Invincible Iron Man #24: Review

This is the last part of Stark Disassembled.

Dr Lisk and Maria Hill found Pepper Potts where Ghost attacked her last issue. Maria rushes to Tony Stark's side carrying Pepper, who's also still weak from her operation in #21. It's not sensible for Maria to slow herself down by carrying Pepper when she thinks Tony Stark is in danger from Ghost. She should have left her with Dr Lisk. She presumably realises this because she's dropped Pepper before reaching the Ghost.

I don't know how Pepper knows that Ghost can't afford for HAMMER to find out he's here.

Either she was bluffing or she was calling someone else. Because it isn't HAMMER medical care they wind up in. Presumably the staff are other underground medicos like Dr Lisk.

The phone Tony uses is the special one created for Ghost by Tinkerer in #21. I would think Ghost would be able to control whether he phased through the phone or not.

Tony sends Ghost to Stark Industries in Seoul. But I thought SI was closed down. Maybe it's a HAMMER facility now.

This issue ignores the dream Bureaucrat Tony mentioned last issue, who was probably Tony himself.

Tony's brain was reloaded (in #21) from a copy made before he underwent the Extremis process in Iron Man (2005) #4. So he doesn't remember his recent errors of judgement like the Superhero Registration Act and the superhero Civil War. On a more recent and personal note he won't remember sleeping with Maria and getting intimate with Pepper.

This story occurs not long before the Siege event ends Norman Osborn's Dark Reign. But the Official Indexes and the Marvel Chronology Project put several major events between here and Siege:- Doomwar, Assault on New Olympus and Fall of the Hulks/World War Hulks.

Tony Stark is seen in Siege #1, still recuperating and being looked after in Broxton by Dr Blake and Maria Hill. He gets off his sick bed in Siege #3 and dons what I believe is the Model 3 Iron Man armour from Tales of Suspense #55. (This would tie in with World's Most wanted, which used up the Model 2 and 4 armours, among others.)

But before Siege Tony Stark makes a cameo app on a video call in the last issue of the Doomwar mini-series. But strangely he also cameos active in the old Iron Man armour in the backup tale in Amazing Spider-Man #628.

Iron Man's appearances in Siege #1,3,4 and New Avengers #64 and Finale have been covered by Peter and Julio. I'll be adding some other Siege apps starting with AV: Initiative #34.

Pepper Potts reappears, recovered and back in businesswoman attire, in Siege #4. But her Rescue 1-shot happens somewhere around Stark Disassembled. I'll cover where in it's own comments.

They'll still be in Broxton in #25 when the Stark Resilient story starts. And Jim Rhodes will still be recovering from his injury. However he'll manage to fit in a more active app in Doomwar #5-6 and some Fall/War of the Hulks apps before *not* showing up for Siege.

Maria Hill will go straight to Siege #1.

Steve Rogers will cameo with Captain America (Bucky Barnes) in Dark Avengers Annual #1 considering whether to offer Protector (Noh-Varr) a job with the real Avengers. And the pair will continue into Siege in New Av #61-62.

Dr Lisk will make one more appearance in #27, giving Pepper a new chest implant.

Dr Strange like most major chars will show up in Doomwar #6. The low-powered ex-Sorcerer Supreme will take on an apprentice magician but only for a 4-issue limited series. Then he'll tangle with a nearly-forgotten old foe Adria in a tale in Girl Comics (2010) #2. He won't take part in Siege, but he'll be back with the post-Siege New Avengers.

Ghost will continue as a member of the Thunderbolts through Siege (in their #140-143) and beyond.

*** The rest of the Comments are earlier versions of parts of this Comment that I can't get rid of.

This is the last part of Stark Disassembled. Dr Lisk and Maria Hill found Pepper Potts where Ghost attacked her last issue. Maria rushes to Tony Stark's side carrying Pepper, who's also still weak from her operation in #21. It's not sensible for Maria to slow herself down by carrying Pepper when she thinks Tony Stark is in danger from Ghost. She should have left her with Dr Lisk. She presumably realises this because she's dropped Pepper before reaching the Ghost. I don't know how Pepper knows that Ghost can't afford for HAMMER to find out he's here. Either she was bluffing or she was calling someone else. Because it isn't HAMMER medical care they wind up in. Presumably the staff are other underground medicos like Dr Lisk. The phone Tony uses is the special one created for Ghost by Tinkerer in #21. I would think Ghost would be able to control whether he phased through the phone or not. Tony sends Ghost to Stark Industries in Seoul. But I thought SI was closed down. Maybe it's a HAMMER facility now. This issue ignores the dream Bureaucrat Tony mentioned last issue, who was probably Tony himself. Tony's brain was reloaded (in #21) from a copy made before he underwent the Extremis process in Iron Man (2005) #4. So he doesn't remember his recent errors of judgement like the Superhero Registration Act and the superhero Civil War. On a more recent and personal note he won't remember sleeping with Maria and getting intimate with Pepper.