Flair for the gold

Welcome to the first post of the new month. I promise to put on a hell of a show for you today,
so enjoy

Speaking of fun, you recognize this commercial?

Yeah I know, I know. God bless him though, as he's still going, living like it's 1986 and he's on top of the world. Of course if it really was 1986 again, that still wouldn't be enough time to for him to save up money to pay off  the millions.....and millions, he owes the in back taxes to the IRS. Sad but true.

Anyways, as is the custom here at the House of Fun, I parody the shit out these unintentionally funny commercials as only I can.

I dare you not to laugh.......

Trigon: "Whew! Man, looking for my other arm and leg is really taking a lot out of me. I need to drink some blood quick, or sacrifice some of those delightful crack babies everyone's raving about, because I am tired."

Things look bleak for Trigon until all of a sudden......

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Ric Flair(God): "Woooooo! The souls of those poor little crack babies wouldn't drain themselves. Here, why don't you drink this energy shot and get that blood and demonic energy pumping again. It really puts the wooooooo! in my WOOOOOO!

Don't forget to to spay and neuter your kids! Wooooooo!"

Trigon: "I don't know what the hell that was all about, but now I'll be able to find the rest of me and conquer this pitiful planet and all its dimensions in no time. Thank you Ric Flair. You lovable broke bastard! Wooo indeed ."

Elsewhere we find.......

Iron Man: "Hic', Uh, uh, Harmpfhhfh! Oh, oh God! That was worse than the last one! G**damn Matt Fraction for costing me my hard-fought sobriety and making me a stinking drunk again! I swear, when I find him I'm going to repulsor blast his fucking face right off! Hurmph! 

Oh, uh, I think it just came out of both ends! Rhodey! Rhodey! Come quick and clean me up. I just had an accident in my suit. Oh, god the smell...."

And then all of a sudden.....

WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Iron Man: "Oh no!"

Ric Flair: "Wooooo! Hello Tony. Looks like you're in need of a serious pick me up champ."

Iron Man: "Oh Steve Jobs no! Not you again! Last time we partied together, you out drank me and stole all the women."

-It's true kids he did!

Ric Flair: "Here, drink my new and improved energy shot. One drink of my energy shot, and you'll be back to pounding those drinks hard , and pounding the women even harder. Wooooooo!"

Iron Man: "Well, fuck it! It's not like my day can get any worse right? Wait what was that? Reboot in the MU? Bendis leaving the Avengers? Noooooooooo!"

Elsewhere again......

Red Arrow: "Ughh man! I'm so wiped out from that last 48 hour Heroin binge while watching that Young Justice marathon, that I don't have enough energy left in me to shot up my last batch."

Then suddenly......

Wooooooooo!

Red Arrow: "Whaa!?"

Ric Flair: "Wooooo!  What's the matter little Brother, got Iced again? 

Red Arrow: "Uh yeah, you can say that."

Ric Flair: "Well don't worry, because the 16! 16! 16! 16! 16 time World Heavyweight champion of the world has got just the energy shot for you. After drinking a shot of this, you'll be ready to get back on the horse again. Woooooo!

Red Arrow: "Wow Ric Flair, thanks!"

Ric Flair: "That's right. Drink Ric Flair's energy shot. It puts the woooooo! in my Wooooooo!

Did I ever tell you how me and the 4 Horsemen used to party all night and party a little longer? Woooo! It's true brother."

Red Arrow: "Wait, you and 3 other guys used to do Heroine so much you named yourselves after it? Fuckin' Sweeeeet!"

Red Arrow: "Huh, what!? What the hell just happened? Oh man, I think I just hallucinated that Ric Flair was here. That's weird. Oh well, thanks to that little nap, I can get back to doing what I do best: Shooting......Heroin. Ha, you though I was gonna' say arrows huh? Suckers."

The WOOOOOOOOO! End.

"The Doctor will see you now"....

