Review: Iron Man #41
- Rick Moore
- 22 minutes ago
- 7 min read
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 of melting our hero’s armor. How do I know that? Because the two of them are having a conversation describing this to all of us.
Consider this your cordial welcome to the infamous “Mr. Kline” saga - three issues that will serve as the finale of young writer Gerry Conway’s initial stint on Iron Man.
Mr. Kline - a criminal mastermind with a strong nicotine addiction - worked behind the scenes, creating all kinds of havoc in Iron Man and Daredevil (which Conway also wrote). On the surface, this seemed a good move. Corporate intrigue pairs with Iron Man as nicely as a fine Pinot Noir with wild salmon. However, what sounds intriguing as a concept begins to fray before we even complete this issue.
In Marvel Masterworks Iron Man, Volume 8, Gerry Conway offered an apology for the entire Mr. Kline storyline, specifically stating, “I honestly don’t recall what I intended when I introduced him…” and that he was “still on the bottom end of a long learning curve.”
Good to know. With that in mind, let’s see about “The Claws of the Slasher.”
Credits
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: George Tuska
Inks: Jim Mooney
Letterer: Artie Simek
Editor: Stan Lee
Cover Art: George Tuska & Frank Giacioa
Release Date: June 1, 1971
Synopsis
Starting the fun, we have two guys in cute green jumpsuits with black polka dots. One has a dark goatee and Little Orphan Annie eyes. The other wears goggles, metal gloves and is apparently the Slasher. I can only guess that he was too busy with the device he’s working on to have had time to pose for the cover. Still, since it is his name in the credits, you’d think they'd have at least waited for him.
Demetrius, the guy with the weird eyes, is nervous about someone on an incoming flight being a threat to their mission. Slasher’s having none of it, grumbling about being partnered with such a worrywart. This is also where we first hear Mr. Kline’s name as he’s the one who assigned this bickering pair.
To no one’s surprise, we find Tony Stark on said plane. But to pretty much everyone’s surprise, sitting next to him is Marianne Rodgers. Even more shocking, Tony’s thought
balloons wonder if she’s the woman he can finally love. Whoa! You just met this woman five issues ago, Tony. You took her on a rebound date and abandoned her to save New York City from a giant robot with a bottle cap head. You move any faster and you’ll get pulled over for speeding.
They're both headed to DC because Tony has to speak before a Senate committee.
But such prep work quickly ends as Slasher’s device suddenly takes out a concrete pillar on a huge airport balcony. Leaving Marianne, Tony becomes Iron Man and seeks to save everyone by…using his repulsors to keep the concrete balcony in place? Uh, I’m not the one in the armor, but wouldn’t it make more sense to hold it up yourself with your boot jets long enough for everyone to get the heck out of there?
As it is, Iron Man’s already concerned that his armor’s reserve power won’t last much longer and once that goes, so does the pacemaker that’s keeping his lonely heart beating. To which I have ask. Reserve power? Guy’s only been on duty for a minute or two. Surely that suit’s got more juice than that. Was Tony so preoccupied with Marianne that he forgot to charge his armor?
At least Iron Man manages to save one woman who started to fall before the rest of the balcony finally collapses. Although the captions say that “Sometimes…you fail” what’s not clear is if there were any casualties. I say that because it looks like everyone had more than enough time to scram for the exits. Or the Comics Code Authority prohibited displaying any graphic depictions of collateral damage.
As Iron Man attempts to gather himself, he’s chastised by Marianne who wants to know what he’s done with the man she loves. (Damn, we’re going to have a pulled muscle if someone doesn’t slow down in this romance.) To display her ire, she doesn't help Iron Man get back to the plane.
From there, we find Tony Stark and another industrialist named Ben Crandell who have some serious ‘splaining to do before a Senate committee about poor construction on Crandall’s part and weapon’s failures on Stark. Again, huh? I’ve been re-reading these past issues multiple times and can’t recall any weapon failures for Stark Industries. But surely a United States Senator would not have ulterior motives for asking these questions or an agenda of their own.
Before we can worry more about that, Marianne has a dire vision of Iron Man, her sweetie and those grumbling dorks with the ugly polka dot jumpsuits. And of course, zero explanation of where those mental talents came from.
