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Iron Man #74

May 1975

Mike Friedrich, Arvell Jones

Story Name:

The Modok Machine!

Synopsis

Iron Man #74 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Iron Man returns from the Celestial Madonna story in GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS #4 to have a workout in his private danger room (which concept he admits he borrowed from the X-Men). Meanwhile, we learn that in Vietnam, Crimson Dynamo, Radioactive Man, and Titanium Man are under house arrest by orders of their angry superior for CD’s incompetence last issue.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of A.I.M., their grotesque leader MODOK is receiving reports from his minions on the Black Lama; they summarize the previous issues and reveal that the Lama has tried to enlist Doctor Doom, the Red Skull, and Fu Manchu in his Super-Villain War scheme but was rejected. The Black Lama suddenly materializes in the room and extends the offer to MODOK—and he accepts. But secretly we discover that the Lama is tormented by weird visions.
In a Midwestern prison, the Mad Thinker sees the vision of a woman (spoiler alert: Marianne Rodgers) alerting him to the imminent strike of a meteor against his cell wall. The prediction comes true and the baddie escapes and Gary (Firebrand) Gilbert seizes the opportunity to depart along with him. Soon Roxanne Gilbert is contacting Tony Stark to warn him that her brother still carried a grudge from issue #59.
Mad Thinker arrives at his lair and, apparently having been contacted by the Black Lama offstage, prepares to attack MODOK. His chosen weapon is Iron Man and he seizes remote control of Shellhead’s armor (with Tony inside) and sends him to A.I.M HQ. MODOK, expecting this, has put on his giant android fighting body and mixes it up with the unwilling hero. Iron Man attempts to escape from his massive foe but the Thinker misinterprets this as Shellhead turning against him so he locks up the armor allowing MODOK to capture the hero. The grisly A.I.M. leader then traces the signal back and bursts through the wall of the Mad Thinker’s lair….

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #74 Review by T Vernon (January 28, 2014)

Review: A potentially exciting story is hurt by mediocre artwork: Arvell Jones’ work always looked somehow off to me, with his plethora of little panels and body proportions that didn’t seem quite right. Nevertheless, a war of supervillains was a really thrilling concept when I read this as a kid and this issue delivered though the arc as a whole would be a bit of a disappointment. PS MODOK looks really formidable in his giant metal body.

Comments: Part one of a three part story. Story takes place immediately after the Celestial Madonna epic in GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS #4; Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Vision have cameos on the splash page. On the cover MODOK announces that Iron Man is the first casualty of the War of the Super-Villains, thus proving that MODOK hadn’t read issues #68-71.

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Mike Friedrich

Arvell Jones

Dick Ayers

Phil Rachelson

Gil Kane (Cover Penciler)
Mike Esposito (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski.
Editor: Len Wein.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

Pepper Potts
(Pepper Hogan)

X-Men

A.I.M.

Crimson Dynamo
(Alex Niven)

Mad Thinker

MODOK
(George Tarleton)

Radioactive Man
(Chen Lu)

Plus: Marianne Rodgers, Roxanne Gilbert, Zheng Zu (Fu Manchu), Black Lama (King Jerald), Firebrand (Gary Gilbert), Titanium Man (Boris Bullski).

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