Not having read the author's previous effort with Iron Man, "The Armor Trap," I can only compare this book to the Marvel novels of the late 1970s, such as David Michelinie's The Man Who Stole Tomorrow. "Operation A.I.M." pales in such a comparison. The difference is striking.
Cox's novel contains only the barest thread of a plot: Modok has returned, seeking to recreate an energy chip which will grant him a great deal of power. That's pretty much it. The subplot involving Adaptoids and a female A.I.M. agent serves only as a device for resolving the final battle at the end.
The book consists for the most part of one extended combat scene after another, always including extended, Clancy-esque technical descriptions of the ways in which Iron Man's armor overcomes the obstacles to win the fight. This grows tiresome very quickly; an extended battle near the beginning, between Iron Man and a bionic octopus, put me to sleep more than once as I tried to get through it. Other than these scenes, virtually no plot can be found. No other subplots, and no other real characters, short of the guest stars. How Cox managed to stretch this story out over nearly 300 pages is beyond me.
As for the guest stars, T'Challa's portrayal hits close to the mark (for what there is of it), and I'm sure this War Machine somewhat approximates the character (although I understood he and Tony had been on bad terms for a while--they get along like great friends here.) Captain America, however, is little more than a caricature of himself, continually spouting out Cap-isms and slinging his shield.
It is this lack of depth--for all the characters--that strikes one most strongly. "Operation A.I.M" could be read in an hour's sitting; it is an airport book if ever there was one. The author attempts to compensate for lack of depth or development by throwing in a potpourri of Marvel villains, from Mr. Hyde to Mandarin to Spymaster to Modok. All fall flat, serving only as decoration, not as true participants in a real story.
Perhaps the ultimate irony is that so many of the characters turn out to be artificial. I think that says as much about the book as anything else I could say.
RATING: 3 (out of 10)