7||0|1984|5|yes
0|0|0|||1||Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|Gryphon||00:16:21|05/20/2008|[updated:LAST EDITED ON May-20-08 AT 00:23 AM (EDT)]It%27s strange to think that%2C even as the main %5Bi%5DIron Man%5B%2Fi%5D title has spiraled down to depths of lameness surpassing even those of %5Bi%5DThe Crossing%5B%2Fi%5D and %5Bi%5DHeroes Reborn%5B%2Fi%5D over the last couple of years%2C there%27s been quite a good crop of fun secondary or out-of-continuity items starring more competently rendered versions of Our Hero.  %5Bi%5DIron Man and Power Pack%5B%2Fi%5D%2C for instance%2C is hilarious and has not a whiff of %5Bi%5DCivil War%5B%2Fi%5D-inspired stupidity %28check out%2C especially%2C the brief guest appearance by the Titanium Man in issue 3%29.  I%27ve already noted that %5Bi%5DIron Man%3A Hypervelocity%5B%2Fi%5D somehow managed to be pretty decent.  And %5Bi%5DMarvel Adventures%3A Iron Man%5B%2Fi%5D%27s only real flaw is that it uses the same wretchedly fiddly design for the armor as the main book%2C with the same ugly-ass helmet and wrong-shaped unibeam.  Hell%2C the %5Bi%5DMarvel Adventures%5B%2Fi%5D line as a whole%2C possibly because it%27s written for younger readers%2C comes off much more like what Marvel Comics %5Bi%5Dought%5B%2Fi%5D to be like than the actual Marvel Universe these days.%0D%0A%0D%0ABut for my money%2C the best of the lot is the six-issue %5Bi%5DIron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D mini-series%2C which just came out in compiled trade paperback form a couple weeks ago.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D does something I wasn%27t entirely sure it was possible to do.  It takes a classic Iron Man storyline and re-presents it with the sophistication of modern storytelling %5Bi%5Dand makes it work%5B%2Fi%5D - because it genuinely is sophistication%2C not flash.  This is a 1960s comic storyline retooled for the mature reader in the %5Bi%5Dreal%5B%2Fi%5D sense of the word %22mature%22%2C not the comic-book-industry sense that means %22there%27s titties and gore%22.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat%27s more%2C despite the fact that it%27s a modern retelling of a Cold War story%2C it has the kind of terrific timelessness that all the best of this kind of stories have.  There are cell phones and references to the Internet%2C and the technology is obviously much more sophisticated than it was in the original version%2C but it never intrudes on the %5Bi%5Dstyle%5B%2Fi%5D%2C which is gleefully and unapologetically 1960s%2C right down to Tony%27s Stark%27s narrow ties.  The best analogy I can think of is that if %5Bi%5DMax Headroom%5B%2Fi%5D was %28as its subtitle declared%29 20 minutes into the future%2C %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D is 20 minutes into the past.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe story in question is %28as the title suggests%29 Iron Man%27s first two clashes with his arch-foe%2C the Mandarin%2C and the events that occur in between%2C which originally appeared in %5Bi%5DTales of Suspense%5B%2Fi%5D back in the mid-1960s.  For anyone who%27s %5Bi%5Dread%5B%2Fi%5D those old comics %28which is pretty easy to do%3B they%27re available cheap in black-and-white in the first volume of %5Bi%5DEssential Iron Man%5B%2Fi%5D%2C or more expensively as color PDFs on the %5Bi%5DInvincible Iron Man%3A The Complete Collection%5B%2Fi%5D DVD-ROM%29%2C this is a brilliant experience%2C because everything you remember from the %5Bi%5DTales of Suspense%5B%2Fi%5D run is here - not only Iron Man%27s first and second battles with the Mandarin%2C but everything that happened in between%2C including the appearance of the second Crimson Dynamo%2C the origin of the Scarecrow %28the ninth-string Marvel villain%2C not the third-string DC one%29%2C and the transition from the third Iron Man armor %28with the striped chest plate and the mask with %22horns%22 on%29 to the fourth %28almost fully evolved into the classic look he%27d have throughout the 1970s%2C except with rivets on the faceplate%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd if you %5Bi%5Dhaven%27t%5B%2Fi%5D read those old comics%2C well%2C it%27s %5Bi%5Dstill%5B%2Fi%5D a brilliant experience%2C because while being familiar with the original telling is fun%2C it%27s in no way required.  %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D nods to the old-timey fans without ever falling into the trap of assuming they%27re the only ones out there.  Better still%2C writer Joe Casey layers on more story elements%2C tying the whole thing together into a single narrative and updating it for a modern audience%2C about as deftly as I%27ve ever seen that kind of thing done.  The original %5Bi%5DTales of Suspense%5B%2Fi%5D issues were each a separate story with not much linking them other than the fact that they were issues in an ongoing comic.  Casey makes them all part of the %5Bi%5Dsame%5B%2Fi%5D story - essentially making Iron Man%27s first two fights with the Mandarin and all that happens between them one single incident between the two men%2C played out with the sort of world-spanning mastermindery that is the Mandarin at his best.