Iron Man Novels
Gamma Quest part 3: Friend or Foe?
Doom's Day part 2: Sabotage
And Call my Killer... MODOK!
X-MEN / AVENGERS
"Gamma Quest Trilogy book 3: Friend or Foe?" - 2000
Author: Greg Cox
Cover art: Julie Bell
Illustrations: George Pérez
Publisher: BP Books, Berkley Boulevard Books, New York.
Before I begin, I can already hear some of you ask me: «Why did you start with the third book, man? What about the other two?» The answer is very simple. When I saw Iron Man on this beautiful Julie Bell cover, I picked it up and bought it. There you have it.
I thought that, like the Doom's Day trilogy, this would only be loosely tied to previous books. I was wrong. It is a direct continuation of what has been occurring in the two other ones. I didn't know that, but now you do. So the fact that I only read the last instalment may influence my judgement of this novel, keep that in mind for later.
The story:
When this story begins, the Leader has kidnapped Wolverine, the Scarlet Witch and Rogue and is holding them captive in his hideout on the moon.
When this story begins, the Leader has kidnapped Wolverine, the Scarlet Witch and Rogue and is holding them captive in his hideout on the moon.Meanwhile, on Muir Island, Iron Man is fighting some mighty powerful robot-sentinels along with the Hulk, Iceman, Storm, Nightcrawler and Wolverine (obviously a fake). The problem with these robots is that they are powered by a gamma reactor that is programmed to explode if the robot is defeated. It's going to take the combined efforts of Iron Man, the Hulk and Nightcrawler to keep the whole island from going ka-boom!
Everybody then meets up with the Beast, Captain America, Cyclops and the Vision and they all head for the moon to kick the Leader's butt and rescue their team mates. After a fairly boring space skirmish between IM and a Skrull spaceship, the heroes land on the moon and do battle with the Leader. To defend himself, the big green-headed one controls the brainwashed trio of Rogue, Wolverine and Wanda and also has a secret ally… the Super-Skrull.
What's cool:This book has its moments. I found particularly interesting that the author wrote from Iron Man's perspective on numerous occasions, making him an important player in the unfolding events.
This book has its moments. I found particularly interesting that the author wrote from Iron Man's perspective on numerous occasions, making him an important player in the unfolding events.The fight between Iron Man and a brainwashed Rogue was interesting, aside from that silly stunt where Iron Man projects his gauntlets to grab Rogue's ankles, and then reels them (and her) back in with attached steel cables… I don't mind an author adding to IM's known arsenal, but this is just silly. Throughout the battle, Rogue tries to get under IM's armor to come in contact with his skin and Stark thinks: «This skirmish has to stay the super-brawl equivalent of safe sex.» That made me laugh. Hey, it's not so surprising. Stark is supposed to be a playboy after all, and Rogue is quite attractive!
Oops, this part is supposed to be about cool things, right? Okay, hum… let's see… ah! There's the beautiful Julie Bell cover. There are also the George Pérez illustrations that are spectacular, as always. Sadly, I doubt that Mister Pérez took the time to read the book (can't say I blame him) because several of his otherwise beautiful drawings do not accurately depict what is going on in the chapter. Others are more accurate, but they sell punch lines before you actually read about them and that ruins what little surprise there is in this book at all. Okay, since I seem to be set on moaning, so I'll just officially switch to the bad stuff, shall I?
What's bad:I didn't enjoy this book as much as the IM/Spidey novel. The fact that it is not a self-contained story is no doubt partly responsible for that. But it's not the only problem.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the IM/Spidey novel. The fact that it is not a self-contained story is no doubt partly responsible for that. But it's not the only problem.Several times, while I was reading this, I couldn't help but roll my eyes up and think: «Oh! Franchement!» (Québec equivalent of Fer Pete's sake!). Take for example the silly robot-sentinels that the heroes spend the entire three first chapters fighting… they're just silly. The Leader has covered them with artificial skin to make them look like the Hulk, the Abomination and other Gamma-irradiated creatures. Why? For what purpose did he go through all that trouble? It's just silly, there's simply no reason for it. It might have been more visually pleasing in a comic, but this is a novel, so who cares? The gauntlet-cables thing was another such gimme a break moment.
