Please Don't Hate Me, But... I did not like this issue. Not because I was a sour, humorless kid. Indeed, I would say that as an eighth grader, I could giggle with guttural abandon that Beavis and/or Butthead would starve to have. No, my problem with Iron Man #72 had zippo to do with my favorite hero appearing at the San Diego Comic Book Convention and all it's fun cameos and tidbits of humor. Instead, my ire once again zeroed in on missed opportunities and sloppy character

Grab A Bowl of Cereal for a Saturday Morning Adventure! “Spaaaaaace Ghoooooost!” I love Hanna-Barbera Superheroes! Space Ghost! Herculoids! Birdman & the Galaxy Trio! Mightor! Samson and Goliath! Those shows were what first turned me onto comic books as a kid. Indeed, part of the appeal of collecting comics at that time was that they reminded me of those animated adventures that were long gone from the Saturday mornings landscape by the early 70’s. Why am I bringing thi

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

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

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

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

“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,

An Avenger, an Adaptoid and a Hot Blonde Walk into a Bar and... Can we all agree that Tony Stark doesn’t have the best of luck when it comes to romance? At least up to this point? Check it out. He falls for his staff assistant, Pepper Potts. Whether out of worry because of his bum ticker or wanting to avoid a harassment suit, Tony devotes most of his sixty plus issues in Tales of Suspense to hooking Pepper up with his chauffeur, Happy Hogan. Then there’s Janice Cord - a lo

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