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

"Revenge!" Introduction “Alex, I’ll take ‘Atrocious 1970’s Comic Book Crossovers’ for $500.” “This comic book has both Daredevil and Nick Fury as guest stars as they’re attacked by four lame supervillains for the control of some silly apparatus called the Zodiac Key.” “What is Iron Man #35?” Bad Jeopardy parodies aside, there’s so much going on with this issue that it’s hard to know quite where to start.  We've got another eye-catching Sal Buscema cover.  I’m not always a fan

“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: Sal Buscema Introduction “Good morning, Spymaster. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate and destroy Stark Industries' NY facility, as well as capture CEO Tony Stark. In addition, part of your mission is to increase the sales on Iron Man. Assisting you will be an artist whose talents do not lend themselves well to stories of this style. As always, should you or any of your Espionage Elite be caught or killed, the Publisher will disavow

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