IRON MAN vol. 3 #55 (400)
(Aug., 2002) "Book of the Ten Rings, chapter three"
Cover art: Kia Asamiya.
Script: Mike Grell.
Art: Michael Ryan/Sean Parsons, Avalon Studios.
"Out of the Bottle."
Script & Art: Mike Grell. Special double-sized anniversary issue!
Iron Man's 400th overall issue! Featuring: pin-ups by past IM artist greats George Tuska, Bob Layton and Sean Chen! OK, that's the good part! Now for the stories....
Iron Man confronts Ayisha near the North Pole...the duo do battle and the now-cyborg woman goads Shellhead into an emotion-laced offensive. But, just as IM attacks, Temugin (Mandy's son) pops through the Arctic ice via submarine. He takes IM and Ayisha prisoner, and while sharing tea with Stark, he explains what he wants from Tony: his best fight! Tony obliges (having little choice with Ayisha held hostage) but ends up getting his butt handed to him! But just as Temugin is about to finish Tony, Ayisha has freed herself, and a consequent explosion ends up freeing Tony from Temugin's clutches.
In the second yarn, Tony is jaunted back to New York in the ship that rescued him up north. He gets back on the job, stating "there'll be a major announcement from Stark Enterprises." Rumiko Fujikawa pops up (no worse for wear). Then the shocker: Tony reveals to the world that he is Iron Man! How? By saving a dog from being hit by a car!! (Somebody give me some smelling salts, please!) And at the end, it is all but stated that Tony and Pepper had a one-nighter, and that Pep got pregnant from it -- but she lost the baby in Ayisha's attack.
Just when I thought Grell may have been on to something, he delivers this dreck. He abandons an opportunity to make peace with Mandarin's legacy (although this still has promise, I believe). Tony gets his arse kicked by Mandy's son -- and Temugin doesn't even wear his pop's rings!!!??? The armor getting cracked open by Temugin (bad enough) -- and then removed, hammered out and spot-welded by the rescuing ship's crew?? Say, whaaaat?? Lastly, if Stark revealing his secret ID turns out to be valid (Grell hinted at more Ty Stone shenanigans in an interview in A.I. #54), the manner in which it was done is absolutely pathetic. And why emulate Tony Stark from The Ultimates? Everyone already knows that Tony is Iron Man. Yeesh. The extra 1/2 repulsor is for the pin-ups!
Hube's Recommendation: 2 1/2 repulsors!
Fan Reaction: Probably one of the worst issues since Iron Boy. The new suit seems to be weaker than the first red and gold! Couldn't Tony fly and use sonics like he did in Black Panther #44??? Grell don't know crap about tech, does he?? Mike Ryan's art is good, but he seems to be the only guy to draw the new suit well. I'm not keen on the design -- it's a little too busy for IM. -- brandon@barbedwirefx.com
Fan Reaction 2: Oh, boy. I had it more right than I knew when I remarked about #54. We are truly seeing an unrecognizable Tony Stark. He is quite literally not himself. It's been like Tony Stark to leave his friends out of the loop on occasion (Rhodey being the occurrence that had the most negative impact), but to betray Happy by actively courting his wife??? I cannot fathom that one. That's Vol. 2 TS, perhaps. What If? TS, possibly. This just doesn't fit. That having been said, Tony has always been one who knew the value of the closely-guarded secret. Now he's just gonna ditch the secret identity? Doesn't fit. Add to that the numerous things for which Iron Man has been blamed/accused over the years - from the death of the ambassador to the armor wars (IM 'died' and was 'replaced') to the murders prior to the Crossing up to the death of Whiplash - what a ridiculous can of worms. All-in-all, I'd say Mike Grell is the worst writer to hit IM, second only to the Crossing/Teen Tony story. Arguably, the Crossing/Teen Tony writers had the excuse of following the established company edict. I'd wager Mr. Grell does not have the same excuse. Message to Marvel: Stop messing with the core fundamentals of the book. The assumption that the established basis for the book will always be stable is what makes the comic a MAINSTREAM comic. Much as indie-comic fans may look down on mainstream books, I appreciate the mainstream and its place in comicdom.