Speaking of that grouchy duo, Slasher’s ready for Phase II of their plan while Demetrius whines about another powerful mind that’s messing with his thoughts. Ignoring the Drama Queen, Slasher zaps the Capitol Building with his sonic beam, causing it to start crumbling. But before too much damage is done, Tony once again changes into his red and yellow armor, tracking said sonic beam.
With our hero making short work of the Slasher, it's time for Demetrius to morph into that giant we saw on the cover. This includes those dreaded zits on his forehead swelling until metal tendrils with pinchers erupt from them- truly manifesting the most horrid nightmare of any adolescent kid with acme!
Although our hero is quickly immobilized by those pinchers, all it takes is a snide remark from the Smasher for Demetrius to inadvertently release our hero. Unfortunately, his armor is now too damaged for him to do anything but whine about how he’s failed Marianne. With our two feuding bad guys finally deciding to join forces, things look pretty dire for the guy whose name is on the cover.
Fortunately, Marianne Rodgers picks that particular moment to wander close to the battle scene. Naturally with her in closer proximity, Demetrius experiences severe shrinkage, taking away those pinchers and zits as well. We're then told that his transformation was only an illusion. Why not?
With the sniping pair now dealt with, the issue ends with Marianne calling out to Tony while Iron Man wonders if he dares to love her, out of fear that their romance will end in the disasters that have occurred with all his other romances.
That and it’s hinted that we’ll see more of Marianne’s ESP powers in the next issue.
Oh joy….
Ratings
Story
While it’s easy to blame Conway for the sloppy execution and inconsistencies, I’m going to also throw some shade on whomever served in an editorial capacity. You have a teenager who's new to the profession, writing his first series at Marvel. Wouldn’t a little editorial guidance be beneficial? Asking questions? Suggesting changes? Pointing out problems with the story?
Although I appreciate the writer swinging for the fences, it's painfully clear he bit off far more than he could chew. 3/10
Art
When I first thought of Wimp Factor as a rating for this blog, I immediately envisioned an image of George Tuska’s Iron Man with those pathetic, sad, downcast eyes. I bring that up because, damn, there was an awful lot of that look in this issue. Nor was there much beyond it to elevate the art in this issue.
While we’re thankfully past the issues where the bad art distracted from the overall story, we’re now in the territory where it isn’t sufficient to cover up any warts either. No exciting fight choreography to make us stop wondering why our hero’s struggling with evildoers clearly several levels below his weight class. Speaking of bickering bros, there’s nothing artistically compelling that would have us wanting to know more - other than who in God’s name thought that matching green jumpsuits with black polka dots was a good idea? 5/10
Wimp Factor
If I give this the “glass one fifth full point of view,” I can say taking out Slasher in less than half a page qualifies a positive. But to have his armor low on power barely a page into a rescue operation and mention that damned chest plate in the same breath is downright embarrassing. And to seemingly give up the ship once he’s in the illusionary pinchers of a guy calling himself Demetrius, that’s just all kinds of wrong. 8/10
Villain Rating
Can I shamefully confess that I kinda like Demetrius? Don’t get me wrong. I know he’s a horribly inept villain who signifies one of the Golden Avenger’s low points. But I’d still like to think that in more creative, imaginative hands, someone could’ve found an intriguing backstory to this guy. Would he ever become a bonafide, card-carrying Iron Man villain? Heaven’s no! But maybe an interesting story lies somewhere behind those Little Orphan Annie eyes. 3/10. As for the Slasher? Hey, he should be thrilled that he got his name on the cover and title. 2/10 Did I forget anyone? Oh yeah. Mr. Kline. Given his opening appearance and potential, I’d have been a bit generous. But after finding out that our puppet master has strings on himself as well, all bets are off. 3/10
Overall Rating
What are you expecting when a guy named Demetrius is the best villain? 3/10
Additional Nuts & Bolts
Does it surprise anyone in this segment of the multiverse that this is the first, last and only appearance of the Slasher and Demetrius?
We’re now entering an era when George Tuska and other artists frequently depicted Iron Man’s armor as melting. While a compelling visual, I have to say that as a kid, I had to wonder that if the temps were enough to actually melt the armor, what was it like for Tony Stark inside that suit? Surely, that would raise at least one or two blisters.
For the first time in ten issues, Kevin O’Brien does not make an appearance! Let’s be honest. Did anyone miss him? I didn’t think so.