Review: Iron Man #61
- Rick Moore
- 7 hours ago
- 7 min read
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.
But hey, let me offer at least one positive. The Annoying Hippy’s nowhere to be found!
On that note, let’s see why “Death Knells Over Detroit!”
Credits
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Pencils: George Tuska
Inks: Mike Esposito
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover Art: Rick Buckler & Frank Giacoia
Release Date: May 8, 1973
Synopsis
Props to go to Rick Buckler who does his part on the cover in attempting to present the Masked Marauder as a dire threat with Iron Man trussed up like a Holiday Ham. Unfortunately, interior artists George Tuska and Mike Esposito didn’t get that same memo. Only our hero’s arms are held in place by some funky device. From my vantage point, I can immediately conjure up about a half dozen ways that our guy can easily break those bonds. Maybe he wants the chatty bad-guy to spill more of the beans? Or he’s concerned that they are in a very, very expensive shuttle designed by Stark Industries that he'd really like to bring back in one piece. If nothing else, his lack of action allows a nice recap of a bad comic.
The Masked Marauder then informs our hero that instead of ransoming the shuttle for humongous sums of money, he’ll instead blackmail the good ol’ US of A for even more green or he’ll have said send said shuttle into the very center of Detroit with an atomic bomb on board!
No explanation is provided as to how the guy wearing the huge welding goggles has access to as well as the know-how to construct a nuclear device.
Don’t worry. It only gets worse.
The Masked Marauder’s chief flunky - and man who’s the runner up in the Lex Luther look-a-like contest - Steele then uses a cutting torch removes one of Iron Man’s gloves.
Which also makes no sense given everything we’ve ever been told about the Golden Avenger’s armor. But hey, at least that deed finally prompts out our hero to finally act like a hero. Meaning his uses his boot jets to break free of the constricting bonds.
But instead of putting a quick end to all this silliness, Iron Man allows Uncle Fester to zap him with a repulsor ray from that glove. Worse, even as the residual power fades from that glove, Steele keeps him busy for not one or two, but four freaking pages!
We move from adventure in the high skies to drama between Pepper and Happy Hogan. Hubbie’s now decided that wifey must quit her job with Tony right now and immediately calls her to let his ultimatum be known.
Unfortunately, having found a place to park the shuttle, the Masked Marauder has apparently found a place to quickly park the shuttle, is now on the phone with Pepper.
Why?
Because what better manner to convey a supervillain’s dastardly threat to blow Detroit with an atomic bomb than simply call Tony Stark’s incredibly efficient secretary and have her do the rest of the work!
We move from adventure in the high skies to drama between Pepper and Happy Hogan. Hubbie’s now decided that wifey must quit her job with Tony right now and immediately calls her to let his ultimatum be known.
Unfortunately, having found a place to park the shuttle, the Masked Marauder has apparently found a place to quickly park the shuttle, is now on the phone with Pepper.
Why?
Because what better manner to convey a supervillain’s dastardly threat to blow Detroit with an atomic bomb than simply call Tony Stark’s incredibly efficient secretary and have her do the rest of the work!
Geez, the poor Unicorn only got about three panels a few issues back.
Anyway, once the flunky’s boss then blasts several hundred pounds of machinery onto the one-gloved Iron Man - leading me to voice several important questions.
Since when would a few hundred pounds of machinery be a concern to a superhero in Iron Man’s weight class?
Wouldn’t pretty much every piece of machinery be important to keeping this shuttle in the air?
And just who the hell’s flying this shuttle anyway?
It gets even worse!
Of course having the phone busy when Happy calls pushes our former pugilist over the edge.
By this time, although our hero somehow manages to free himself of a couple hundred pounds of machinery, he’s again blinded by the Masked Marauder’s Opti-Blast. At least Tony uses his smarts to use a live current to restore his vision and get this slow train of a comic book moving again.
The next seven panels are devoted to Iron Man finally putting out of action a villain who hasn’t faced a superhero since getting trounced by Daredevil years earlier.
And it still gets worse!
With Masked Doofus downed, we. Of course we get yet other round with Steele - this time, Iron Man giving him the other glove. Yawn. It’s two more pages of pointless fisticuffs before Mr. Clean’s evil twin is completely out of action.
Still have no idea who was flying the freaking shuttle. Or was it grounded at this point? If so, I’m guessing Tony Stark got stuck with one hefty parking ticket.
But before inquiring minds can pursue any of that, we learn from a teary-eyed Pepper that her unhappy hubbie’s sent a telegram to let her know that he leaving her. That and the next issue blurb simply says, “Whiplash!” (Which as a kid still new to all this, had me wondering if this meant someone was going to have a really bad automobile accident.)
Story
I’m not sure what’s responsible for the “hiccup” of these past two issues with a very lame villain, sidekick that won’t go away and thick, gooey drama poured over everything.
Aside from the Tiger Stadium sized holes in this story, Happy’s behavior is wildly inconsistent as someone who not only used to be directly involved in Tony Stark’s world as his chauffeur, but also as someone who knows that he’s Iron Man. Happy’s even filled in as Iron Man - which did not go well! Missing Pepper is one thing. But acting as he does in this issue makes absolutely no sense.
Is this Mike Friedrich’s worst issue of Iron Man so far? To quote that bad caption above, “Believe it, Punk!” 3/10
Art
I’ve started becoming more and more critical of the art due to what I see as a “sameness” on the part of George Tuska and Mike Esposito. However, in their defense, they’re not really given a whole lot to work with. Battles inside a shuttle with a cloaked villain and Dr. Evil’s forgotten uncle are a far cry from tacking the Sub-Mariner underwater or a creepy, clever-wielding cyborg from a sub-atomic world. Both artists do what they can. But it couldn’t have been much fun. (Just a note - enough already with Tony Stark wearing Ascots!) 5/10
Wimp Factor
Iron Man fighting without gloves? What’s he thinking? And just a hot torch disconnects them? The only saving grace is that our hero has to use weapons outside of his repulsors throughout this issue. But that’s to put down a guy who barely qualifies to carry a “supervillain card” and what’s essentially a coked-up disgruntled former Radio Shack manager who forgot to take his Rogaine. 8/10
Villain Rating
You know that a villain’s lacking a certain luster when Daredevil prefers Stiltman and Leapfrog over letting them make a return appearance. The Masked Marauder puts in the necessary overtime to prove his low standing. Ranting and raving instead of dealing with his opponent. Calling an Executive Secretary to issue his demands. 3/10 Much as I despite Steele, since the book gave him more screen time than the Marauder, I’ve no choice but to rate him as well. But news flash - it isn't going to be high. 1/10
Overall Rating
In a couple of years, a story like this would become a “fill-in” that allowed a book to get back on schedule instead of having to use a reprint. These tended to be very generic stories with no real consequences. That’s where this one belongs. 3/10
Additional Nuts & Bolts
Good news! The Masked Marauder never again darkens Iron Man’s door. But our hero tackles him again in a few years in Werewolf By Night #42 where he teams up with Wolfie to deal with the Marauder’s latest scheme. The only reason I know this is that I shamefully bought that dismal issue solely because of an outstanding Dave Cockrum cover. Please, please don’t tell anyone.
As for Steele, he made several guest appearances in Thor, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man before a two-issue tryout in Marvel Feature that led to his becoming a keynote character in
The Defenders and…I’m kidding! Thankfully, we never see this cueball again! (And with his departure, no more bald jokes! I promise!)