Iron Man: Armored Adventures, The Complete Season One

Originally made for the Nicktoons channel following the success of the hit live-action feature, this animated superhero series reworks the Marvel comic book character in the Spider-Man mold, rewinding millionaire playboy Tony Stark back to his teenage years. Here, Tony (voiced by Adrian Petriw) is a high school genius who builds the iconic suit of techno-armor as an extracurricular project. When his father's jet plane is blown up in a corporate coup, the armor saves Tony's life. Now he teams up with best friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes and gal-pal Pepper Potts (Daniel Bacon and Anna Cummer) to take on both his dad's killer, who has turned Stark Enterprises into a munitions company, and a shadowy secret society willing to murder to recover a powerful ancient ring that has fallen into Tony's possession. The American TV series is an international coproduction with a French animation studio, and while the CGI looks bright and bold, the characterizations and stories are strictly two-dimensional. Still, the series boasts a strong following, and the upcoming home video release of Iron Man 2 will likely build interest. Compiling 26 episodes from the 2008–2010 first season on four discs, DVD extras include storyboards and sketch galleries. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)