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(Dec. 2002)
"In Shining
Armor, part 2." Cover art:
Mike Grell. Script:
Mike Grell. Art: Mike Grell/Scott Hanna.
Well. After I thought Grell was actually on to something with the way-cool
addition of a time machine to Stark's cache of playthings, we get....this.
Archeologist Dr. Mallory
asks Pepper to send
her back in time to assist Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Meanwhile, 1000 years in the past, Stark is being tortured by the evil Aislinn
for the secret of his armor. Later, Tony engages in some incredibly
boring and stiff dialogue with fellow captive "Brann,"
and then the duo escape; this actually spans five pages, folks. YAWWWWN.
Brann and Stark then witness the arrival of Dr.
Mallory...who then promptly merges with Aisinn
into one being! We're then "treated" to more escape "action"
littered with lame dialogue, and then three more pages of astonishingly
uninteresting banter between Stark and Brann.
This story arc,
which as I said before had such promise, quickly degenerates into total pablum.
It's not even mildly appealing. I can't remember reading a more boring IM
issue. One saving grace is Grell's art, which, along with Hanna's inks, is
pretty decent. Another is the cojones of the editors for publishing
several scathing letters in "Iron
Filings," including two from past and present
A.I. contributors (Jason Stephens and Mike Kalibabky).
Hube's Recommendation: 
1/2 repulsors!
Fan Reaction:
Dull. Grell's dialogue is just plain dull. I thought the heart could draw power
from the armor? Wasn't that a key plot point during issue #50? Stark getting to
the armor so it could recharge his heart? So why is Stark worried about dying
while wearing the armor? And why is he worried about lightning? Lightning is the
best thing that could happen to him if the armor doesn't have enough power to
recharge the heart. Has Grell forgotten the armor's energy-absorption grid
again? Even the lightning of Thor just made Iron Man more powerful. But the lack
of power would be forgivable if Grell's dialogue wasn't so incredibly dull. His
art is pretty, at least. --
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Fan Reaction 2:
Hi Hube, Long time reader of the site and the time has come for a first time
Issue Review. It is THE worst comic I have ever read in my entire life.
Now over the years I have read some Dross but the Grell Run has really taken the
cake culminating in this suckfest. I can't see how it can even rate one
repulsor. Let's just look at the run to date: So far all Tony and Iron Man
have done is get beaten up a lot and ignore the world around him. First
off this time machine guff. OK, in the last few issues Tony got his ass handed
to him by a Drug Lord Kung Fu Ninja type, a welder on a merchant ship can fix
the most advanced piece of technology on the planet (maybe it was Dr Doom in
disguise), The Titanium Man was sent to wreck the satellite (and succeeded and
got away) and set the building on fire, caused Pepper to lose a baby that he has
admitted he fathered (never mind that fact that Happy is his oldest friend and
saved his life), and revealed his ID to the world. What mention does all
this get ??? NONE. This is Tony Stark, Iron Man. He followed Dr Doom
to Latveria to retrieve some computer parts Doom Stole, he invaded MARRS Corp to
deal with Kearson DeWitt, he tracked down and destroyed any armour that used his
technology for evil, so in the face of all this what does this hero do?
He builds a time machine and
leaps into it. I am now convinced that Mike Grell is using this book as a
try out to take over Daredevil or Batman. What REALLY grates me, however,
is that it carries on, Peter David and Joey Da Q can have their moronic Captain
Marvel competition/experiment. Pay ATTENTION to what else is going on with
your titles Joey. Readers are leaving in droves -- check your sales figures.
There's a reason it's dropped, you know. My suggestion: fire Grell and
then get on your knees and BEG Baby Face Bob Layton or Len Kaminski to
write the book until you find someone who doesn't have to rehash stories from
the 60's (my heart, power needed etc.) and knows the difference between a
toaster and the armour.
--
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Fan Reaction 3:
Hube, nice cover again, but that's all the praise I can give. I think Grell is
some mad pilot on a kamikaze mission to demolish any credibility left in this
mag and he will not release the damn joystick! I can't buy IM anymore, not with
this group of so-called creators in charge. Grell doesn't research, he skims,
and all that results is wafer-thin babble of the boring kind. My only hope is
that 1) Grell is removed; 2) that armor is melted down into a slag heap and
never ever sees the light of day again, and 3) the intro of a respected creative
artist + writer forthwith! Heres to a better future. --
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