Stuck Between a Rokk and a Rotten Comic! “Mommy! Rick said a bad word! I saw him reading a comic book and then saying the “s” word!” Having heard my younger sister calling out from the bottom of the stairs, I know what’s next. “Is that true?” Since I’m in my upstairs bedroom, I don’t have to look my determined mother in the eye for what I’m about to say next. “Of course not. What I actually said about this new issue of Iron Man is that it’s an absolute hit.” Knowing that

When your Rogues Gallery is as dreadful as Iron Man’s (we’re looking at you, Mr. Doll!), it’s perhaps understandable that our hero would unintentionally elevate the competency of any decent villain that makes an appearance in his series. And let’s face it. Over the years, Iron Man’s found multiple and even downright embarrassing ways to make several of his villains seem far more daunting than any reasonable comic book collector should have to accept. With that in mind, it’s

Blame It on the Booze! At least that’s the story behind Roy Thomas (Marvel) and Denny O’Neil (DC) coming up with the idea of having an unofficial crossover between the Avengers and Justice League of America. What originated at a party with liquid refreshments flowing like the Mississippi spilled over into both series in 1969. Although the JLA was more subtle about it, Roy Thomas dove in headfirst, creating the “Squadron Sinister” to challenge the Avengers. Without going too

We Guys Can Be Such Idiots! “Welcome to tonight’s episode of ‘We Guys Can Be Such Idiots!" Our guests are Mark Scarlotti (AKA Whiplash) and Happy Hogan, husband of Pepper Hogan. We’re here to talk about their actions in Iron Man #61 and #62. “I’m going to start with you, Mark. In issue #62, you’re working under the alias of Mark Scott, having a high-paying position at Stark Industries’ Cincinnati facility as well as being engaged to the plant’s manager, Vicki Snow. Yet yo

Iron Man's Most Overrated Villain? Does anyone remember looking really forward to meeting someone only to have them truly disappoint you? That was me with Firebrand in the early spring of 1973. I mean, when I rejoined this book, it seemed that his name came up every other panel. “Firebrand knocked out the FM reception in my armor” or “I now only eat my steaks well-done after facing the intense heat from Firebrand.” Our guy seemed to be going through PTSD because of this dud

“Mandarin and the Unicorn: Double-Death!” I Dare You to Say "The Unicorn" Three Times Without Laughing! Before I start this review, let’s get all the laughing and snickers out of our system. Yeah, I know one of our villains is called The Unicorn. But I’ve got an entire issue to cover. So, I’m going to say “The Unicorn” several times and wait until we’re all done laughing before moving on. Done? Hold it! I see you, Greg. You’re still chucking over your coffee in Pewaukee,

Now For More Mediocrity! "C’mon Rick. It’s time to go work on your blog." "Don’t wanna." "But everyone’s waiting to hear your thoughts on Iron Man #57." "Don’t wanna do that one." "Why not? It has the Mandarin in it. That’s Iron Man’s number one villain." "Big deal. He’s stupid. I hate him. I wanted Controller, Moondragon and Thanos with Jim Starlin’s art." "Rick, we don’t always get what we want in life. You have a responsibility to those three people who have signed

Iron Man's "Lamest" Villain & Some Guy Named Jim Starlin “Good morning, Marvel. I’m the agent for the Black Lama and here to say that I think you really need to put him into one of your comic books. And let’s face it, you owe me after what you did to my client, Cyborg Sinister. That guy had potential and you know it.” “Alright, so what’s this Black Lama’s schtick? “He’s the leader of a mystic cult with followers around the world, trained to channel their emotions to gene

Was This Comic Worth A Busted Lip & Bloody Nose? I owe it all to my cousin Nick! Coming up from LA, he talked me into buying this comic. And why not? We were such great buds! At least until he beat the tar out of me after an argument. Absent my cousin’s coercions, I doubt Gil Kane’s cover would have sealed the deal. I needed more than a mean hippy melting Iron Man’s armor to sacrifice money that could buy me a few Three Musketeer bars. Fortunately, the actual comic pro

The Best Iron Man Villain...We Never Saw Again! With a laughable Rogues Gallery, it only makes sense that when Iron Man faces a villain with potential, we never see them again. Such as the sorry story of Cyborg Sinister. Okay, so the name’s kinda dorky, but hey, one of Marvel’s top two villains is called Dr. Doom. Our hero’s had multiple bouts with losers like The Melter and The Unicorn (try saying that name twice without snickering!). But a villain with a truly eerie visu

A New Low! For his 50th Anniversary Issue, Iron Man Fights a ...Snake! We’re all friends here, right? If so, it’s okay to say that Princess Python is hot. I don’t mean to go overboard with objectifying someone, but those scaly green leggings and that wavey brunette hair combined with that whole “wrap yourself in reptilian coils” thing is sexy. Why in the world am I bringing this up? Because I’m guessing that either writer Mike Friedrich or penciller George Tuska also thoug

I think we can all agree that when it comes to villains, Iron Man’s Rogues Gallery leaves "a lot a lot" to be desired. The Seventies in particular presented the Golden Avenger with a true cast of pathetic losers and laughable buffoons. Having delved into nearly all of his 70's run with my blog (see below ), I'm allowing my biased opinion to rank worst of them in ascending order. And if you don't recognize some of them, then consider yourself lucky! 10. Princess Python.