AMA #12: "Iron Man: D.O.A."

(Double-O Feral)

Comments

Oh, I get it.  This is some kind of superhero/spy thriller fusion (plus the horror angle, natch).  Hence Linda working for... whomever she's working for, and Beast getting dolled up in a latex mask and gloves (which I can't believe ever works, but I love the original Mission: Impossible series far too much to object).  Wheels within wheels, mask atop masks, and so on and so forth.

It's a nice approach, though I'm not sure whether it necessarily gels entirely with Iron Man showing up and throwing his ferrous weight around.  Of course, there's plenty of gaudy, glinting spy stories out there - James Bond never encountered a man in personal mechanised armour (I don't think), but he did get himself an invisible car, and that was at least twenty years after everyone involved should have known better.  It also leads to one of Marvel's more believable hero fights (and I most certainly include Civil War in that) - having Beast attack Iron Man in defence of a woman he refuses to even consider might not be on the level makes total sense.  It also allows the realisation that Beast is becoming increasingly animalistic in thought as well as appearance to flavour the story, rather than overwhelm it.

And really, who can blame Henry for refusing to look to closely at the woman he loves (even though he's trying to tell himself he doesn't, now that he resembles a Dr Seuss character in its twilight years)?  His whole existence has now become entirely based on not allowing anyone to look at him too closely.  Whether it's subconscious reciprocation, or Hank's obvious self-involvement (significant before he took the serum, and little short of impenetrable now), it's hardly any wonder he doesn't feel like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

I'm trying to remember if Hank is always this bullet-proof.  Certainly, his healing factor in this issue is probably slightly superior to Wolverine's, which certainly doesn't last, but it's something I'll keep an eye on as this blog continues.

I shall finish up by offering up points for the finish.  Anyone who got to the end of this issue and was surprised to learn Hank hadn't killed Tony Stark is clearly too gullible for us to waste our time on, but revealing Mastermind is deliberately manipulating Beast for his own ends is definitely in the top tier of get-outs, at least as far as the '70s are concerned.

Clues

This issue takes place over two nights, the first of which is explicitly mentioned as being the night of Hank's metamorphosis

Date

Friday 2^nd to Saturday 3^rd October, 1980.

X-Date

X+2Y+150 to X+2Y+151.

Contemporary Events

Zimbabwe breaks diplomatic ties with South Africa, less than a year after the former nation gained independence.

Standout Line

"He's the only one of us you've allowed to leave." What the hell is going on over at Xavier's, anyway?  Is this why UXM went dark for half a decade?  I'm really not sure I'm prepared to process this.