Freefalling to Rock Bottom! Marvel Comics HQ circa 1975. Specifically the office of Editor-in-Chief Len Wein. “Hi Boss! You wanted to see me?” “Yeah, Mike.” Brows furrowed, he motions to the freelance writer. “Come in and close the door.” “Sure thing.” Once that’s done, he begins, “Hey, what’s up with the latest issue of Iron Man? Where’s the conclusion to that Black Lama story?” “Well, uh,” Mike starts fidgeting, “I needed more time to figure it all out. But instead of

A Train Wreck in Progress… Late in the night at “Perfidy & Pints” - a secluded supervillain bar in 1975… “Octavius! Over here! Quick!” “Huh?” the bewildered bad guy’s gaze falls upon several fellow felons. “Red Ghost. Baron Mordo. What’s going on?” “This way, comrade!” hisses the Soviet Schemer, “And keep your head down.” A moment later, the six-armed antagonist is seated and asks, “What’s going on?” “Keep your head down,” whispers Baron Mordo. “See that fool in the ho

Get Your Tickets for the Super-Villain War! A war between super-villains? Dr. Doom tussling with Kang the Conqueror! Magneto going mano y mano against Ultron! Loki matching wits and spells with Dormannu! And all our heroes caught in the middle! Everything 14-year old comic collector could ever imagine! Unfortunately, despite bold proclamations otherwise, this so-called war turned out to be a minor kerfuffle where bad guys who were second stringers on their best day duked

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

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

Iron Man's "Lamest" Villain & Some Guy Named Jim Starlin “Good morning, Marvel. I’m the agent for the Black Lama and here to say that I think you really need to put him into one of your comic books. And let’s face it, you owe me after what you did to my client, Cyborg Sinister. That guy had potential and you know it.” “Alright, so what’s this Black Lama’s schtick? “He’s the leader of a mystic cult with followers around the world, trained to channel their emotions to gene

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.