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Invincible Iron Man #216: Review

Mar 1987
David Michelinie, M. D. Bright

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Story Name:

Requiescat...and Revenge

Review & Comments

Rating:
4.5 stars

Invincible Iron Man #216 Review by (January 30, 2017)
Comments: Part two of two parts. Rhodey calls his nurse Ratchet, a reference to the evil nurse in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, then there's a dark reference to comedian Richard Pryor's having set himself on fire, ending with Rhodey ordering grapefruit juice “shaken, not stirred” a la James Bond. No idea why he was in such a pop culture mood in the hospital. Mi Casa, Tony's island retreat, was previously seen in issues #140-141. Oh, and final appearances of Yorgon Tykkio and Clytemnestra Erwin.

Review: With this two-part tale, returning writer David Michelinie wraps up all of his predecessor's cast with extreme prejudice! Now occasionally this results in a terrible comic as a lot of details are just cast to the winds, often in the dumbest way possible (I'm thinking of a particular issue of WEREWOLF BY NIGHT here) but this one is surprisingly good. We close out the A.I.M. plot (which was becoming pointless), but also the space station idea. The biggest surprise was turning Clytemnestra Erwin into a baddie just to kill her off. Sure, she was angry over her brother's death but this woman invited Tony to a Renaissance Faire! How malevolent can she be? It kind of messes with the character as we knew her but in Michelinie's hands it becomes acceptable if not ideal. So what do we have to look forward to? Rhodey is seriously burned, but it only harmed his chest and he'll be better by next issue anyway. And then there's Tony's nervous disorder which leads to one immediate change: getting rid of the Chameleon Mode. What, don't they like the Invisible Iron Man? Yeah, turns out there are a few bugs in the story but the all-star team puts it over nicely. PS Nice cover, though the situation isn't as dire as shown.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #216 Synopsis by T Vernon
The two Iron MenTony Stark and James Rhodes—are plummeting through Earth's atmosphere after escaping the sabotaged space station. The old armor has been damaged, though, and now Rhodey is burning up inside the suit. Calling for help by radio, Tony brings Rhodey down to the top of a tall building, ministering to his serious burns. The EMTs arrive and rush their patient to a burn center....

An hour later Tony arrives at the hospital and meets with Rhodey, learning that his injuries (burns to the chest) are not life-threatening. Tony returns to the office to find chaos with the business portions of the firm having been neglected. Tony dashes off to his office to call Senator Boynton about A.I.M. but the legislator brushes him off. Tony tells Clytemnestra Erwin that the company is finished with the loss of the space station and shuttle. Tony heads to the hospital to tell Rhodey he is planning to open his Caribbean retreat, Mi Casa, as a base from which to strike at A.I.M. on Boca Caliente. Rhodey wants to come along but Tony refuses. Cly shows up, and, learning that Tony is going to face Yorgon Tykkio's gang alone, she dashes off too....

Tony arrives at Mi Casa and walks into a trap—his speedboat is blown up (with him in it, the baddies think) and the case with his armor recovered and it is revealed he has been betrayed by Clytemnestra Erwin, seeking revenge for her brother Morley's death (issue #199). Back in the hospital, Rhodey realizes that Cly knew the villain's name and escapes to go to Tony's aid....

On Boca Caliente, Yorgon Tykkio is broken out of his prison cell by members of his faction (he's fighting his brother for control of A.I.M, remember?) and they seize the complex. Opening the case, they discover it does not contain the Iron Man armor but a radio transmitter which has already relayed their conversation to a waiting Shellhead. He jets to the island but Chameleon Mode causes the nervous pain again (see last issue) and he is now easily spotted by A.I.M.'s radar. He fights his way past tanks and planes, even suicide bombers, with Rhodey showing up in a fighter jet to lend a hand. When Tykkio decides to cut his losses and run, Cly shoots him in the back and throws the switch activating the automatic defenses—which causes the giant guns to shoot down their own planes. Iron Man and Rhodey head for safety and a disabled A.I.M. plane crashes into the control room, killing Clytemnestra.

Epilogue: Tony and Rhodey survey the damage done to Boca Caliente and Tony decides not to blame himself for everything that went wrong and get on with his life....


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Barberoids 1 cover original artwork on ebay

M. D. Bright
Bob Layton
Bob Sharen
M. D. Bright (Cover Penciler)
Bob Layton (Cover Inker)


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