Invincible Iron Man #97: Review

Apr 1977

Bill Mantlo, George Tuska

Story Name:

Showdown With the Guardsman!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #97 Review by T Vernon (July 22, 2014)

Review: So why didn’t Guardsman pursue and attack Iron Man while he was lying helpless on the roof as he started toward his secret lab? Because the script says so. Okay issue is just a rehash of the battle with Kevin many moons ago and Michael’s hasty cracking up is hard to swallow (though not as much as his sudden repentance next issue). It’s all right, it’s only Bill Mantlo cleaning up all the plot threads left over from the previous writers before moving on with his own stuff.

Comments: Part three of six parts. Issue contains the first hint that Krissy Longfellow is not what she seems. Abe Klein is shown on the cover but he does not appear in the story.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #97 Synopsis by T Vernon

Iron Man, seriously injured in his fight with Ultimo, is flown back to Stark International by Jasper Sitwell. There they learn that Michael O’Brien is inside, wearing the Guardsman armor and holding Krissy Longfellow hostage. As he heads into the plant, Shellhead is attacked by his vengeance-crazed foe and overwhelmed. Iron Man manages to punch the Guardsman though a window, then, his power rapidly draining, he drags himself into the secret lab and hooks his chest plate up to the recharger….
In Washington, Senator Hawk is furious that Tony Stark never showed up for their meeting, while we discover that the Senator’s aide Jonathan Rich is carrying Tony’s briefcase….
Meanwhile, Michael O’Brien rehearses a biased account of his brother’s death at the hands of Iron Man (issues #43-46) for Krissy’s benefit; after he heads back to the fray, she quickly frees herself from her bonds….
The hastily repaired Iron Man confronts his armor-clad foe in front of the building once more. This time Shellhead does not pull his punches out of respect for Kevin O’Brien; during the battle Michael becomes more and more frantic and confused and realizing he is planning to commit murder he collapses in a heap, out cold. Iron Man insists on taking charge of his fallen enemy to cure him instead of turning him over to the police….