Leaving My "Endangered" List! Iron Man #70 is a clear improvement over the past several issues if for no other reason than there is a whole heck of a lot that occurs between its covers. You’ve got the Mandarin versus The Claw with a fatal outcome for the loser. Then there’s the return of Ultimo - the blue robot with serious dental issues. By the issue’s end, Sunfire exchanges “Gullible” for another word to go in front of “Jerk. Then there’s an increasing intrigue for Marty

Meet ...The Nose!! The Avenger’s Mansion sometime after this issue… “Hey, Thor? Do you have a minute?” “Certainly, Iron Man. What is it that thou wish to discuss?” “Well, it seems that none of the Avengers want to make eye contact with me and when they start to, they suddenly start coughing and make an excuse to leave the room. Any idea what’s going on?” “Ah, mine noble comrade-in-arms, does thou not knowest that thine latest renderings of that awe-inspiring armor hath put

Worst Armor Revision Ever...By A Nose! While I like to have fun with my reviews, there is a serious topic we need to first discuss. The upcoming issues of Iron Man feature a villain who at that time was called “Yellow Claw.” Based on Fu Manchu, this villain has a long history at Marvel that predates 1961's Fantastic Four #1. I consider the name “Yellow Claw” to be both offensive and racist. Because of that, the character will be referred to solely as “The Claw” in this an

Iron Man Moves to My “Endangered List”! Iron Man #67 proves a sad, and in many ways, needless disappointment. Sad because we see the return of a villain no one - not even his mother - wants to see return to these pages. But in my mind, the greatest shortcoming for this comic is the failure of the writer to drop any hints as to what's coming for this title. No, I don't mean that starting next issue Iron Man's armor will include that damned nose. What I do mean is that #68 i

We Visit A Courtroom in 1974… “Your Honor and members of this jury, I will show to each of you how Marvel Comics violated the copyright and licenses of my client’s character, The Green Lantern. Furthermore, it shall also be made equally clear that this was not a haphazard or careless accident, but instead a totally flagrant disregard of law as their version of the Lantern was prominent in not one or two, but four consecutive issues of Iron Man. Once I have shared with you a

A Painful Crash Back to Bi-Monthly Status Bi-Monthly. Don’t ask me why I looked at the fine print below the splash page of Iron Man #65, but I did and immediately saw that it was now published “bi-monthly.” My favorite hero who I’d started collecting just as he’d crawled out of that poor sales quicksand had stumbled right back into it. Was I all that surprised as a kid? Not really. Collecting a number of Marvel comics by that time, I grimly realized the threat of Dr. Spectr

We Interrupt this Blog to For a Special Treat! I can already hear your questions. “What the heck?” “Where’s our review of Iron Man #65?” Rest assured, I’ve have a written review of Iron Man #65 ready to go. Next Friday. But let’s be honest. This Dr. Spectrum story isn’t all that exciting. So I thought I’d give us all a break so that we can enjoy another comic from August 1973 that included Iron Man. Keeping this one “in the family,” we also have Mike Friedrich as the wr

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