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

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

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

Was This Issue Created to Drive Readers Away? Ow! Cramp! Cramp! Oh my! It’s been too many issues since I had to go that deep into the well for a criticism. I’m out of shape. Let’s try a few stretches. Ahh.. That’s better. Where was I? Oh yeah. I was just getting started my review of Iron Man #61. It’s part two of the Masked Marauder’s battle with our hero. I didn’t like either part of this story when I read it as a 12-year-old and it hasn’t aged any better. Not the

Are They Deliberately Trying to Tank this Book? Dreadfully atrocious? Or should I go with atrociously dreadful? Oops. Excuse me. I didn’t know we were live. I’m still working on adjectives that best describe how pitiful the Masked Marauder is as a villain. I mean if Daredevil - who at this time is dealing with the likes of The Black Messiah and Angar the Screamer - hasn’t wanted this guy back in years, what in God’s name is he doing in Iron Man? Did Mike Friedrich lose a

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

It's gotta be the sex. Otherwise, what in the name of nanotech would a guy with Tony Stark's looks, genius, fortune and personality have hooking up into any kind of romantic relationship with some of the women that he's been connected to over the years? Just looking at the first volume of his series and our guy's dated mobsters, stalkers and Russian spies. For someone considered a playboy, our hero seems prone to offer his heart or at least his romantic intentions to women