The Iron Age of Comics
@ironageofcomics.bsky.social
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A critical reevaluation of comic books from about 1985-2000. New episodes the first and third Wednesdays of the month, comics posts all the time. linktr.ee/ironageofcomics (Not affiliated with any other “Iron Age” comics-related entities.)
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NEW EPISODE!  “Wake the Devil,” the second Hellboy epic, entangles the BPRD in a conspiracy involving a billionaire industrialist, the return of Rasputin and his Nazi cronies, a Romanian vampire, and lots more mythological monsters. 

LISTEN: www.patreon.com/posts/140172...
Wake the Devil art by Mike Mignola. Scary vampire in back dressed in military uniform, skull-headed man carry candelabra in front, Hellboy in the middle
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Marvel probably wouldn’t mind if we forgot this show/movie ever happened, but I had a great time remembering it on the podcast!

If you can believe it, I was able to do some original research via the teleplay writer’s personal papers!
Red leather cover for script reads “SPIDER-MAN: THE MIND STEALERS” DIAN DES TROBNIS
THE ORIGIN OF SPIDER-MAN
They said we were hero called
said "People
Spider-Mant"
spiders!
You can't
wants a nero
problems-
win-- a hero
said nobody
stories!
well,
they
couldn't have
been more wrong!
In the few short years
since Spider-Man first appeared in comicbooks,
character.
he's
His storey
become
superhero
virtually
every
country
are printed
the world's most virtually
popular
1n
every
language,
throughout the free world.
still
remember
plotting
Spidey's first
The main
idea was
to
create
superhero
might be
figure
out what life might be iye for any average guy
really
fun
who happened to
gain a
super power.
Just think
about it.
Suppose you accidentally
obtained some fantastic
Let's say you
suddenly
discovered you have the strength of a
power.
the ceiling, or you have
dozen men, or you can climb walls and stick
some sort of
"Spidey sense" that warns you of approaching danger.
Let's
imagine
that you develop a superhuman agility enabling you to run faster,
any other normal man.
In short,
think quicker, and react speedier find you've become a real live Spider-Man•
wake up
one morning
to
you
affect
your
How do you
think it
life?
would
My
idea was-- even a fella with a super power can
sometimes be a loser.
smarter,
than other people
is stronger, or faster,
and roses.
He might still
Just
because
his
life will always be
sunshine
(if he's
breath--
acne
doesn't to worry about
dandruff-- or concerned
about
any poor, ailing relative, or
have
He might
still be
still
have
trouble earning enough money
ager) •
He might
the same problems with his dat
friend he might have.
all his bills.
He might still have
to pay.
his
career
as anyone else.
his
school work, or
In short,
Peter Parker-- even with his spider power--
is a typical human
that way.
That's what makes
his
always want him to act
incidents in his life
so
int
being,
and I read;
that's what makes the
that's what makes
stories
fun
to
most important of all,
and so unexpected; and,
esting
such
fun
for us to write… FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SPIDER-MAIS
Seventeen years ago Spider-Man was born, the creation of Stan Lee, who is credited with revolutionizing the comic book industry by introducing a new type of theme: superhero tales which were both realistic and relevant!
Lee, publisher and president of Marvel, the lorgest, best-selling comic book company in the world, lectures at dozens of campuses including Hor-vard, Yale and Princeton.
In addition, he has conducted seminars on
"Communicating with Feen-agers ot J. Walter Thompson and Young & Rubi-com.
He has agreed to be an integral part of our production team as
story consultant and general adviser.
Here's a quote from the Chicago
Tribune: "Stan Lee, 53, is the great bard of the superhero epics, the creator of a modern mythology avidly devoured by 72 million readers a year.
When Federico Fellini or Alain Resnais come to New York City, they. interview Stan Lee because in 35 years he's become the Homer of pop culture, the publisher/editor/art director/chief writer and the stalwart story man of Marvel Comics."
It is estimated that 25% of SPIDER-MAN's readers are over 16 years of Not hard to believe when College Store Executive magazine states that SPIDER-MAN is the leader among comic book sales to college stu-dents.
Lee feels that such popularity is due primarily to both SPIDER-MAN's
super human powers and his human frailties, qualities college students empathize with.
WHO IS SPIDER-MAN?
For openers, take a likable college graduate student names Peter Parker yho. is a science scholar, give him super-human strength, a sixth Sense and spider-
a self concocted web shooting device strapped to
his arm.
Then make him a hero who sometimes loses battles, is a little vut: nerable, has problems with his love life and worries about his ofd Aunty Mey» That's SPIDER-MAN, Marvel's best selling character for more than a decade!
TIMING
"Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come!"
---Victor Hugo.
A major moving pictu… JUDY
Pleast, P
I want
Peter,
I'm tired and
get home.
PETER
Sure • (hesitates)
...good night.
Good night.
JUDY
129. SIDEWALK
He gets out of the car. She moves away at once and he looks after it.
130. OMITTED
131. INT. THE UNIVERSITY LAB
Camera opens
on some open bottles of chemicals.
A bunsen
burner is lit.
Camera pans as
hears a
and now it comes to Peter.
rasping sound...
He has
some
metal
he is filing it.
in a vise and
In a moment, he finishes and removes it
from the vise.
He fits it
into his hand
wrist.
and around
his
132. CU - SPIDERMAN'S WEB HOLDER
A square,
narrow container slides onto the wrist.
From it
there extends a thin conduit into the palm.
finger touches a button on the conduit,
When his
an electrode
activates a miniature nozzle on the container.
(Drawings
of this are available as used in the original
comic book.)
133. MED. SHOT
Peter crosses to where he has a mixture of the various
Liquids ready.
Carefully, he fills the various packs on
the wrist container.
He has already fashioned a utility
belt on which spare packs of fluid can be carried.
2
Reposted by The Iron Age of Comics
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I like the soaps that have sort of traditionally “masculine” coded scent profiles but I really hate the I AM A KICKASS MANLY MAN kind of branding. I am looking for investors.
DON'T BE WEIRD ABOUT IT.

