Comic Book Inisghts

“Bless Me, Father, For I Have Sinned.” Painful as this is to admit, I didn’t buy this issue off the rack because I did not like Barry Smith’s art.  More specifically, I didn’t like how Marianne Rodgers looked in one panel.  That was enough for me to decide to see what Archie and his gang were up to that month.   Because of that one panel, I didn’t pick up another issue until a cousin talked me into buying #52 several months later.   This issue was one of the last holes I fill

Please Tell Me That We've Hit Rock Bottom! Are you happy now, Marvel?  After several years of treating this series as an afterthought, assigning inexperienced writers with little editorial oversight, Iron Man has been reduced to bi-monthly status with rumors of impending cancellation rampant. As it is, our hero's story is a scant thirteen pages - an abbreviated length due to the previous plan to pair his adventures with Daredevil.  The remainder of the book consists of a sill

Twenty-Five Cents for Iron Man to Fight David Bowie’s Little Brother? Welcome to August 1971! A month where Marvel upped the price of their comics from 15 to 25 cents! That's an entire dime! But this extra cost came with additional pages of story and art! Uh, except for two titles. Daredevil and - you guessed it - Iron Man. Y'see Timmy, both books were struggling in the sales department, leading Marvel to consider combining into a single title. Fortunately, that didn't

Happy Valentines Day, Tony Stark! Did you know you're dating a Demon Queen? There are any number of "red flags" that guys should look out for in the beginning of a new relationship. You know, what's her response when you want to hang out with your buddies? Or what's her opinion of your music? And of course, is she trying to change you in some way. Then there's, does she become a Demon-Queen and seek your destruction? That's the "red flag" Tony Stark faces with his new gi

Just How Bad? No sense beating around the bush.  Iron Man #39 is bad.  I’m not just talking about a comic book that’s not very good.  No.  I’m talking about one so hideous that in an alternate universe, Reed Richards used it instead of the Ultimate Nullifier to scare away Galactus.   We’re talking about a story that makes less than zero sense visualized by perhaps the worst art job ever printed in an Iron Man comic.  While I’m not a fan of Herb Trimpe, this is without a doubt

Cover Art: Marie Severin The North Pole - Day After Christmas! “Sir? Sir? I hate to wake you up, but we have a call from a certain national capital to the south of us.” St. Nick rubbed his tired eyes, stifling a yawn. “They’re all to the south of us. What’s serious enough to interrupt me after going to every home around the world?” The elf gritted his tiny teeth. “This particular individual says they either speak to you or we’re slapped with 100% tariffs.” “Oh my sweet c

Cover Art: Sal Buscema The North Pole on Christmas Eve of this past year with Santa about to start his deliveries. “Hey guys, why is my sleigh a bit lighter this year?” "Uh, well," the head elf begins sheepishly, “W e meant to tell you about that. Seems we ran short of coal for the stockings for everyone on the Naughty List. So, we had to find a substitute.” “Well, with that new administration in that certain nation, I guess I’m not surprised. What did you use as a substit

“Crisis .. and the Calamity” Introduction   Dah-dah, dah-DAH-DAH, dah-dah, dah-DAH-DAH, Bah-bah-bah-BAH, bah-bah-bah-BAH, Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh... Yes. That’s the "Mission Impossible" theme. An earworm that's nearly impossible to remove. But I can't help it. Researching this issue for this review inevitably plants that theme smack into the center of my brain. And you know what? It's really the best part of having to dive back into the Spymaster's first tussle

Cover Art:  Marie Severin & Mike Esposito Introduction Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star-shaped starship. Its one-issue mission: to find new financial partners; to negotiate stellar trade agreements; to secure as much money as possible, to boldly go where no profit margin has gone before! My first inclination was to do a take off from David Bowie’s “Starman,” but since that song doesn’t come up for another year, you’re stuck with my mauling William

Cover Art: Sal Buscema Introduction Join me, my friends, as we journey back to a magical time when our nation was poised to pass - not revoke - environmental laws. That's right. We're going back to 1970! Within the next few years, Congress would approve legislation protecting our water, air, endangered species and so on. But it was hardly smooth sailing for the passage of those laws. Concerns were continually expressed regarding their potential impact on the economy and

“The Menace of the Monster Master” Writer: Allyn Brodsky Pencils:  Don Heck Inks:  Chic Stone Letterer:  Jean Izzo Editor: Stan Lee Cover Art:  Marie Severin & Bill Everett Introduction “Are you out of your mind, starting a new blog by reviewing a 55 year old comic book that no one either remembers or likes?” I’m reviewing Iron Man #30 because that is where my collection of his comics started. “But you hated that issue. You told everyone at the time - and I quote - that the

Starting November 14, I will publish weekly reviews of Iron Man, commencing with #30 from way back in 1970. While I acknowledge these are not exactly classics, it's my intent to have some fun with each review. What I mean by that is demonstrated with this post where I'll share excerpts from upcoming reviews. The intent is to offer a preview that also serves as an invitation for you to sign up to receive my reviews . Enjoy ! Introduction (from the upcoming review of Iron M