Another day, another dollar. Well not for me, but for someone somewhere probably.
I finished writing some new skit material, now I just have to wait for the weather to improve so I can start taking pictures and then post. Damn you weather!

Here's one I did finish, and it's a little thing I call "The Doctor will see you know"....

Dr. Strange: "Tony, have you seen my cape? I-, oh for the love of Hogarth! Tony give me back my cape!"

Iron Man: "Come on Strange, I look totally fucking pimp in this thing.

Dr. Strange: "Tony, you have no idea what kind of magical forces you're messing with. You could unleash an untold amount of destruction and devastation just by wearing that thing."

Iron Man: "Oh come on, you're just mad because I look better in this thing than you do. Besides, according to an old issue of What If?, I was Sorcerer Supreme instead of you once. See:

"See? I make this shit look good!"

Dr. Strange: "Sigh. That was another world Tony. It hardly counts at all"

Iron Man: "Yeah so? Plus, I can make up cool spells too. Check it out: 

"By the loose whores of the Sunset Strip, I banish you straight to the hell of an AA meeting!"

 or 

"By the drunken antics of Lindsey Lohan, I sentence you to 100 hours of community service!"

Dr. Strange: "Sign."

Iron Man: "Besides, I can't give it back to you because there's a waiting list to use your cloak."

Dr. Strange: "There's a what!? Dammit Tony!"

Nick Fury: "Damn straight there's a line Captain Hocus Pocus, and I'm next after the Booze hound over there."

 Dr. Strange: "Well how in the hell do I get home now?"

Nick Fury: "Click your heels together 3 times and say there's no place like home. No? Fine just use my jetpack."

Dr. Strange: "I really need to find better friends than this. I hope Wong's making tea, because I have a massive fucking headache!"

Nick Fury: "The name's Fury, Dr. Fury sweet tits. I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, except bubble gum's for pussies and I'd rather chew on a cuban, so there."

-Look familiar? It should:

Thanks Goo!

Daredevil: "Sweet, I think I can see again! Oh the colors, the beautiful, beautiful colors!

That better be the cloak and not a brain tumor doing this."

Luke Cage: "Yeah boyyyyyy! By the sweet, funky shades of the Harlem Globtrotters, I am Dr. Love!"

Luke Cage: "That's right, that's right. Because I'm a smooth pimp, who lovesssssss the pussy! And this here's my blind manservant, Whitey!"

Daredevil: What!? I'm Daredevil Luke."

Luke Cage: "Uh yeah, this is my manservant Daredevil. He can't see too good, but damn can this man find the pussy. Now can you dig that suckaaaaaaa?"

Daredevil: "I can dig it."

"Baby, you're a rich man"

Hey people,
I don't know about you guys, my weekend wasn't bad. I went to the Toys R' Us in the nearby city of Florence and snagged some cool new figures; DCUC's Wave 20 to be exact. There's was tons and tons of figures to choose from that and other toy lines. I even found a Monarch figure from the Venture Bros. cartoon series for only $5.90, but passed on it anyway.

What I did get though was Red Arrow(prepare to bombarded by drug/junkie skits now), Hawk(of Hawk and Dove fame), a personal favorite and must-have, Prof. Zoom, the Reverse-Flash, and last but not least......the Super-Friends edition 2-pack of Hal Jordan/Sinestro on sale for only $20. No bad from being originally $35.

The big thing(ha ha) that was the main selling point for me, was the fact that this Sinestro was in his traditional blue and black costume, that was sculpted in more appropriate scale and body-wise than the other Sinestro figures distributed throughout the line.

Plus the extra glowing energy ring construct weapons were welcome bonuses to the 2-pack. Too bad there aren't that many necessary accessories packaged in with the regular figures, as that's become a growing, but now moot point of contention from fans. Moot now that the wave has ended for now. Damn shame that one is!

Anyways, while I struggled and debated over either getting the 2-pack or 2 more Wave 20 figures such as Dove and the modern Green Arrow, I went with the 2-pack and never looked back.

