Even in ink-wash, this Marvel hero looks ready to rumble.

Superheroes have been feeling the resurgence, especially Marvel ones, as their cinematic universe continues to unravel. While comic book characters have always had a niche fan base, their recent popularity has contributed to more people giving life to them in their own unique ways.

Judging by the Twitter feed and Pixiv page of artist Ikuyoan, it’s clear there is great love for Marvel’s man of iron. However, one of their most recent work shows us a side of Iron Man that we haven’t really seen before.

Created in the suiboku-ga style, or sometimes known as sumi-e, the thick dark lines of ink perfectly frame the boldly-armored superhero.

Normally, suiboku-ga art aims to capture the essence of a subject and thus has a more fluid feel to it, but these angular lines don’t take away from the visual impact at all. In fact, since many sumi-e paintings often depict something imaginary, it seems fitting to see Tony Stark drawn in the style.

▼ Iron Man seen here in a more
traditional rendering by the same artist.

▼ Black Panther looking Wakandan-fierce!

▼ Deadpool seemingly trying to order six chimichangas.

It’s likely that the suiboku-ga Iron Man is not actually painted as Ikuyoan’s other work is done on a computer, but either way you can’t help but marvel at the powerful image ready to leap off the page and save the world.

We hope Ikuyoan continues their amazing work, which you can check out on Twitter or Pixiv, as they continue the long tradition of combining East Asian art styles with comic book and video game characters.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@ikuyoan