80-Page Thursdays: Marvel Super-Heroes #9, Spring 1992!

Three stories in today's 80-pager, so we'll run them from bad to good: from 1992, Marvel Super-Heroes #9, with stories from Dwayne McDuffie, Randall Frenz, and Kurt Busiek; with art by Ron Wilson, Kevin West, and James W. Fry III.

In the lead feature "Cupid's Error," the Greek god Cupid shows up at the Avengers West Coast headquarters, looking for his lost wife Psyche. He believes Mockingbird to be her reincarnation; but the whole thing is a trick from Aprhodite, who is herself controlled by another force. Hercules gets called in to deliver a spanking to Cupid and later a guide to Olympus; but the whole thing's not great. For example, USAgent thinks Cupid's a male stripper when he shows up at the mansion, but doesn't get to beat him senseless for referring to him as a eunuch.


Next, "Turnabout" continues from the backup feature in Thor Annual 15: Thor dumped the android Thermal Man in scenic Jotunheim, where it's been stomping the hell out of the Frost Giants. They try to reach Ymir for help, but get Loki instead, who takes over the android and attacks Asgard with the giants. Thor armors up in the outfit he wore towards the end of Walt Simonson's run, but it looks a little off without the beard. Oddly, although the Thermal Man had given Thor quite a hard time before, with Loki controlling it now Thor's able to beat it down.

The last story's the best: "The Applicant," a young Stark Enterprises employee who turns in an application (duh) every month or two...for the position of Iron Man. When Tony's regular chauffeurs are unavailable, the applicant gets the job, and an opportunity to ask Tony about it. He figures there has to be at least three guys running shifts as Iron Man, and probably a trainee program, since when one went rogue during the Armor Wars another one was immediately ready to go. (Tony is caught, if not in a lie, than his own web of lies.)

But, when an armored villain called Skullcrasher attacks, the applicant gets a first hand look at what being Iron Man means, and knows he isn't ready...yet. Not a bad one, and yet it's another from years before Busiek got to write Iron Man proper!