Now some of you, especially Goo, would ask "How in the hell do you buy Hawk, but not Dove?" Simple. I'm a terrible chauvinist when it comes to figures. I rarely buy female figures unless they either look good enough to get or I need them for their C&C parts. Yep, just using them for their parts. How like a man huh?

As much as I really thought about buying Dove, I just couldn't pass up DC Comics' favorite teen sidekick junkie, so blame Roy, everyone else does.

Alright now on to today's skit, and bear with me folks as it's kinda' long. Not super long, but longer than my usual skits. It features Iron Man and Green Arrow(he broke his cherry guys!), so enjoy.

Green Arrow: "Well, well, well! If it isn't Mr.Moneybags himself,  Tony Stark."

Iron Man: "Hey Ollie. What's the matter with you?"

Green Arrow: "What's the matter with me? I'll tell you what's the matter with me. It's you! You're nothing but a Howard Hughes-wannabe, who happens to also be a typical, lying, opportunistic war-proffiteer who greed knows no bounds. Not to mention an insatiable horn-dog, whose love of women is only matched by his love of booze."

Iron Man: "Really, is that all? I think you forgot to call me a fat cat too."

Green Arrow: "Damn straight you are!"

Iron Man: "Look, I don't know what your problem is Ollie, but it's not with me. And since we're being so honest with each other, I feel turnabout's fair play. I'm not going to stand here and be insulted by a guy who has white-collar guilt."

Green Arrow: "What!? I don't have white-collar guilt."

Iron Man: "Sure you do. You're no better than a typical suburban white kid who thinks he's black just because he listens to Rap and feels he's being held down by "the man." You need to get over yourself because you're nothing more than egotistical loud-mouth, who claims to be disgusted by rich people, yet easily forgets how he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a golden rod up his ass. Not to mention being woefully unable to admit to being a second-rate copycat of Batman, who'd rather play William Tell than be a good enough role-model to keep his kid sidekick off of smack."

Green Arrow: "Yeah, well you're still a man-sized Richie Rich with delusions of grandeur, who uses his money to fill an empty space in his heart instead of what really matters, love. You also had a black manservant, so suck on that Miss Daisy!"

Iron Man: "Manservant!? Rhodey's a good friend who helps me out from time to time, you pathetic Robin Hood wannabe. FYI, Robin Hood was a well-known criminal who regularly looted and robbed from both rich and poor people alike. But for some strange reason he was made out to be a heroic outlaw, and not the common thief with good-to-average archery skills and a better PR rep he really was. And by the way, last I checked this is the 2000's, not the 12-or 1300's that you seem to think it is. Who the hell still uses a bow and arrow to fight crime this day and age, except maybe real-tree, jacket-wearing rednecks with deer stands and bad teeth."

Green Arrow" Yeah, what about Hawkeye, yours and Captain America's favorite ass-slave?"

Iron Man:"What about him? He gets a pass because he's f'n Hawkeye! Plus Clint's a much cooler name than Ollie, and he's in one a major top-selling movie."

Green Arrow: "Damn man, why you gotta' be like that? I'm sorry man, I just have a had a very bad week and all. I guess I didn't really mean all that stuff I said....well most of it anyway."

Iron Man: "It's all right Ollie. We're all entitled to have bad days sometimes. It's the nature of the game of life I guess."

Green Arrow: "Well, let's go find some cold ones and some hot women to make us feel better about 

ourselves. Whatta' say Stark?"

Iron Man: "Well, I guess technically I did give up my sobriety to for help from the gods during that Fear Itself bullshit, so I guess I better do my part to honor my bargain, so what the hell. Let's get stinking, falling-down drunk and tear shit up. We can always blame the property damage on some stupid super-villain that happens to be nearby. After all, it worked for President Bush Jr."

Green Arrow: "Cool. Except I'm all outta' cash right now tin-man. Sorry."

