Steve Bannister aka ComicDeepDive now reading Iron Man
@stevesensible.bsky.social
Artist and comic nerd from the UK, now living in France.
I write about comics at comicdeepdive.blogspot.com
I write about comics at comicdeepdive.blogspot.com
My favourite part was the dot-connecting he did about them having different names:
January 20, 2026 at 9:54 PM
My favourite part was the dot-connecting he did about them having different names:
Finally, Tony Stark dons the armour again in Iron Man #200, the debut of the Silver Centurion armour and Iron-Monger. It sure took a long time to get there, though. I think if I'd been reading this on a monthly basis, I would have lost my patience with it long ago. That said...
January 19, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Finally, Tony Stark dons the armour again in Iron Man #200, the debut of the Silver Centurion armour and Iron-Monger. It sure took a long time to get there, though. I think if I'd been reading this on a monthly basis, I would have lost my patience with it long ago. That said...
"Justice is served!" First appearance of the Scourge of the Underworld, from Iron Man #194. I remember seeing these moments scattered about the various Marvel comics I was reading in 1985, and had no idea how it ended. Having just read about it on Wikipedia, it doesn't sound like I missed much!
January 19, 2026 at 11:44 AM
"Justice is served!" First appearance of the Scourge of the Underworld, from Iron Man #194. I remember seeing these moments scattered about the various Marvel comics I was reading in 1985, and had no idea how it ended. Having just read about it on Wikipedia, it doesn't sound like I missed much!
Well, Iron Man #182 got kind of dark. 🫤 I guess Tony had to hit rock bottom before he could recover.
January 17, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Well, Iron Man #182 got kind of dark. 🫤 I guess Tony had to hit rock bottom before he could recover.
Yo!
January 17, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Yo!
Iron Man enters the Beyonder's structure in Central Park in Iron Man #181. Guess I'd better read Secret Wars again... 😏*
*I will not, in fact, be doing that.
*I will not, in fact, be doing that.
January 17, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Iron Man enters the Beyonder's structure in Central Park in Iron Man #181. Guess I'd better read Secret Wars again... 😏*
*I will not, in fact, be doing that.
*I will not, in fact, be doing that.
Ringo did kind of a variation of it which I liked.
January 16, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Ringo did kind of a variation of it which I liked.
January 16, 2026 at 9:40 PM
And yes, I am slightly obsessed with the visual development of The Thing, as my drawing from a few years ago shows:
January 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
And yes, I am slightly obsessed with the visual development of The Thing, as my drawing from a few years ago shows:
... an hour just inking Doom's gun on this page from FF #84. And he would put details in his work like the fine lines radiating outwards from Reed's pupils that were barely visible on the final printed page.
January 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
... an hour just inking Doom's gun on this page from FF #84. And he would put details in his work like the fine lines radiating outwards from Reed's pupils that were barely visible on the final printed page.
... first person to make the Thing look truly rocky. Up until then, Ben's skin was softer and lumpier under Dick Ayers' smoother inks, more dinosaur-hide than craggy rocks. However, George Roussos' "get-it-done" attitude was the other end of the spectrum from Joe Sinnott, who apparently spent...
January 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
... first person to make the Thing look truly rocky. Up until then, Ben's skin was softer and lumpier under Dick Ayers' smoother inks, more dinosaur-hide than craggy rocks. However, George Roussos' "get-it-done" attitude was the other end of the spectrum from Joe Sinnott, who apparently spent...
I seem to be reading a lot of interviews with inkers lately, most recently George Roussos who inked a lot of early Batman stories as well as Fantastic Four issues as "George Bell." He claims he could ink 24 pages in a day, and not to be unkind, but it kinda showed. That said, he was the...
January 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
I seem to be reading a lot of interviews with inkers lately, most recently George Roussos who inked a lot of early Batman stories as well as Fantastic Four issues as "George Bell." He claims he could ink 24 pages in a day, and not to be unkind, but it kinda showed. That said, he was the...
January 16, 2026 at 9:18 PM
"Behold..." Avengers #57, debut of my favourite Avenger.
January 16, 2026 at 9:11 PM
"Behold..." Avengers #57, debut of my favourite Avenger.
Speaking of Jack Kirby, whoever coloured the splash-page to FF #38 sure took the easy route. 😄 (And once again, I don't blame them because colourists earned a pittance!)
January 16, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Speaking of Jack Kirby, whoever coloured the splash-page to FF #38 sure took the easy route. 😄 (And once again, I don't blame them because colourists earned a pittance!)
Wait... so, if The Manhattan Project is known as The Gotham Project in this world, because Gotham is a substitute for New York, then where was Steve Rogers born? Or is Brooklyn across the river from Gotham City..? 🤔😉
January 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Wait... so, if The Manhattan Project is known as The Gotham Project in this world, because Gotham is a substitute for New York, then where was Steve Rogers born? Or is Brooklyn across the river from Gotham City..? 🤔😉
It's amazing what a difference a good separator can make. A while ago, my Top-shelf Friday was the two "first appearances" of Mary Jane Watson in Amazing Spider-Man #25 and #42. Look how much worse the colour separation had become in the space of a year and a half:
January 16, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It's amazing what a difference a good separator can make. A while ago, my Top-shelf Friday was the two "first appearances" of Mary Jane Watson in Amazing Spider-Man #25 and #42. Look how much worse the colour separation had become in the space of a year and a half:
Random read:
January 16, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Random read:
I think slabbed comics are daft enough, but this I *really* don't get!
January 15, 2026 at 5:28 PM
I think slabbed comics are daft enough, but this I *really* don't get!
... beat alcoholism in a single issue made it seem a little superficial.
January 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM
... beat alcoholism in a single issue made it seem a little superficial.
... of Stark International with Tony's secretary for Iron Man to turn up so he can attack him. Then, when they fight, Iron Man defeats him in a couple of pages! 😵💫 And O'Neil's dialogue is only ever used to convey information - nobody has any character or personality. As for the art...
January 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM
... of Stark International with Tony's secretary for Iron Man to turn up so he can attack him. Then, when they fight, Iron Man defeats him in a couple of pages! 😵💫 And O'Neil's dialogue is only ever used to convey information - nobody has any character or personality. As for the art...
Jim Rhodes dons the armour for the first time in Iron Man #170. I wish I could say I was enjoying this run more, but Denny O'Neil is a major downgrade from David Michelinie. His plots are mechanical and often downright bizarre - one of them had villain The Melter literally waiting in the office...
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January 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Jim Rhodes dons the armour for the first time in Iron Man #170. I wish I could say I was enjoying this run more, but Denny O'Neil is a major downgrade from David Michelinie. His plots are mechanical and often downright bizarre - one of them had villain The Melter literally waiting in the office...
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It took me 40 years to make this connection... John Byrne homaged Action Comics #1 on the cover of Fantastic Four #291. Three issues later, he left Marvel to draw Superman for DC Comics.
January 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
It took me 40 years to make this connection... John Byrne homaged Action Comics #1 on the cover of Fantastic Four #291. Three issues later, he left Marvel to draw Superman for DC Comics.
From X-Men #162 by Claremont, Dave Cockrum and Bob Wiacek:
January 13, 2026 at 4:30 PM
From X-Men #162 by Claremont, Dave Cockrum and Bob Wiacek:
Sometimes you just need to look at some BIG Jack Kirby art.
January 13, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Sometimes you just need to look at some BIG Jack Kirby art.