‘Iron Man’ lacks mettle

The comic book permeates all levels of popular culture. This sporadic feature reviews some recent examples from the world of digital video discs (compatible with DVD-ROM-enabled computers and home entertainment centers) and also includes a recommended sequential-art reading list to extend the multimedia adventures.

The Invincible Iron Man

(Lions Gate Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, $19.98)

If Marvel is going to waste the time and money to turn its hero universe into direct-to-DVD cartoons, then it needs to take some risks with the animated style and make the effort as important to fans as it is to lovers of the colorful medium.

Alas, this Iron Man adventure nearly fails on all counts through generic animation, a mediocre origin tale and not nearly enough pizazz to make it stand out among the likes of animated contemporaries such as “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” “The Amazing Screw On Head” (it’s previewed on the darn Iron Man movie), “Bleach” and “Hellboy” (read review below).

In the story, billionaire and often angst-ridden inventor Tony Stark has his minions raise a buried city in China and literally gets a broken heart (courtesy of some guerrilla soldiers), an armored suit to save his life and the chance to battle underworld warriors. He must also deal with the potential return of a deceased evil emperor named the Mandarin.

As was the case with the pair of Ultimate Avengers animated releases, the Invincible Iron Man only comes to life in the last 30 minutes or so through some spectacular fight scenes, but it is just not enough to make up for the preceding mediocrity.

Best Extra: I enjoyed seeing comics industry stalwarts Bob Layton and Joe Quesada talk about the legend of Iron Man in a 12-minute featurette but loved the virtual encyclopedia and its look at 16 configurations of Tony Stark’s most famous high-tech costumes in comic book history. Found under the Hall of Iron Man Armor, each entry presents a photograph and historical context to the comic books and character’s mythology.

Read all about it: Iron Man has been a part of Marvel Comics’ publishing empire since 1963. In addition to his pivotal appearance in the Civil War series ($2.99 each), I suggest a look at the trade paperback Iron Man: Extremis ($14.99) that compiles the six-issue story arc by famous comics scribe Warren Ellis.

Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storm

(Starz Home Entertainment, $19.98)

The Ralph Kramden of paranormal investigators makes his debut in the cartoon world through a 75-minute adventure that delivers action and plenty of extras to deconstruct the world and mythos of comic creator Mike Mignola’s red demon.

Through a single disc, viewers get a wonderful story — packed with Japanese supernatural folklore and the undead — that takes Hellboy on a mission into a spiritual realm to unlock the secrets of a Samurai sword while a secondary mission has the fire-starter Liz Sheridan and aqua man Abe Sapien out to stop a massive undersea creature.

Although I would have loved an animated design closer to Mr. Mignola’s sequential-art style, I can deal with the less menacing, more child-friendly, style of conceptual artist Sean “Cheeks” Galloway.

The addition of the Hellboy comics short story, Heads, intertwined in the narrative will be a pleasant bonus for fans who get to see how the hero deals with a batch of Japanese vampires in an animated format.

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