Iron Man: "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Fuck it I'm rich! The booze and bitches are on me, but you got next time."

Green Arrow: "Fine by me Fat cat."

Both: "Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Collector Box Blues

Hello Cats and Kittens,
Well today is the the last skit of the month, and what a month of skits it's been huh? Half-weird, half-wonderful, and kinds crazy good fun!

I'm sure you're all wondering what's in store for you guys today? Well wait no more good people, and enjoy "Collector Box Blues."

Thing: "Quick, someone say sumptin' funny before that sonavabitch sticks us back in that damn box again!"

Mr. Fantastic: "Hmm. Well I do have a funny anecdote about Albert Einstein."

Torch: "Dammit Reed, Ben said something funny, not something that'll make us wanna' blow our brains out due to sheer boredom!"

Invisible Woman: "Johnny! You don't have to be so mean to Reed. You know comedy's not his forte."

Mr. Fantastic: "Gee honey, thanks."

Torch: "Hey sis, you have to put up with Reed because you married him, not us. It's not our fault's he's not funny."

Thing: "Great, just great! We've wasted all dis' time fussin' without being funny. Now we're going back inta' that damn box fa' sure!"

-The Thing farts....big time!

Torch: "What a revoltin' development that was Ben...In your pants! Ugh god!"

Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman: "Urghh, Ben!!!! That was much, much worse than an attack by Dr. Doom old friend!"

Thing: "Sorry!"

-All three laugh at Ben.

Thing: "Does that mean I did good then?"

What do you think guys? Not bad?

No on to something a  little different.

You remember that whole Heroes Reborn event from the late 90's? I'm sure most of you do. I'll get back  to how badly time's(and fans have) treated them over years, but that's not what I want to showcase right now. Nope, after going over all of the various HR issues I have, I've stumbled on a few quotes from the various heroes, that if taken out of the innocent context they were written in, could be taken out of context as extremely sexual and just plain wrong.  Wizard Magazine's done this before with various X-Men quotes over the years , so sit back and enjoy the little nuggets of perversity I've stumbled upon.

Fantastic Four#2 (Vol.2)( Nov'96):

Sue Storm: "Reed! It's, it's working! But...so difficult...to keep it...open!"

"Can't maintain this shaft..much longer! The Strain is murderous!"

-No that's not Mr.Fantastic's nether region she's talking about. Go read the issue and you'll see what's really going on here.

Fantastic Four#5 (Vol.2) (Jan '97):

Super-Skrull: "Enough! Unngh!" " Your human form would not have been able to withstand the infusion of such raw primal power!"

-Man I hope he's just talking about the power Cosmic and not something else. Ugh indeed!

Finally this other gem of perversity:

Iron Man#7 (Vol.2) (May '97):

Thor: "A hole. Thou hast brought the God of Thunder to the very netherworld of Avengers mansion....to show me a hole?"

"My armored friend, as holes go, it compares to none. And I do not mean to belittle thy efforts, but if we art to be Avengers, why wouldst we need a hole to put our weapons when any true warrior ne'er allows his weapon to leave his side?"

Iron Man: "I....never mind."

OMG people! I hope Thor's talking about underground hole, and scene from one of those really nasty pornos. You know? The one that has some freaky chick insert her whole fist or various foreign objects into her....you know....happy place?

Never mind indeed.

And that's a just a sample of random quotes you can find any comic book that seems just plain dirty if you have the right kind of imagination. You know, like I do.

Happy hunting kids!

Oh, here's a quick one I just found:

Apparently Ol' Shell-Head's into fisting too! Damn!

"Bang your head...Metal health will drive you mad!"

Hey folks. Enjoy the weekend? I'll take that as a yes/no.

Well today's skit is one long since done and in the can(no not that can you sickos) so enjoy.

Iron Man: "I'm Heavy Metal!"
Thor: "I say thee nay; I am heavy metal!"

Iron Man: "Am not!"

