Onward & Upward to...Mediocrity? Does anyone remember that scene from “Dirty Dancing” where the dorky grandson of the resort owner tells Patrick Swayze that he wants to change things for the big dance during the final evening?  Remember how Patrick Swayze’s character is bursting forth with a multitude of ideas only to have this schmuck swat them all down, instead wanting only the most insignificant of revisions to their musical number? I bring that up because in my mind, I en

“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

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.

Since the Book's Not Called "The Invincible Guardsman", We Can Guess Who Bought the Farm At the offices of Marvel Comics in late 1971, a conversation between incoming Editor-In-Chief Roy Thomas and writer Gary Friedrich… “Hey Gary, I need to talk with you about your script for Iron Man #46.” ”Sure Roy, what’s up?” ”It’s that Kevin O’Brien/Guardsman character.  You end this issue by having Tony Stark promise to cure him of the insanity brought on by that armor.  And you show t

My First Issue of Iron Man Has Tony Stark Popping the Question! They say that every issue is a first issue for someone. For me, it was tumbling into a rather complicated mess of a story where new writer Gary Friedrich, attempts to remove the wreckage left from the previous one. It's a task that will require one more issue to complete. In the meantime, the drama is amped up with protesting students, board room shenanigans, best buddy betrayals and ... Tony Stark proposing

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

Teenage Boy's Worst Nightmare Comes True! Iron Man takes on a character who has tendrils with giant pinchers emerge from huge zits on his forehead! Which is surely the worst fear of any adolescent boy who's suffered from acne! The issue starts with a rather frantic cover, showing our determined hero trying to save some poor woman falling to her death but unable to do so because some hideous-looking creature with funky pinchers springing out of his forehead is in the process

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

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