%0D%0A%0D%0AOn the hero side%2C you have Iron Man - the %5Bi%5Doriginal%5B%2Fi%5D Iron Man%2C with Tony Stark as a quite-recognizable homage to Howard Hughes%2C pencil mustache%2C occasional flashes of temper%2C and all - with his strange combination of incredible power and terrible vulnerability.  This was back when%2C if the armor lost power completely or suffered such extensive damage that all its systems failed%2C Stark would die.  The modern touches Casey layers in are most noticeable here - things like Stark%27s touchy%2C almost adversarial relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D.%2C and the fact that%2C when Iron Man takes a serious beating%2C Tony can%27t hide the fact that %5Bi%5Dsomething%5B%2Fi%5D unpleasant has happened to him from his staff the next day %28something he always seemed mysteriously able to do in the old days%3B he might be in a lot of pain after a fight%2C but somehow his face never seemed to get bruised%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AOn the villain side%2C you have the Mandarin%2C and... well.  The Mandarin.  Over the years he%27s been everything from a subtle and cunning mastermind to a ridiculous Yellow Peril cardboard cutout%2C just one step shy of stroking his beard and telling Iron Man%2C %22Ohh%2C so solly%2C prease%2C%22 while crushing him with his gravity beam.  Here he%27s... well... magnificently villainous.  He makes it quite clear from his first appearance that he doesn%27t give a %5Bi%5Ddamn%5B%2Fi%5D for the politics of China%27s current leaders%2C or in fact for politics at all.  Politics imply that someone other than the Mandarin has some say%2C and that%27s not how things work in the Mandarin%27s world.  His megalomania is %5Bi%5Dbreathtaking%5B%2Fi%5D - which is just as it should be - but despite the fact that he%27s clearly out of his ever-lovin%27 tree%2C he never becomes a parody of himself%2C and that%2C history has shown%2C is %5Bi%5Ddamn hard to do%5B%2Fi%5D in a Mandarin story.  He%27s both a mastermind %5Bi%5Dand%5B%2Fi%5D a powerhouse%2C a perfect adversary for Tony Stark %5Bi%5Dand%5B%2Fi%5D Iron Man.  Wonderful.%0D%0A%0D%0AOh%2C and did I mention how it %5Bi%5Dlooks%3F%5B%2Fi%5D  %5Blink%3Awww.comics.org%2Fcovers.lasso%3FSeriesID%3D26446%7CHere%5D is a gallery featuring the six covers %28they used the cover for issue %231%2C shorn of the obtrusive UPC symbol and credits%2C for the trade paperback%2C and the others are featured within%2C dividing the six chapters%29.  They%27re all great%2C but I think my overall favorite is %5Blink%3Awww.comics.org%2Fcoverview.lasso%3Fid%3D374547%26zoom%3D4%7Cissue %231%27s%5D%3B it%27s so... %5Bi%5DRocketeer%5B%2Fi%5Dish.  Inside%2C the art %28by the same artist who did the covers%2C Eric Canete%29 isn%27t as refined and Art Deco-y%3B it has a rougher%2C two-fisted sort of style that I think really works with a story like this.  It might not cut the mustard in a mainstream modern Iron Man story%2C where everyone%27s been groomed the last few years to expect Adi Granov%27s machine-precise digital painting and the like%2C but the sheer rawness of it is part and parcel of what makes %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D rock and roll so hard.  My only real beef is with the lettering%3A They%27ve chosen a font for the %22Iron Man%27s onboard computer%22 captions that I think is hard to read.%0D%0A%0D%0AI am%2C perhaps%2C gushing a bit%2C and rattling on a bit more%2C but I really cannot recommend this mini highly enough.  It%27s everything that made Iron Man such a great character in the first place%2C presented with modern production values.  Sure%2C it%27s got a couple of retcons in it%2C one of them quite large - what old-story do-over in modern comics doesn%27t%3F - but they%27re so deftly handled that %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D should be provided to new comics writers as the textbook for %5Bi%5Dhow you do that kind of thing%5B%2Fi%5D.%0D%0A%0D%0AI think - and this is high praise indeed - it might even be a little cooler than the movie.  I would %5Bi%5Dlove%5B%2Fi%5D to see it animated someday%2C %5Bi%5DJustice League%3A The New Frontier%5B%2Fi%5D style.  %28In fact%2C now that I mention it%2C it reminds me a lot of %5Bi%5DDC%3A The New Frontier%5B%2Fi%5D.  It bears little %5Bi%5Ddirect%5B%2Fi%5D resemblance%2C but it is to modern storytelling in Marvel%27s Golden Age as %5Bi%5DNew Frontier%5B%2Fi%5D is to DC%27s Silver Age%2C if you take my meaning.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AIf you love Iron Man - if you even %5Bi%5Dlike%5B%2Fi%5D Iron Man - you need %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D in your library.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Admin%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0ACeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
1|1|0|||1||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|StaticdashPulse||00:51:33|05/20/2008|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-21-11 AT 02:36 PM (EST)]I%27d been avoiding this mini because%2C while I%27m a moderate Joe Casey fan%2C his last work with Iron Man %28%5Bi%5DIron Man%3A The Inevitable%5B%2Fi%5D%29 left a kind of blah taste in my mouth.  However%2C your review intrigues me enough to keep an eye out for the trade when it comes out.%0D%0A%0D%0AThanks for the review.