Another thing I found annoying is the author's habit of over-describing scenes. Sometimes it's a lot of fun and it helps you feel like you're actually there… but other times, especially when it occurs in the middle of a fight or a high-suspense sequence of events, it simply breaks the rhythm of the action and it kills the excitement.
Either I'm unusually shrewd, or the story is overall extremely predictable. I was rarely surprised, I saw the supposedly "shock revelations" come from miles away. In fact, sometimes I was so bored that I actually skipped several pages… Part of me thinks that I'm not the best person to comment on this story because I only read the last instalment, but the other part of me thinks that, if the other two books were anything like this, I never would have bothered to read all three of them anyway.
When Captain America yells out: "Avengers Assemble!", the Beast looks at Storm and says: "Ah, how I've missed that classic clarion call! Somehow, 'X-Men Exacerbate!' doesn't have quite the same ring to it!"
Quote: When Captain America yells out: "Avengers Assemble!", the Beast looks at Storm and says: "Ah, how I've missed that classic clarion call! Somehow, 'X-Men Exacerbate!' doesn't have quite the same ring to it!"
SPIDER-MAN / IRON MAN
"Doom's Day book two: Sabotage" - 1997
Authors: Pierce Askegren & Danny Fingeroth
Cover art: Vince Evans
Illustrations: Steven Butler
Publisher: Byron Press, Berkley Boulevard Books, New York.
The story:As we all know (even though sometimes Marvel tends to forget), Tony Stark is one of the most brilliant men on Earth, a true genius.
As we all know (even though sometimes Marvel tends to forget), Tony Stark is one of the most brilliant men on Earth, a true genius.He has created many inventions that have had a big impact on the world, but this new one is in a category all of its own. This new creation will literally change the world as we know it and open a new age for human civilisation.
This formidable new invention is called the «Infinity Engine». It can tap into the quantum field to provide clean and safe energy to everyone on Earth. While Tony Stark reveals this new wonder to the world at a special ceremony, one of the few people in the audience who actually understands and marvels at its full implications is a Daily Bugle photographer, a certain Peter Parker.
But he is not alone, and many are those who would love to get their hands on so powerful a tool. There is Hydra, the international terrorist organisation and their main competitors, the evil scientists of A.I.M. A third party is also greatly interested by this new wonder, but he stays in the shadows, unwilling to reveal his hand in the unfolding drama. For Doctor Doom does not need to make a personal appearance to influence the outcome of the bold sabotage attempt that Hydra and A.I.M. are about to launch.
What's cool:I am a slow reader, especially in English, and I read this novel in a matter of days, that should give you a hint of how much I enjoyed it.
I am a slow reader, especially in English, and I read this novel in a matter of days, that should give you a hint of how much I enjoyed it.What a great read! Great suspense, amazing action scenes, believable and well-researched characters… what a blast! Just thinking about that scene where Spidey falls from a hovercraft towards New York city below, unable to use his webbing to slow his descent because of the incredibly high speed of his fall… wow! Or that other scene where Iron Man battles an incredibly powerful Dreadnought in the upper atmosphere, wearing a new version of his space armor which contains very little weaponry… truly one of our favourite hero's most spectacular defeats! But don't you worry, Iron Man comes back with a vengeance! Those are only two of this book's numerous memorable moments.
In this novel, Iron man is written exactly the way he should always be. He's not just a guy wearing a powerful armor that makes him the equivalent of a walking tank. He's first and foremost a brilliant man, and he proves time and time again that his greatest weapon is his brain. When faced with a desperate situation in which he apparently cannot hope to win (and this occurs on many occasions in this exciting adventure), he analyses, adapts and reacts accordingly. The full potential of his armor are exploited in the course of the story. Iron Fans will be amazed by the new capabilities the writers have integrated to the armor's traditional weaponry. This is truly Iron Man action at its best.
