Iron Man Annual #9

[history79]

13 pages of 41

Comments

[kates]

Sunturion and Stratosfire. With names like that, no wonder these characters haven't shown up recently.

[beyondthefringe]

You shush. Those names are RADICAL, man. :)

[richardak]

This was my favorite version of Iron Man, maybe just because it was the version from when I was a kid, but I still like the aesthetic of this version of the armor. I like the red and silver coloration, the triangular chest-beam, and that the armor has bulk and heft. They went back to a more traditional version of the suit after the Armor Wars arc, but I really liked this one.

As for the story, Roxxon really comes across as stupid here. They do the one thing that is sure to make the unstable super-being they've created hate them. "Not a great plan," as another version of Iron Man once said.

I also think it strange that Tony Stark, of all people, would describe an SDI payload as "evil" or even "illegal". As an aside, this is yet another piece of evidence as to why it is not a good idea to take legal advice from comic books. Likewise, I don't think the public, even in California, would embrace a super-powered terrorist who blows up power plants.

I do really like the panel where Sunturion is activating her self-destruct mechanism. "I know."

[cricharddavies]

I also think it strange that Tony Stark, of all people, would describe an SDI payload as "evil" or even "illegal".

It's important to remember that this was a period where Tony had gotten completely out of the arms business.

[tcampbell1000]

"Could there have been a spark of BRILLIANCE in her madness?"
"I've thought about that, Arthur. It's an interesting question. Maybe someday... I'll have an answer."

[The next day]
"Figured it out! The answer is no. Absolutely not. No way in hell. Look, given that her poli sci major didn't include a minor in nuclear physics, it's sheer dumb luck that using her powers on the plant didn't just turn the whole region into a postapocalyptic cigarette butt. And the argument we used to stop her was ACTUALLY ENTIRELY VALID. The world is a big and complicated place and even if you have the power to just melt everything about it you don't like, doing so is ALWAYS going to create more problems than it solves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go destroy every last shred of my old technology that anyone is using for any reason, up to and including American national defense."

[beyondthefringe]

Man, talk about a blast from the past, and some pretty obscure characters.

I love how Sandy recounts her story to Babs like it's not something they both know. "As you know, Babs..."

And Roxxon is so mustache-twirling evil here, it's a wonder they get anything done. "And then we activate... THE ZED CONTROL." Dun dun duuuuuuuun.

[scorntx]

-"As you know, Babs..."-
Hey, don't mock the afflicted.
Back in those days, Recap Syndrome was a serious problem, people reciting their backstories at the drop of a hat.

[lyricalswagger]

This was the closest they could come in the 80s to saying that Sandy and Babs were lesbians.