Tomes of Costumed Adventurers: Iron Man: The Armor Trap

Tomes of Costumed Adventurers

Welcome to the land of "reality", where scientific experiments, accidents, genetic heritage, and alien influences affect the lives of ordinary mortals. Join me as I observe the superhumans of planet earth and their struggles against equally powerful foes.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Iron Man: The Armor Trap
Author: Greg Cox
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1995

When it comes to combining techonology with heroism, no one does it better than Anthony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, but sometimes being a top-notch scientist and one of the world's most eligible bachelors has its drawbacks. Who would ever have guessed that testing a virtual-reality remote-control Iron Man suit in San Francisco from the Gulf of Mexico would encourage terrorists to kidnap him? And yet, that is what happened. What's more, Stark finds himself in what appears to be the world's most perfect prison, from which he can find no hope of escaping. Help, therefore, must come from another agency, but all the usual super-hero teams are away. Stark's friends call in War Machine to help out, but can he do so before Stark reveals the deepest secrets of his armor to a foe intent on destroying Stark with his own creations?

Iron Man's never been my favorite character--I prefer those that rely upon their own abilities instead of those of a suit of armor--but I must say that the premise involved in this novel is interesting enough to almost make a fan out of me. Actually, I was around when Iron Man defused a situation involving A.I.M., Hydra, and the Maggia in the comic series, so the references in the book to those events were understandable. Seeing a similar situation arise here is a great way of introducing the conflict/competition between the three underworld organizations without resorting to recaps of the comics.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of it all is watching as War Machine tears into first A.I.M., then the Maggia in an effort to rescue Stark from his kidnappers. Just watching him dismantle the various weaponry and machinery the organizations are throwing at him is impressive. You know it can't get better than that, even if it was Iron Man doing the fighting. Although...since War Machine's arsenal is greater than Iron Man's, maybe it could get better since Stark would have to do all sorts of other things to deal with everything. On the other hand, seeing Stark escape his prison is even better than seeing War Machine tearing out the guts of A.I.M.'s undersea base. But I've got to tell you: you're in for a great surprise when you find out exactly what kind of prison Stark is in!

For those readers who aren't big comic fans, Iron Man: The Armor Trap is an excellent introduction to one aspect of the Marvel Universe. I mean, Marvel's mutants are one thing, its wizards and sorcerors another, and its "accidental superhumans" a third, but there's no doubt that Iron Man and all the science and technology he becomes involved in are another mainstay of Marvel Comics!

Rating: Thumbs up! It's time to rock and rumble in both the VR and the real world! Are you ready?

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