IRON MAN vol. 3 #43 (388)
(Aug., 2001) "The Big Bang Theory, part 2."
Cover art: Keron Grant & Rob Stull.
Script: Frank Tieri. Art: Keron Grant/Stull & Perrotta.
OK, so Iron Man has fifteen minutes to shed his armored duds before they go "BOOM!" He decides to head for Avengers Mansion where a force field can be put over the armor, so it can detonate safely. But wait -- an obstacle appears! It's Mr. Hyde -- who calls himself "The Fuse" for the bomb that is in Shellhead's armor (*yawn*)! Besides the fact that this is the third ish in a row where we are subjected to a most gratuitous use of a random baddie, Grant's rendition of Hyde is absolutely horrific (although his Iron Man actually isn't bad). And does Frank read his own scripts? On page 4, IM is wary of using his shields for fear of detonating the bomb, yet there he is on page 8 utilizing exactly that feature of the armor! (And if he's not sure just what feature of his armor may detonate the bomb, why use any of them, eh?) Note the annoying typeface switch of the chronometer on page 13, too! Tony makes to the Mansion, but the armor doesn't blow up! OOPS! The real bomb was back at .... Askew Electronics!
Hube's Recommendation: 2 repulsors!
Fan Reaction: I loved the fresh new art of Keron/Stull. I think that it was also really cool to see Iron Man face an opponent with a suit of armor that was not quite complete. How often has that happened. Often he just appears with his newly completed armor ready to kick butt. I love the idea that Iron Man can have a failed system in a new suit. I think the vulnerability of his incomplete armor adds to the story. Also I noticed a comment that called the villains "random." I think that it is refreshing to see a Spidey or Daredevil villain cross into the pages of Iron Man. After all these villains do roam free. It would seem to make sense for heroes to run into "random" villains, instead of just seeing the same old standby baddies, with a new one thrown in every once and a while for the heck of it. I just want to say that I think that your opinions are really on the money about most of the issues that I am familiar with, I just thought that you were kinda rough on the last couple of issues. Since I saw 42 I have begun the long and expensive task of back issue reading. -- James Blevins