Many characters from IM's supporting cast also make appearances. There's HOMER, Bethany Cabe, Mrs. Arborgast and Happy Hogan. I thought the use of these characters was a very nice touch. That, among other things, makes Iron Man a character just as important to the story as Spider-Man is, instead of it being a Spidey story in which IM randomly appears. In fact, a lot of the book is told directly from Tony Stark's perspective. Great stuff, it's like actually being inside the suit yourself.
The cover art is beautiful, it's what made me buy the book to begin with. On top of that, Steven Butler beautifully illustrates the beginning of every chapter (example at left). The scenes he draws are ones that the reader will encounter later in the chapter, it gives you a hint of what's to come and that just enhances the suspense and the excitement without selling any punch lines early. His art is truly excellent and a perfect addition to the story.
As you can see by the title, this story is the second chapter in a bigger plot called «Doom's Day», but you absolutely do not need to have read the first chapter (featuring Spider-Man and the Hulk) to understand this one. What little you need to know is briefly explained in the course of the story. As for the ending, it opens a window to the third part, which features the Fantastic Four, but the story doesn't leave any major loose ends.
Quote: Tony Stark tells Peter Parker: "Cosmo and Anna Marie both had good things to say about you, and neither of those two are easy to work for. There's always room in SE for one more, and I'd like to have you on board."
And Call my Killer... MODOK! - 1979
Marvel Novel Series 6
Author: William Rotsler
Cover art: Bob Larkin
Publisher: Kangaroo Book, Pocket Books, New York.
The story:Unless I am mistaking (it's been known to happen, every once in a while), this is the very first Iron Man novel ever published. Not that there have been all that many throughout the years, but still…
Unless I am mistaking (it's been known to happen, every once in a while), this is the very first Iron Man novel ever published. Not that there have been all that many throughout the years, but still…Modok wants to get his hands on Iron Man's armor and he's willing to do anything to get it. When the story begins, Stark is giving a conference at Benford university. He is unaware that outside the auditorium, the entire campus is being literally invaded by an army of A.I.M. agents. When they burst into the crowded auditorium and start shooting at students, Stark dives for his attaché case and starts busting head as Iron Man. A.I.M. is forced to retreat but Iron Man is badly injured in the battle. For Modok, the first initiative has failed, but the war has only begun.
What's cool:All in all, a fun novel to read. I don't know why, but when I first read this (I was about 17 at the time), I thought it was great. Now, 13 years have passed and, well… I just think it's okay. Must be maturity and old age, right? Naaaah… ;-)
All in all, a fun novel to read. I don't know why, but when I first read this (I was about 17 at the time), I thought it was great. Now, 13 years have passed and, well… I just think it's okay. Must be maturity and old age, right? Naaaah… ;-)I always thought that Modok was a fun character and he is the main bad guy in this book. His superhuman intelligence and cruelty are well used by the author. Also, you will recognise a lot of old faces like Jasper Sitwell, Nick Fury, Pepper and Happy. Don't expect a literary masterpiece, but simply an enjoyable ride.
What's bad:In two words: chapter two. It's not badly written or anything, but it's a long retelling of IM's origin and I just can't take that anymore.
In two words: chapter two. It's not badly written or anything, but it's a long retelling of IM's origin and I just can't take that anymore.I mean, I love Iron Man and all, but in my personal opinion, his origin lacks something, especially compared to the high-drama and adrenaline-filled origins of guys like Spidey, Batman or the Hulk. And by now, I've just heard it all too many times. So I had to skip some pages of that second chapter because I'm simply suffering from an origin-retelling overdose.
Quote: As he daydreams, Modok says: "As you have seen, nothing sent against this armor has been effective. The suit is nearly impregnable. You could use it in fires - oil fires for example. No troops could stand against it. A company of trained loyal troops equipped like this… could conquer, control and monitor ANY area, against ANY enemy!"
