IRON MAN vol. 3 #52 (397)
(May, 2002) "Jane Doe, part 2."
Cover art: Michael Ryan.
Script: Mike Grell.
Art: Michael Ryan/Sean Parsons.
New Tony Stark friend Abby St. Clair is dead -- but it wasn't the fire that killed her! She was murdered!! Hooo-boy. From here we're led through a "whodunit" storyline worthy of .... say, Daredevil, Spider-man, or.... Green Arrow maybe? If Grell is trying to "change" the image of Tony Stark/Iron Man, it sure ain't working with yours truly. Iron Man is one of the powerhouses of the Marvel Universe, folks. He doesn't wallow in mediocre detective plots. Now, this isn't to say that an IM story couldn't and shouldn't occasionally take a tack like this. But -- to begin your tenure on the IM title with it?? The goal should be to impress the readership right from the get-go, and then experiment with yarns like this.
Once again, Grell makes goofs with the armor's technology (you mean he can't magnetically snag a gun from the evil culprit's hands before she shoots somebody??), and if Ryan doesn't at least get a new inker, his art will remain cartoony and unimpressive. One plus: Ryan does draw a pretty decent Iron Man, and the cover of this ish is one of the best the title has ever witnessed! This fact gives this ish an extra half 'pulsor for a total of....
2 1/2 repulsors!! (By Hube)
Fan Reaction: One could probably scan this issue, paste in ANY superhero over IM and it would work the same. How many times have we heard "I want to focus on the man BEHIND the armor" when a new writer has taken over? When has it ever entailed dropping everything the series has ever represented? I can deal with the artwork -- it tells the story, and the armor looks great to me. But, here, Tony doesn't even seem to be part of the story, he's just along for the ride, until an entirely off-screen action gets him the info to solve the case -- and even THEN he doesn't get the right person! Let's hope the next storyline gets IM back to where he belongs!
One last comment: ever get a big thrill when, in the middle of a case, Tony has to crank up the forge and bring out a new armor? That is what keeps me buying IM over and over, since he used to share the mag back in the sixties. Now, three issues later, and we don't even know what the armor can do, other than run out of power, not deal with heat, not support his heart... -- pdrakesr@msn.com