Wow - wrote too much - this must have me irked. -- TJ
Fan Reaction 3: OH MY GOD. This...this did NOT just happen....IM#55....nonono...this did not just happen...it has to be like in the last issues of Spider-Man, vol. 1, where the Green Goblin unmasks and kills Spider-Man (when really it was all just Gobby hallucinating)..this has to be some weird DreamVision thing Ty Stone did.....no...nonono.....Grell did not just reveal to the world that Tony was Iron Man by SAVING A DOG. No...nonono....this is horrible....Grell should be banned from Marvel forever...what will he do next, reveal that Peter Parker is really a Skrull or something? Good god...I hope that this stupid thing Grell did doesn't stick. I really hope it doesn't. As for your review of the issue, just because of all the horrible things that happened, give it half a repulsor. This issue disgusts me. Buy it just for everything else. -- hyper_aj00@yahoo.com
Fan Reaction 4: Hello Hube. I've been loving Advanced Iron for a long time now. I just wanted to tell you my reaction to #400: Loved the Kia Asamiya cover -- its probably the best cover IM has EVER had. Too bad its the crummy Grell armor, which looks disturbingly like the Heroes Reborn design. I was really warming to the SKIN armor, so much effort (and fan input) went into it. Sigh. And inside, Ryan's art is so gorgeous, why does it have to be wasted on this ugly armor... and this INSANE writer?
Grell's run on Iron Man has been the worst ever -- even worse than the Iron Boy story, IMO. Grell is such a poor storyteller he should be banned from writing comics. I was less than impressed by his work on Green Arrow and Sable, and he has demonstrated such a titanic lack of dramatic sensibility AND such a deep lack of knowledge about the history and character of Iron Man that it's inexcusable to continue to work. His execution of the "out of the bottle" story was the ultimate expression of his crumminess. I have been collecting Iron Man since I was a kid. I started back around issue 120. Now, 280 issues later, Marvel and Grell have made Iron Man such a bad comic that I can no longer justify buying it. IM #400 is the last issue of IM I will buy. Really, its all been downhill since Quesada left -- I think he was the best IM writer I've seen next to Len Kaminski. The sentient armor story was, I think, the IM story to end all IM stories. I'm going to buy the TPB of "The Mask In The Iron Man" and consider it the end of the Iron Man story forever. Damn Quesada for leaving the book, and damn him for letting Grell ruin it. But at least he left the book in a "finished" state, so that the rest of this drek could be suitably ignored.
Here's hoping my words get back to Joe Q, Mike G, or at least to your fabulous website. -- Benjamin
Fan Reaction 5: Unlike you, Benjamin, I cannot bring myself to drop Iron Man. Iron Man is the reason I buy comics at all. I didn’t start collecting comic books until the very young age of 26. While hanging out with a buddy of mine, I found myself struck by the War Machine cover of Iron Man (what was it, #282?). Upon buying and reading that issue, I remembered leafing through an issue of Iron Man when I was ~6 years old. It was a love story, of all things! Madame Masque and Tony Stark were enjoying time by themselves – away from the rest of the world. Why that stuck in my mind, I do not know – but I do know that since that recollection, my obsession with Iron Man was complete! As of IM 282, the book was consistenly good for the next couple of years (short of the art as of #204 or so). Collecting back issues was equally pleasing.
Then came – The Crossing. What an awful thing to have happen to an IM fan. Completely depressing, it was. I realize now that I must go back and re-read the entire Heroes Reborn story, as I was so displeased with the crossing that I couldn’t enjoy the comeback. I still smart from that. The cohesion of the IM mythos just isn’t there anymore for me. That having been said, I still find I must stick with the book. Because of Iron Man, I’ve collected the Avengers, AWC, Force Works, the War Machine series, Wonder Man, U.S. War Machine (can’t wait to see it reviewed on your site – need a reviewer, Hube??)… My joy in IM has lead to branching out in many different directions. But it would all be meaningless if I didn’t continue to read the book that I gave the briefest glimpse when I was so young. So, as long as there is Iron Man, I will continue to buy it. It has taken me so many places over these last 7 years. After all, it will get better eventually, right? -- TJ
Fan Reaction #6: Well, I’ve calmed down a little since I read Iron Man #55 and I have to tell you it is an abomination. Grell has killed this book for me, he’s pure crap. I’m getting flashbacks to Teen Tony and nobody wants that. I think the series is that bad now. Here are the major flaws in the issue IMO:
1) How is it even possible that the Mandarin’s son with only his hands, no rings and a human's level of strength can defeat Iron Man?? This is an absolute travesty and for all intents and purposes should not even be possible in the Marvel Universe, no way, under any circumstances. This is such atrocious writing and a betrayal of the character that I can’t even address it more.
