Invincible Iron Man #94: Review

Jan 1977

Gerry Conway, Herb Trimpe

Story Name:

Frenzy At Fifty Fathoms

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #94 Review by T Vernon (June 25, 2014)

Review: I know I shouldn’t have expected much from a comic book story featuring a bionic pirate but so help me this was one dumb story. A world-conquering pirate? Well that could be chalked up to megalomania. But Iron Man having a hard time fighting a baddie with a cattle prod in his sword? Seriously? Iron Man fights Ultimo, a giant with disintegrator beams in his eyes next issue and it isn’t half this much trouble. And how could all of the captives in the caves make it out when they were locked in cages? Sure hope the dungeon was above sea level. And why should a villain with a brain-washing device not use it on Tony Stark, instead taking hostages, this guy who was smart enough to puzzle out that Tony was Iron Man? Even without the logical lapses of the tale, it just plain looks silly. For comedy value only.

Comments: Part two of a two part story. Commander Kraken next appears in CAPTAIN AMERICA #319 where he is killed by Scourge of the Underworld; no one missed him.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #94 Synopsis by T Vernon

Commander Kraken has Abe Klein and Krissy Longfellow captive to force Iron Man to do his bidding. The villain shows Iron Man the extent of his operation: he has hundreds of sailors from conquered ships captive ready to submit them to brainwashing with his patented cerebro-scan to turn them into an entire pirate navy ready to conquer the world. Unseen Shellhead swipes a miniature power cartridge for late reference. Kraken then reveals that he has deduced the Iron Man is really Tony Stark and he wants Tony to have his company manufacture weapons for the pirates. Tony is then drugged and dumped ashore to be contacted later. Tony wanders the area trying to locate the sea caves until he meets a man who recognizes the mud on Tony’s borrowed boots as coming from a specific area. Tony heads there and sneaks into the cave, finding his way to the lab where Kraken stored his armor. Suited up, he locates the dungeon and frees Krissy and Abe. Sending them to safety Iron Man takes on the pirate commander, standing up to the shocks form his electric sword which bring on the dizzy spells he’s been having lately. Iron Man breaks the sword forcing the villain to fire a blast from a ray gun. The wild shot causes the computer to explode, tearing a hole in the wall and letting the sea in. Iron Man and the pirates escape but Commander Kraken finds his jet peg leg wedged in a crevasse, unable to move as the chamber quickly fills with water….
Epilogue: Tony meets Abe and Krissy to bring them home. He bids the innkeeper farewell but fails to note that the man is Commander Kraken….