IT JUST SMELLS
nice

"KIND OF OUTDOORSY"

Anyone can use this soap. It's not a big deal.
It doesn't make you more or less of any kind of a person to have a pleasant aroma wnd be clean.

SMELL IT AND FIND OUT.

SOAP COMPANY, INC.
This soap doesn't mean anything or define you in any significant way.
It is only designed to be pleasant for all sorts of different people.
100 ml
3,38 fl oz
Reposted by The Iron Age of Comics
Reposted by The Iron Age of Comics
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
The Marvel Transformers series were some of the first comics I ever read, and I had a really great time talking about them! Check it out!

(Available as audio-only on podcast platforms as well, but it’s cool to be able to follow along with the comic)
clarioncomicsjp.bsky.social
Transformers AutoBook Club episode 3, featuring the lovely Justin of @ironageofcomics.bsky.social is out now, and it's another fun one, if I do say so myself. Justin is much more fun to hang out with than Soundwave. Nobody likes that guy...
youtu.be/dJ7K1PjgmY0?...
Transformers AutoBook Club episode 3 | #3 "Prisoner of War!"
YouTube video by Clarion Comics
youtu.be
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I like the soaps that have sort of traditionally “masculine” coded scent profiles but I really hate the I AM A KICKASS MANLY MAN kind of branding. I am looking for investors.
DON'T BE WEIRD ABOUT IT.

IT JUST SMELLS
nice

"KIND OF OUTDOORSY"

Anyone can use this soap. It's not a big deal.
It doesn't make you more or less of any kind of a person to have a pleasant aroma wnd be clean.

SMELL IT AND FIND OUT.

SOAP COMPANY, INC.
This soap doesn't mean anything or define you in any significant way.
It is only designed to be pleasant for all sorts of different people.
100 ml
3,38 fl oz
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Makes sense that the late-80s/early-90s Iron Man logo would come back into fashion eventually. An object of nostalgia and I think a genuinely good logo for the character! I wonder if we’ll ever get to a point that fans would be excited to see the Heroes Return one again…
1998 logo for Invincible Iron Man v3
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
If only I had a vocoder to make my voice like Soundwave it’d be the best of both worlds
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
The Marvel Transformers series were some of the first comics I ever read, and I had a really great time talking about them! Check it out!

(Available as audio-only on podcast platforms as well, but it’s cool to be able to follow along with the comic)
clarioncomicsjp.bsky.social
Transformers AutoBook Club episode 3, featuring the lovely Justin of @ironageofcomics.bsky.social is out now, and it's another fun one, if I do say so myself. Justin is much more fun to hang out with than Soundwave. Nobody likes that guy...
youtu.be/dJ7K1PjgmY0?...
Transformers AutoBook Club episode 3 | #3 "Prisoner of War!"
YouTube video by Clarion Comics
youtu.be
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Actual photo of us recording the podcast
Still from Return of the Living Dead
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
All I will say is if you look up the records of The West Virginia Society for the Training Big Scary Owls, the co-chairs throughout the 1960s are listed as “John Keel and Indrid Cold”!
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I see now that my parents refusing to buy a Super Nintendo “because the old Nintendo works just fine” was actually them shielding me from the sins of whatever this is about.
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Prompted by the same episode, there is a Highway AB near us that my wife and I cannot pass without noting, “Honey starts with A Bee.”
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Ooh this is gonna be a prime Sunday evening watch…
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Seconded one million times! They need to be desaturated. The original colorists deliberately used brighter colors knowing the newsprint would tone them down. On glossy white paper, the original colors are far more abrasive than they were intended to be!
spikestonehand.com
Digital recolors of modern comics that don't honor the matte, desaturated originals are actively destructive of the medium's history. They're no better than the botched ECCE HOMO restoration bsky.app/profile/liam...
Reposted by The Iron Age of Comics
comicgeekspeak.bsky.social
40 years ago today - October 3, 1985 - "Death at the Dawn of Time!" in Crisis on Infinite Earths 10! The Villain War comes to a draw as the gathered super beings - led by the Spectre - need to confront the Anti-Monitor at the Dawn of Time!
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I think that’s really interesting to define “stan-ing” as a separate thing from “character-based fandom” rather than just a more intense version of it. But I think that’s right; there’s a different impulse behind it.
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I feel like we were close. I won’t say #26 but top 50 for sure.
The list of podcasts eligible for submission for the 2026 Golden Globes newly announced best podcast award have been revealed.
20/20 (from ABC News), 48 Hours (from CBS News), Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Candace, Crime Junkie, Dateline NBC, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Morbid, MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories, Pardon My Take, Pod Save America, Rotten Mango, Shawn Ryan Show, SmartLess, Stuff You Should Know, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Daily (from The New York Times), The Joe Rogan Experience, The Megyn Kelly Show, The Mel Robbins Podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show, This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von and Up First from NPR are among those eligible to be nominated in the category.
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
Actual photo of us recording the podcast
DiCaprio and Del Toro, looking pretty rough (intentional)
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
I’ve had this issue since I was a kid and this is one of my all-time favorite uses of onomatopoeia.
ironageofcomics.bsky.social
The Joker courtroom sketch artist is just doing Far Side-esque cartoons