Let’s talk about the Iron Man #415-417 covers
With the introduction of CGC, covers are becoming more and more important to many collectors. When a book is slabbed, you’re no longer able to read it; the cover is all you can enjoy and show other people. Spectacular Spider-Man #90 might have been published the same month as Amazing Spider-Man #252, but most people would rather have #252 because it has the first appearance of the black costume on the cover.
Unfortunately, Iron Man’s Model 23 Ablative Armor (which I have named Axol) doesn’t appear on any cover of Iron Man, even in the issue in which it was introduced. In fact, the #415 and #417 covers are so unspecific about what goes on in the issue that they might be art that could have been used on any issue. (Speaking of armors, I noticed this on later issues of the original X-O Manowar series as well. They’re all just hero images with nothing to do with the contents of the issue.)
The three issues we’ll be discussing the covers of are all part of a three-issue arc called “Vegas Bleeds Neon.” Click on any of the covers to enlarge.
Iron Man #415 (vol. 3 #70)
Tony Harris and Tom Feister drew and inked the covers of all three of these issues. While their names do not appear, I have been in touch with the owner of the original art.
This cover features the Tin Man armor, an armor that had been in use for 20 issues by this time. (First appearance: Iron Man #395 [vol. 3, #50]). It should also be the final cover that the Tin Man armor ever appears on since it’s destroyed at the beginning of the next issue, but we’ll soon find out that it’s not.
I doubt this cover was designed for this specific issue, as it simply features the armor in a hero pose superimposed on an image of the inside of the helmet. There’s certainly nothing Vegas about it.
Iron Man #416 (vol. 3 #71)
Remember up above when I talked about how people want a character’s first appearance to be on the cover, or a new costume to be showcased? Axol didn’t get that.
This issue is the only one of the three that identifies the cover inker as Tom Feister. Tin Man is on the cover once again, which is fine because it’s his last appearance. But Axol isn’t. And it’s not like there wasn’t room, because for some odd reason there are helmets of Model 4, Model 1, and Model 3 in the lower right corner! My guess is that the cover for this was done before the Ablative Armor was designed, so the artist more than likely had nothing to go on. Either that or he didn’t want to draw all of the tiles!
This cover is the only one of the three that really tells me that we’re in Las Vegas, with dancing women, a close-up of a dollar bill, and Tony wearing a tux while flashing cash. I have a strange feeling this cover may have been intended for issue #415, because it does have a “let’s tell everyone this story happens in Vegas” vibe. (#415 was also the only issue in which Tony gambles.)
The original pencils for this issue have been located, and the owner has allowed me to share it.
Iron Man #417 (vol. 3 #72)
Tin man again! This is truly the outlier of the covers, because the Tin Man armor was destroyed last issue and doesn’t appear in this one. Also, there are no rockets fired at, or near, Tony.
But the most obvious indication that this cover wasn’t meant to match the interior is the billboard in the background. It’s a billboard for the Daily Bugle with a picture of Spider-Man and has the phrase “Spider-Man XXXXX or Menace?” (The phrase is usually “Threat or Menace”, but it can’t be “threat” because that second word ends with the letter n.)
I don’t have to tell you that Spider-Man isn’t in this issue. I’m not sure if he’s ever been to Vegas. And the Daily Bugle certainly isn’t putting up billboards for their New York paper in Las Vegas, 2,200 miles away.
As a big Model 23 Ablative Armor fan, this would have been an excellent chance to feature this new armor, since it’s the only one to appear in the issue. Unfortunately, this final cover of the arc has nothing to do with what’s inside.