2|2|1|||1||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|Gryphon||01:03:03|05/20/2008|%3EI%27d been avoiding this mini because%2C while I%27m a moderate Joe Casey %0D%0A%3Efan%2C his last work with Iron Man %28%5Bi%5DIron Man%3A The Inevitable%5B%2Fi%5D%29 %0D%0A%3Eleft a kind of blah taste in my mouth.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27m not entirely sure%2C but I think perhaps %5Bi%5DInevitable%5B%2Fi%5D didn%27t work as well because it was trying to be in-continuity.  %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D doesn%27t give a shit about that. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Admin%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
3|3|2|||1||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|StaticdashPulse||01:22:15|05/20/2008|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-21-11 AT 02:37 PM (EST)]Good point%21  A very good point.  Yes%2C a point from you which is indeed a good one.  Afffirmative and true%2C a good point from you.  Etc.%0D%0A%0D%0AContinuity seems to be a tool best left alone hese days%2C even when dealing with otherwise master craftsmen.
4|4|3|||||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|mdg1||06:32:00|05/20/2008|Oddly enough%2C I%27m told Enter The Mandarin was referenced in the latest IM Handbook %28the mis-titled All-New Iron Manual%29 so it IS in continuity.
6|5|4|||1||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|Wedge||18:02:21|05/20/2008|%3E%28the mis-titled All-New Iron Manual%29%0D%0A%0D%0AMan%2C so help me%2C I read that as %27Iron Manuel%27%2C which then made me think of the wholly inappropriate %276 Million Peso Man%27 from %5Bi%5DRobot Chicken%5B%2Fi%5D.  So wrong.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Btable border%3D%220%22 cellspacing%3D%220%22 cellpadding%3D%220%22%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.gweep.net%2F%7Ewedge%2Fufchad_ficon.jpg%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btd%5DChad Collier%0D%0ASmirking Kilrathi%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%230000CC%5DThe Captain of the Gravy Train%5B%2Ffont%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btr%5D%5B%2Ftable%5D
5|4|3|||||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|O_M||08:14:24|05/20/2008|%3EContinuity seems to be a tool best left alone hese days%2C even when %0D%0A%3Edealing with otherwise master craftsmen. %0D%0A%0D%0AIt%27s kind of sad when you realize that a sprawling metacontinuity decades in the making is more burden than boon to modern comics these days%2C because you can%27t forget that crap like Civil War ever happened.
7|5|5|||1||RE%3A Iron Man%3A Enter the Mandarin|StaticdashPulse||20:23:00|05/20/2008|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-21-11 AT 02:37 PM (EST)]I refuse to believe that.  Unix has been around forty%2C almosy fifty%2C years%2C and it%27s only gotten better because people add new stuff to it%2C which means its codebase %28which includes the applications than run on it%29 is likely more of a sprawling mess than comic books%27.  The difference is Unix hackers know when to use libraries%2C when to ignore libraries%2C and when to completely rewrite libraries.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bi%5DHypervelocity%5B%2Fi%5D%2C %5Bi%5DMarvel Adventures Iron Man%5B%2Fi%5D%2C and %28according to Gryphon%27s review%29 %5Bi%5DEnter the Mandarin%5B%2Fi%5D all exist by using the benefits of continuity %28established characters%2C stories%2C etc.%29 but judiciously avoid slaving themselves to every minute detail of what worked in the past.  There%27s no reason Marvel couldn%27t just forget Civil War ever happened and start telling new stories%2C they just won%27t because they%27ve forgotten how to do it.