2) What is up with that face plate popping open repeatedly all of the sudden? You’d think he’d have fixed the latch or something by now! That is just pure crap. How often has that happened over the last 40 years? Half a dozen times perhaps? Is this new armor junk or what? Are Tony’s subsequent armors now weaker and weaker than the previous models?
3) The armor must be weaker because how did Temugin get the unconscious Stark out of the armor and into a bath robe? Hello? How many people have tried that and failed?
4) Certainly not that sailor that "pounded out a few of the dents… spot welded here and there" and bingo the most advanced human fighting machine in the world is fixed by a welder at sea! WOW! Could Grell have less of a grasp of what Tony Stark and Iron Man are all about? It seems like every year another new writer takes the book over and tries to recreate Iron Man/Stark into his own interpretation of the character which usually is crap or 180 degrees from what he was.
5)Tony revealing his secret identity was as unbelievable of a plot twist as you could come up with. I agree that if he ever did it, it should be out of a position of strength, not say, from blackmail by an enemy but this?!?!? Amazing!
What a sad state of affairs we are in with this being issue #400. How sad. Read my review of issue #45. I really think that was the last good Iron Man book. Where have we gone from that which could have been a milestone issue? Can we take up a pledge drive to pay Bob Layton’s salary for a year to get him back? Boy, I really miss those days now! What about Len Kaminski? Grell asks "Where were you?" In the garbage can with this book!
Thanks,
Fan Reaction 7: I'm just about done with this book. I stay merely for love of what Iron Man SHOULD be. Comments: Good thing Tony gave Temugin his BEST FIGHT. Iron Man has faced ninja type fighters before, I'm fairly certain that Temugin would be classified as "out of Iron Man's league," or in other words "cannon fodder." That makes it, what? 5 losses in a row? When was the last time IM won? Grell's stint on IM is showing us how much of a loser Tony is instead of showing us how cool it would be to have a suit of armor and lots of money. I like a good tragic IM story as much as the next guy, but for this level of tragedy I'll read Spiderman. They handle tragic characters better over there anyway. OK, good point. I actually ended up liking Temugin's character. He still shouldn't have beaten Tony however.
And then there's the secret out. Oy. Why does Tony have a secret ID? It's never REALLY been to protect those he loves. That's a cop out. IM plays TONY'S bodyguard, not the other way around. That means Tony's more at risk than Iron Man. Tony keeps it a secret because Iron Man keeps him more in touch with the common man. To the world, Iron Man is just another joe working for Stark. Well, that aspect of the book is now sadly gone. This was a poor way of doing it too. The only good thing is that it can always be retracted. Tony can always say, "well the IM I hired quit and I was in a jam to find a replacement quick enough, so I decided to temporarily step in as Iron Man until a suitable replacement was found. I did design the suit you know. But after getting my @$$ kicked by unarmed men and letting senator's wives kill themselves in front of me, It became clear that I was NOT meant to wear the suit... blah blah blah." Man after all that SHOULD he wear the suit? Marvel give me my Iron Man back!!! I went through Teen Tony!!! This is WORSE!!! Keep Ryan on though. I like his improvements here. --
Fan Reaction 8: I liked Temugin, but I thought they should have done much more to establish that he was superhuman. Like having him shatter a skyscrapper with one punch. Or having the monks shoot him with a bazooka instead of just stabbing him with swords. If Grell wants to make basically Goku beat up Iron Man, fine, but clearly establish that Temugin is Goku-level. As is, there are only a few clues to establish that Iron Man didn't get beat up by basically Daredevil. The fight itself looked cool, nontheless. -- nemain@uri1.com