Thor: "'Tis true friend Tony!"

Iron Man: "Am not!"

Thor: "'Tis true!"

Iron Man: "Hey Steve, help us settle this thing between Thor and I. I say I'm Heavy Metal because, well look at me; I'm wearing a suit of metal armor, so I'm more heavy metal than Thor."

Thor: "I say thee no good Captain! I am Thor, God of Thunder! I am the very inspiration behind the very genre and every heavy metal band past, present, and future!"

Captain America: "That's a good point Thor."

Iron Man: "Maybe that weird Swedish metal crap, but not Metal in general! Hell, Black Sabbath named a song after me for God's Sake! It's even the main soundtrack in my movies. You don't even have your own song."

Captain America: "Tony made a good point there Thor, so-"

Thor: "Watch where thy tread friend Tony! You forgeth who thou speakth to. I am the very God of Heavy Metal Thunder, as the noble Steppenwolf and KISS both doth proclaim."

Iron Man: "Bullshit! you are not heavy metal!"

Thor: "'Tis so foul pretender!"

Iron Man: "Am not!"

Captain America: "Guys c'mon on, this is getting a little ridiculous here."

Captain America: "Guys! Guys!"

Thor: "'Tis true!"

Iron Man: "Am not!"

Thor: "'Verily I say, 'tis true!"

Iron Man: "Are not,I am!"

Thor: "I say thee nay! My father Odin and Brother Ronnie Dio(who doth dwell now in the halls of Valhalla) hath decreed it so!"

Iron Man: "The hell he did, plus he could never replace Ozzy Osbourne. And I'm heavy metal!"

Thor: "'Tis not, I am!"

Iron Man: "No,I am!"

Captain America: "Oh the hell with this! I'm gonna' go listen to my Glen Miller records!"

Thor: "I am!"

Iron Man: "No,I am!"

Well people, what do you think? Personally, they both make strong arguments for their respective cases, but they both are, so that should be that.

As always, feel free to hit me up on the comments section, and let me know what you guys think. Suggestions for future skits are also welcome as a couple you have already told me what you'd like to see, so feel free to suggest away. 

"Tony Stark makes you feel, He’s a cool exec with a heart of steel..."

Quick update on the comments John Byrne made concerning racism at Marvel,
Mr.Shooter responded to my asking him if he knew based off his time as EIC and Ass.editor there, if this might have been true. He responded with the following:

"Dear Dale,

I worked at the Marvel office every working day (and some that were supposed to be non-working days) from the beginning of 1976 through the end of the seventies, and on after that until mid-April 1987. John Byrne was a freelancer living in Calgary, Alberta when I started at Marvel. The time he spent in the office while living in Canada is best counted in hours. At some point, he moved to the New York Metro area, but nonetheless, was still working at home, not in the office. He wasn't there every day.

To my knowledge, none of the examples John sets forth above reflect reality. To my knowledge, no such things ever happened, with the sole exception of an incident I mentioned in a post recently, that is, Starlin cleverly hiding the word "fuck" in the design of an ornate door frame. It was caught and removed.

During my entire time at Marvel, as far as I know -- and I was in a position to know -- there were no overt, significant expressions of racism, sexism, anti-LGBT bias, anti-ethnic bias against any ethnicity or any other such prejudice and hate at Marvel by any staffer. Marvel may have been a snakepit at some points, rife with backbiting, petty politics and childish squabbling, but with all that, it was remarkably enlightened in terms of equality and respect issues. The people who worked at Marvel then were very smart people, whatever else they might have been. They were aware and enlightened, as a whole, regarding those matters. If there ever were any expressions of bias, I guarantee you that people around the offender, their peers and coworkers, would not have stood for it for an instant.

Exception: Jim Owsley/Christopher Priest, who is African-American, was fond of making jokes with racial overtones. Nothing hateful. More the Saturday Night Live irreverent humor style than the edgy-to-nasty National Lampoon style. People laughed. He was funny. There was no malice. Did anyone else ever make a non-PC joke? I'm sure. I'm also sure that if they were "utterly and deliberately extreme," I would have heard about it and taken appropriate action.

