Randy's Reviews for 10/8/2003 - SPOILERS

Fallen Angel #4
Iron Man #74
JSA All-Stars #6 (of 8) 













Fallen Angel #4

Written by Peter David, Art by David Lopez, Fernando Blanco
Publisher: DC Comics

Synopsis: Lee goes after Black Mariah in an attempt to discover if she 
was the one who unleashed the invisible beast. She runs into Shadow 
Boxer, who attempts to kill her but gets dumped into a garbage truck 
instead. She then discovers that Slate the Examiner has been watching. He 
tells her about an encounter with a similar beast when he was a younger 
man.

In the meantime, a young girl named Lani catches up with Ezil at Furors. 
As it turns out, the two are part of an arranged marriage that Ezil is 
attempting to escape. Ezil's father Azmil is listening in through a 
hidden bug and decides to take Ezil by force. He fails, especially when 
Lee shows up. She's about to interrogate Azmil when they hear a scream 
from the back room. Lani has been killed.

Good Stuff: Some interesting stuff here. I like the fact that Adolph is 
much tougher than anyone might imagine, plus it's always fun to have an 
"unbeatable" villain.

Also, Slate is becoming more and more interesting as time goes by. It's 
very difficult to get a handle on who he is and exactly whose side he's 
on.

Not so Good Stuff: This was a little run-of-the-mill as far as this title 
goes; given the way it started, one expects more. Also, the subplot with 
Azmil and Ezil--at least for now--is fairly uninteresting. We'll see what 
happens, though.

I give this book 8/10. 











Iron Man #73

Written by John J. Miller, Art by Jorge Lucas
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Synopsis: We see soldiers testing some new armored equipment in Africa. A 
horrible malfunction kills the soldiers. At a Pentagon briefing, it is 
discovered that there was an error in the specifications for the armor.

The Pentagon makes contact with Tony Stark in an attempt to convince him 
to do some consulting for the defense effort. Tony is very skeptical, as 
he wants nothing to do with munitions, but he says he'll think about the 
problem.

After watching the tape of the test, he joins Captain America on an 
undersea rescue mission, and they discuss the offer. Tony discovers that 
the submarine's malfunction was caused by a device of his own design.

He meets with Under Secretary Burch to ask about the theft of his 
designs, and Burch explains to him that since he's using these devices as 
Iron Man, he forfeits his patent rights.

Tony meets with the President's men and says that he's interested in 
becoming Secretary of Defense.

Good Stuff: It's good to finally see some of the ramifications come to 
light over Tony's secret identity as Iron Man. I also liked the idea of 
involving Tony in politics, as well as the idea that the Defense 
Department has been stealing his ideas, which I think makes a great deal 
of sense.

Not so Good Stuff: I suppose that Jorge Lucas is a hot artist, but I find 
his work overly detailed and a little bit ugly as well. Also, I felt that 
the characterization was a little bit wooden amongst the key players.

I give this book 7/10. 











JSA All-Stars #6 (of 8)

Written by David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns, Brian Azzarello, Art by Stephen 
Sadowski, Wade von Grawbadger, Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC Comics

Synopsis: In the opening story, Dr. Mid-Nite delivers a baby after a 
subway crash.

In the back up story, Mid-Nite busts up a gang in an attempt to help a 
gun moll.

Good Stuff: I generally enjoy stories about superheroes saving lives as 
opposed to fighting crime all the time, and this is no exception.

Not so Good Stuff: On the other hand, the stories do not cover any new 
ground, nor do they tell the story in a clever and engaging way.

I give this book 5/10.



-- 
Randy Jackson
http://fourcolorexplosion.com