Comic Browser:

Iron Man #239

Feb 1989

David Michelinie, Jackson Guice

Story Name:

Unholy Ghost!

Synopsis

Iron Man #239 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Three villains enter the property of Electronica Fabrizzi, an Italian company Tony Stark is interested in buying: Blizzard, Blacklash, and Boomerang. They are tracking the saboteur called Ghost—and they find him. Ghost has the room's machinery attack his enemies, taunts them and escapes....

Tony Stark is out with Rae Lacoste telling her about the increasingly obsessive girlfriend Kathy Dare when he receives a call over his priority network—and it turns out to be Kathy Dare wanting Tony's opinion on a dress. Tony angrily sends her away but the day is spoiled....

Back at the office Tony learns from his lawyer Felix Alvarez that something is wrong at Electronica Fabrizzi. Tony asks Abe Zimmer to check out the company while having James Rhodes get ready for a flight to Rome. [Elsewhere, the three baddies meet with their boss Justin Hammer, who is displeased with their failure to kill the Ghost. He moves on to Plan B.] On the way to Italy, Tony's jet malfunctions in the air and as Iron Man he gets out to fix it. At his hotel Tony gets a call from Rae, who is recovering from an auto accident (we know better) involving faulty brakes. Abe Zimmer also call to tell Tony that Electronica Fabrizzi seems to be a front for some mysterious activity. A car arrives to take Tony out to dinner “with an old friend.” At the restaurant, Tony finds Justin Hammer; Hammer reveals that he is the owner of Electronica Fabrizzi and the place is being sabotaged by the Ghost. If Iron Man can take care of the Ghost problem, Hammer will turn over Donnie (Blizzard) Gill for Tony to rehabilitate. They agree on this and Tony leaves....

Iron Man goes to Electronica Fabrizzi where he encounters the Ghost. The bad guy has improved his technology so that Shellhead can't beat him in the same old way. In their skirmish, Ghost attaches a tiny module to Iron Man's armor which causes the hero to become intangible—and there's no way to remove it, leaving Iron Man helpless....

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #239 Review by T Vernon (July 18, 2017)

Comments: Part one of two parts. The title is an irreverent pun on the name of the Holy Spirit (a/k/a Holy Ghost) of Christian theology. Iron Man faced two-thirds of this trio of baddies in issues #223-224; Boomerang replaces Beetle whose armor was destroyed by Shellhead during the Armor Wars in issue #227. The Ghost was introduced in issues #219-221.

Review: Entertaining tale has an interesting subplot: Tony's concern over Donnie “Blizzard” Gill, a criminal but not a hardened one; Tony thinks he can persuade the kid to give up the villain life. Sadly it doesn't work and Donnie remains a bad guy, later working with Spymaster, the Masters of Evil, and the Thunderbolts. The scene involving Iron Man's mid-flight repair to the plane is a neat part too, even if it's clearly padding to add another action sequence to a fairly talky issue.

> Iron Man comic book info and issue index

Excelsioring your collection:

Marvel Iron Man MARK7 Statue ARTFX 1/6 Statue

Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

David Michelinie

Jackson Guice

Bob Layton

Bob Sharen

Bob Layton (Cover Penciler)
Bob Layton (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Janice Chiang.
Editor: Howard Mackie.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Abe Zimmer
(Abraham Zimmer)

Blizzard

Boomerang
(Frederick Myers)

Ghost

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

James Rhodes
(Rhodey)

Plus: Blacklash, Felix Alvarez, Justin Hammer, Kathy Dare, Mrs. Arbogast, Rae LaCoste.

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