Other possible exceptions: There were a few freelancers, including a couple of notables, who from time to time expressed prejudice and hate. They either learned to keep their venom to themselves or quickly wore out their welcome. Spouting prejudice in the office wasn't tolerated by anyone who worked there every day. There was one staffer who didn't last long who, I was told later, was quietly anti-semitic and racist. If he had been more open about it, he wouldn't have lasted a day." 

So there you go. While it's possible that Byrne might have overheard a comment or two and Mr.Shooter did not, I more inclined to believe Mr.Shooter about this, especially since he claims that Byrne hardly ever showed up at the Marvel offices.

 I asked him if it would be alright to post his response on John Bryne's message board, and he said:

"Dear Dale,

I think posting my response on John's message board serves no good purpose, but that's up to you. He and his readers will surely catch wind of it anyway. But I stand by what I said and I don't care who reads it."

I agree whole-hardedly about that, as Byrne's supporters will just pounce on what he said like hyena on a wounded animal. I'll probably post anyway, but yeah I doubt it'll make any difference whatsoever. 

Now on to the good stuff....and another thrilling episode of Random.....Comic....Review!!!!!!

 What If?..#8  Iron Man Lost The Armor Wars?(Mid Dec 1989) written by Danny Fingeroth, art by Greg Capullo

I liked this issue because, as the title says, it explores a possible world where Iron Man didn't win the Armor Wars that all began because of Justin Hammer stole and gave Stark's technology to villains. It's a real scary premise, not just for Tony and friends, but also for the reader. Imagine the possibility of armored criminals improving there armor thanks to Tony's stolen Iron Man designs?
Well, that's what happens here, as Tony finds out that Justin Hammer is behind various indviduals getting their hands on Tony's tech.
The exact point when everything goes to hell is when Antman Scott Lang, fails to escape from Justin Hammer's trap. Sure he's able to still let Tony who stole his technology, but now he becomes the prisoner and unwitting pawn of Hammer. Lang gives up everything to Hammer since Hammer's got Lang's daughter captive also. After that it's a fast sleigh ride into hell, as Hammer's tech people figure out how to gain remote control of Tony's armor again. Hammer was able to control Tony's armor last time, forcing Tony to kill an ambassador in front of alot of witnesses. This time he makes things worse for Tony, forcing him to reveal his identity to Hammer, then put a neuro-collar around his neck so Hammer can totally control whatever Stark does. From there, Hammer forces Tony to blow up a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, The Avengers east coast island headquarters, the West Coast Avengers' base, Stark Enterprises, and finally Tony's own home. That's just cold as hell man!
Then just when you think Hammer can't sink any lower, he forces Tony to reveal his identity to the world and accept responsibility for all those attacks. Hammer's fixing to have more fun with poor Tony, when thankfully A.I.M. agents storm Hammer's compound and take him out. This releases Tony from Hammer's control, but all's not well yet. A.I.M. goes after the people that have used Tony's stolen tech so that no one else can have it. Tony goes into hiding, dyeing his hair blonde and shaving his Tom Selleck mustache. He contacts the other armored villains and convinces them that they all need to work together if they want to survive A.I.M coming after them. They reluctantly agree, and go off to attack A.I.M directly.

While the fight's going on, Tony manages to sneak down to where another suit of armor is sitting. This is the Firepower armor that Tony fought during the regular Armor Wars. He dons the suit, rescues Scott Lang and his daughter, and goes back finish his fight with A.I.M. Tony and his crew eventually kick A.I.M's ass, but then turn on Tony after he demands that they leave their armors behind. Nice strategy there Stark, pissing off a bunch of guys that outnumber you and can fuck you up!

