other-sites-talking-about-the-Ablative Iron Man Suit

I’m not the first person to ever write about the Ablative Iron Man Suit. Some people include him on lists of the weirdest Iron Man suits, or “IM armors we’ll never see in the movies.” While many of these lists will admit that the concept of the Armor is kind of cool, they also point out the reasons we probably won’t see much of Axol in the future.

But there are some sites out there that take each armor very seriously, cataloging every single armor — including the Ablative Model 23 — and creating a repository of knowledge for the suits you’ll see in the comics and in the MCU. These sites are the ones that helped me learn a bit more about the Ablative before I ever picked up the physical comic books, which eventually led me down this strange path to creating an entire site about ol’ Ovenback. (That’s the first time I’ve used that nickname. That’s right, not only did I name the armor Axol, now I’m trying out nicknames.)

Sure, they’re my competition, but I also have to give them thanks for getting me going. Let’s give ‘em a look.

Iron Man Armory

Like my site, this one seems to be the passion project of a single person. Well, a passion project with ads. Tim’s site is a great read and includes a nice write-up about the Ablative. He not only details the story in which Axol appears, but also talks about his appearance, armament, and abilities. He even gets into some theories about the armor, much like I do. Looks like the site hasn’t been updated in quite a while, as the last suit he has listed is Extremis (2006).

Images Used: 4 pieces of Teranishi art from Axol’s first page in Iron Man #416 (vol. 3 #71)

Marvel Database

There’s stuff that I do like and stuff that I don’t like about the Ablative entry (sounds like a bullet wound) at the Marvel Database. First of all, we agree on the numbering system and identify Axol as the Model 23.. They’re the ones who clued me in on the renumbering of most armors between the All-New Iron Manual and the Iron Manual TPB. Additionally, I like the nice lightbox-able image of the Carlo Pagulayan art. They also have an excellent system for cataloging every appearance of the Ablative. I mean, it’s not as exhaustive as mine, but it’s good.

What don’t I like? Their entry is a bit short, and while the Carlo Pagulayan art from the Iron Manual is great, I think it would be fitting to have a second pic of how it looks as originally drawn by Robert Teranishi.

Images Used: Pagulayan art from the Iron Manuals

Iron Man Fandom

Again we have the good and the bad. What’s good? A big Ternishi image, and it even has the word balloons removed and the hidden art underneath filled in (something I need to do / to have done at some point). What’s bad? The image is very low res.

What else is good? Three different images of Axol. What’s bad? A super-short description, though it is accurate.

Of course, my biggest beef is that they use the All-New Iron Manual numbering system that I now believe to be inaccurate, calling it the Model 24. I understand why they would leave it as-is, though, because changing their numbering system would be a huge task.

Image Used: Teranishi art from Axol’s first page in Iron Man #416 (vol. 3 #71)

Wikipedia

Not a bad rundown of all of Iron Man’s armors, and a nice succinct place to go when you want a quick synopsis on a single page. There are no pictures of Axol. It also takes some liberties and says some things are fact, when they’re actually unknown. But it ain’t bad.

Image Used: None of Axol

Key Collector Comics

Here’s the last site that’s beating me SEO-wise as I write this, and I can’t feel bad. Key Collector Comics is a great resource, whether you’re a reader, collector, or investor. Their Ablative page that’s beating me is actually a collection of “Iron Man armor first appearances.” I reference this list all the time, like when I want to come up with a blog about armors that only appeared in one issue, or letting me know that Silver Centurion’s appearance in West Coast Avengers #1 predates Iron Man #200.

Unfortunately, there’s almost nothing about Axol on the page — just a single sentence. Still, considering the size of the site and how it’s linked, I’m not surprised that it’s currently beating me.

Image Used: The cover to Iron Man #416 (vol. 3 #71)

Props

I just went and found out that giving "props” to someone is short for “proper respect.” That’s what I would have guessed, but it’s good to be sure.

So, here’s to giving proper props to the sites above. They each have something good going for them. I mean, my site certainly has multiple times more information about the Ablative Armor, but they’ve got the hits, the history, and really big sites.

Still, I’m coming after ya’all!

Other sites talking about the Model 23 Iron Man Suit