines, you fantasy faggot lol
Wait so the modular armor is like the prime armor what with the equipment?
Sounds kinda cool.
But honestly though wouldn’t the Prime Armor be the endgame of Iron Man armors?
The Rocketeer
still waiting for a proper, non digitally recolored, tpb of this
This looks like an ergonomically challenged disaster
It's flexible future metal
The fighting game "Marvel Super Heroes" used that one
it was the 80s, shoulder pads were in
not sure why the eye windows where can see into his actual eyes stuck around so long
Doom literally still has those and people love it.
Because it's just a mask!
Not according to spec sheets.
The suit was easily more advanced than simple plate armour.
I’m actually mad the newer armours stopped caring about HOW the suits were constructed.
Oh now that's a classic right there. It's stupid af realistically but I can't help but love the style. It's the best type of goofy comic aesthetic that's actually enjoyable, at least to me it is
It's not about "appreciation", its about pay. Mechanical design firms are a thing in Japan because there's enough business for it. It's not just for love of the game. There is appreciation, but it's supported because that appreciation is expressed financially.
Even so, there's relatively few mecha manga for how popular the genre is in Japan; it's largely in the realm of animation, games, and toys...largely because drawing mecha for a manga is very time consuming for a small budget project like a manga where the asset needs to be redrawn every time. It's why very often when you do see mecha or robots in manga, they're stylized.
Surely it’s simpler for an artist to draw his traditional solid looking armor though?
it's not, the one in the op is much easier to draw. anyone drawing a comic knows how to quickly sketch a solid figure, putting that figure in actual armor requires an entire new skillset you have to produce at a similar speed. you can do it, but it's harder.
If you read his comics instead of whining you would already have your answer
It's easier to draw than a mechanical looking one. That's also why a lot of modernt macha animes use CGI for the mechas, it's harder to draw machines than humans.
Leg and arm parts were always described as a mesh.
we'll never get the "shring" sound effect when they extend again
the first suit had already been a bulky piece of armor, so the next step was to go very streamlined. Simple as that.
This and they needed it to be portable to fit in a suitcase so he didn't look like Mr. Frump in his iron lung with Jarvis hauling
the rest around behind him on a luggage carrier.
Even then his tailor must've been a genius because he's wearing the breastplate all the time early on.
or they just clamp shut when needed
Yes. He has transparent coverings to deploy when working in situations like water or space. He's been caught by gas attacks because of not closing them fast enough a few times even.