 Well, right ass Tony's right about to meet his maker, the WCA, led by The Captain(Steve Rogers), show up and save his ass. After the fight, they tell Tony their taking him to jail. Tony says fuck that(not really but he should have), and almost comes to blows with them, but wisely decides against it. He says "I'll take my chances in jail."

And that's how it ends; with the cat out of the bag, Tony's tech becomes public domain. Meaning this world is in for a rough time ahead dealing with the consequences of Justin Hammer's actions.

Poor, poor Tony huh?

"Mother, I feel for the laddies"

Hey guys,
hope you all had a nice and enjoyable weekend!

I like that when I go to my local public libarary, there's usually a few new trade paperbacks in stock for me to read. I've come across some really good ones over my last few visits; be is the DC Archive collections of the early issues of Batman and Action Comics, or even the steady stream of new Marvel trades, I can't seem to get enough of 'em.

Recently this weekend, I picked up the Iron Man:Civil War and Extremis trades, as well as the Batman:Turning Points one. I highly, highly recommend picking these up and reading them if you already hadn't.

I briefly rundown why I feel their good reads, and what they are about, you know, just in case you don't already know.

Iron Man: Extremis was written by the crazy-ass but in a good way, Warren Ellis, with beautiful Adi Granov.
 This story is about Tony Stark's old friend Maya Hansen, first seen here, then later featured in other Iron Man stories, like the Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. series. A quick note, that too is really well-written piece of work by the Knauf brothers, and I'll be checking that one out from the library too.

Anyway, Maya Hensen's been secretly working on a new project that revolutionizes the Super-Solider serum and turns the human body into a walking, adaptable weapon. Of course since this is a super-hero story, the secret super-solider virus is stolen, and winds up in the wrong hands. From there Tony has to do damage control, but gets his ass kicked for his troubles. In fact it's so bad, he needs Maya to give him the last dose of her experimental virus so that he can not only heal himself, but to better fight the bad guy.

This is a pretty damn good Iron Man story, where new characters are introduced, but in such a way that isn't odd or out of place. We also meet both Maya and Tony's mentor of sorts, a hippy futurist of sorts by the name of Sal Kennedy. He's a real trip, and he proves as a good counter-balance to Tony Stark.
We also learn why the bad guy/terrorist does what he does, and everything leads to a nice surprising twist at the very end. I'm not going to spoil it, so please read it if you can, or else you can wiki it like everybody else does.

This is the type of story that Warren Ellis was meant to write, as it deals with technology, and the endless possibilities that exists because of the ever-evolving direction it takes. Of course concerns about the applications and the ethics onvolved are also brought up in an intelligent manner. Ellis doens't beat the reader over the head with his personal views, so much as he seeks to inform the reader about the kinds of technology that exists right now outside our backdoor. This story not only makes you think,
Of course the upgrading of Iron Man during the course of the mini-series isn't a bad thing either; you get to see what being Iron Man in the 21st century looks like, and why is its important for Tony to keep evolving, both as a human being and as Iron Man. Ellis shows why Tony Stark is a true hero, and why he is the way he is because of the tough decisions he has to make.

I wish Ellis had stayed on Iron Man, but with the way Civil War turned a lot of readers against Iron Man and certain writers vilified him, I glad Eliis left when he did.

Ellis, with his love and knowledge of new and advancing technology, is an ideal writer for Iron Man. He shows he gets how Tony thinks, especially about technology and being a futurist. Maybe one day, these two can be reunited because they are awesome for each other....and I just got all that from reading one trade.

Next up is, Iron Man: Civil War.
This trade collects the Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War one-shot, #'s 13&14 of the then regular Iron Man series, and Civil War: The Confession one-shot.

I really liked this collection of stories too, since they also explored why Tony is the way he is, and what type of man/hero he is. The 1st one-shot, Iron Man/Cap:COA, focuses on the meeting both men had with each other right before the end of Civil War. Each man expresses why they feel their opinion is right,with both sides being presented in a balanced way where you can, as the reader, see both sides, and either agree with Iron Man or Cap.

