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IRON MAN vol. 3 #84 (428) |
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(Aug. 2004) "When Worlds
Collide! -- Turf War part 1." Cover
art: Steve Epting. Script:
John Jackson Miller. Art: Jorge Lucas. A
conundrum! Henry Gyrich and Avengers butler Jarvis ponder Avengers Mansion's
growing garbage problem. Why is there a problem? because Avengers Mansion is now
sovereign territory and no longer part of the United States! Cut
to: Carl Walker in his (recolored)
Force
armor battling a trio of
armored "hostiles." Oh, but that's just a training exercise where new
Secretary of Defense Tony Stark is showing off to senators some of his ideas to
make US soldiers "invulnerable" in the field. But the senators need to
rap with Stark in private -- about a little thing dubbed "Project
Tomorrow." It seems that there was another Arsenal
machine built by Stark's father (see IM
vol. 1 #114 for IM's
battle with the first) in a secret sub-basement under Avengers Mansion
(which was, you recall, once the Stark family house). Here's the hassle:
Since Avengers Mansion is now essentially a "sovereign nation," how
can Stark (Iron Man)
get into the mansion's basement to permanently deactivate the Arsenal ...
legally, that is, and without arousing suspicion? Answer:
He can't! He's actually on the verge of success until Gyrich orders the Falcon
to jam the Arsenal deactivation code being sent to IM
from Washington! Hooo-boy! Arsenal then "awakens" and all hell breaks
loose!
What
more can I say about JJM's respect for Iron
Man lore? Yet again, he
demonstrates his impeccable IM
knowledge -- bringing back a late-70s villain with appropriate history, a cool
"Force Works" quip by Carl Walker just to name two -- as well as his
familiarity with politics and political machinations. Color me impressed. Again.
It sucks that Miller's exiting the title soon.
Hube's
Recommendation: 
1/2 repulsors!
Fan
Reaction: This
is one of the best Iron Man issues I have read in a LONG time. I have not been
real thrilled about whole Avengers Disassembled and the re-launch of the book
but, after reading this issue and the first two issue of Thor I am very
impressed. These comics feel like the good old days of Marvel. I agree Hube,
it is shame that Miller is leaving soon. I have not liked all his stories but he
has been one HELL of a faithful writer to the Iron Man lore!! One problem I have
with this issue as well as with several books lately: Marvel needs to go back
and but the reference boxes back in so we can go a look up these old issues. I
also believe that they would help comic shops sell more back issues because
people might be interested in reading the original source material.
One
other note: You mentioned in your review, that Iron Man battled the original
Arsenal back in issue 114. That issue continued over into Avengers Annual
#9 from 1979. The whole team battled Arsenal but the issue was
more about IM. It was in this book that much of the material that Miller used in
the issue came from not from IM #114.
Can’t
wait to see how this one ends. It has been a while since I have had that
feeling. --
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