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

It’s sometime in the mid-1970’s with our hero Iron Man patrolling a middle school when his sensors detect… “Oh no! Middle school bully Timmy is about to rob Myron’s lunch money! I’ve got to stop him!” Swooping down, the Golden Avenger lands between the larger child and his victim. “That’s enough, Timmy. You need to head to class now or you’ll be tardy.” “Sez you!” Timmy sneers. “You’ve given me no choice but to…” Suddenly, Iron Man is seized by incredible pain in his che

Just How Bad? No sense beating around the bush.  Iron Man #39 is bad.  I’m not just talking about a comic book that’s not very good.  No.  I’m talking about one so hideous that in an alternate universe, Reed Richards used it instead of the Ultimate Nullifier to scare away Galactus.   We’re talking about a story that makes less than zero sense visualized by perhaps the worst art job ever printed in an Iron Man comic.  While I’m not a fan of Herb Trimpe, this is without a doubt

Cover Art: Marie Severin The North Pole - Day After Christmas! “Sir? Sir? I hate to wake you up, but we have a call from a certain national capital to the south of us.” St. Nick rubbed his tired eyes, stifling a yawn. “They’re all to the south of us. What’s serious enough to interrupt me after going to every home around the world?” The elf gritted his tiny teeth. “This particular individual says they either speak to you or we’re slapped with 100% tariffs.” “Oh my sweet c

"Revenge!" Introduction “Alex, I’ll take ‘Atrocious 1970’s Comic Book Crossovers’ for $500.” “This comic book has both Daredevil and Nick Fury as guest stars as they’re attacked by four lame supervillains for the control of some silly apparatus called the Zodiac Key.” “What is Iron Man #35?” Bad Jeopardy parodies aside, there’s so much going on with this issue that it’s hard to know quite where to start.  We've got another eye-catching Sal Buscema cover.  I’m not always a fan

Cover Art: Sal Buscema Introduction Join me, my friends, as we journey back to a magical time when our nation was poised to pass - not revoke - environmental laws. That's right. We're going back to 1970! Within the next few years, Congress would approve legislation protecting our water, air, endangered species and so on. But it was hardly smooth sailing for the passage of those laws. Concerns were continually expressed regarding their potential impact on the economy and

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