I feel writer Chris Gage does an excellent job in highlighting both character's POV in a fair and balanced manner. He also quickly covers some crucial moments in both men's relationship with each other, the highs and lows that have existed between the two. This is an example of using continuity as a useful tool to illustrate and and help your story, not be hindered by it or have to cover it/retcon it up.
You get to also see both characters briefly fight, and in the end, both men realize their differences are too much to overcome and leave. Just good, good storytelling right here.

Next, #'s 13&14 of Iron Man highlight just how hard Tony's taking the whole Civil War mess. He really believes he's doing the right thing, but that Cap and the others aren't being reasonable. You also get to see where the idea and eventual reality of Stark becoming the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes from. These two issues plant the seeds of that happening, so I feel readers get a real treat out of this.

Also, Happy Hogan, well, he dies. Yes, Tony's beloved and trusted bodyguard takes a dirt nap in this one courtesy of the Spymaster. Well, he doesn't die right away, but....just read or wiki it and you'll see why he had to die. The Knauf brothers do a really job highlighting Happy Hogan, and show why he was so important to Tony. His pep talk to Tony concerning the whole Superhero Registration Act is a really nice touch, and again shows why he was so valuable to Tony. Between Tony's surprise guest at the end, and the final emotional page, the readers definitely get their money's worth of this trade just from the these two issues alone.

Finally, Civil War: The Confession by Brian Bendis, shows the immediate fallout from Civil War. You see Captain America in prison, and the discussion Cap and Tony have concerning how everything just ended. Bendis may have his faults, but I really like this one, both in how it was written and the lovely art by Alex Maleev. Bendis really makes you feel for Tony and what he's now having to go through since "winning" the not so Civil War, but that doesn't mean he feels like a winner, as is shown here. And considering what we later know is going to happen, the reader's left with an uneasy feeling about the repercussions that have yet to happen.

You know, now after having time to distance myself from all the Iron Man hating that went down during that time period, I have to really think Tony got the raw end of the deal. I truthfully see why he did what he felt was right, and it really does suck to see poor Tony's reaction to what he feels is a total betrayal by his former close friends, like Spider-Man and Captain America. I think Iron Man was totally hated on and vilified not only by the fans, but also by some of the writers at the time; such as JMS in particular. He was characterized as a villain and a war profiteer, but I just don't see it now. I might have back then, but even back then, I could see why he felt the way he did. I truly think Cap and the others really should've worked more with Tony in controlling and shaping the SRA so that it would work for all of them, and quell their worries and concerns about said act. Yes, I believe Cap had a strong point about the possible abuses and down-side of the act. He would certainly know about that, but to be so pig-headed and almost blinded to negotiations and talks, doesn't really seem like the level-headed and fair Cap we've all known and loved for decades. I'm sorry, but this trade and the whole CW event itself didn't seem to really paint Cap in a good and reasonable light. Maybe this Cap was a Skrull at one point, because i really don't see Cap being this unreasonable. But that's just me.....

Lastly, Batman: Turning Points by writers Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and Chuck Dixon, serves to illustrate and define the relationship between Commissioner Gordon and Batman. This 5-issue mini-series goes through some of the highs and lows during their years together, and just why they need each other.
I saw this project as a love-letter to both men's unique working relationship, and it's easy to see why.
All of the writers do a really good job showing the price of the war, and how it affects both men. As bad as things always look in Gotham City, these two war and world-weary men continue to show how tough they are by sticking to their guns, and never giving up. The pleasant little story at the end serves as an important reminder why they do what they do, and that hope, really does spring eternal.

Again I highly recommend this trade, both because of the stories and the art. This is intelligent, relevant, and a good showcase of why these two men are so complimentary of each other.

I believe next week, I'll pick up the 1st vol. of Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. since it looks really good, and it has the return of the Mandarin in it. Ohhhh Yeahhhhhh!