Comic Browser:

Iron Man #287

Dec 1992

Len Kaminski, Kev Hopgood

Story Name:

Meltdown!

Synopsis

Iron Man #287 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

New Stark Enterprises CEO James Rhodes addresses the board and informs them that he will not be making any major changes and that he is depending on them to keep the company going. Later at dinner, Rae Lacoste tells Rhodey she and Tony were only friends but that with Rhodey she wants something more....

Late at night, a mysterious figure approaches a Stane nuclear facility, killing the guards with blasts of lightning and ordering the sole survivor to tell the media that Atom Smasher is here....

In their boudoir, Rhodey warns Rae that by dating a black man she may be courting trouble; she doesn't mind—but a phone call interrupts them and Rhodey must go into action....

After cleaning out her desk at Stark, the just fired Marcy Pearson encounters Morgan Stark in the parking garage and he has an offer for her....

As Erica Sondheim and Abe Zimmer stand amazed, though in cryogenic suspension, Tony Stark shows signs of brain activity. We learn that he is recalling his hostile father. Tony was sent to a strict boarding school where he was picked on by the other kids and his toys were confiscated by the teachers; Tony learned discipline yet discovered the magic of the tales of King Arthur....

After checking in with his executives, Rhodey dons the armor and heads out to face Atom Smasher who has threatened to destroy the Stane nuclear plant by midnight, illustrating the dangers of nuclear power. The terrorist greets Iron Man as a corporate leg-breaker, intending to show that the big corporations can be defied. Atom Smasher blasts the ceiling so that it falls, trapping Shellhead then unleashes a fatal energy barrage....

Then some mysterious business types decide that the incident at the Stane plant must be covered up and they mobilize Firepower....

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #287 Review by T Vernon (August 14, 2018)

Comments: Part one of two parts. First appearance of Atom Smasher; he is no relation to the villains from BLACK GOLIATH #1-3 and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #85, who were brothers. Rhodey jokes about being asked how to spell “potato;” this is a reference to then-Vice-President Dan Quayle failing at that task in 1992.

Review: New Iron Man faces an environmental terrorist yet again. No big deal, the climactic battle looks nice, though. And I don't trust Rae Lacoste, likely because it has been reported that she was originally supposed to be the new Madame Masque (killed in issue #238, replacement not seen since #247) but the window of opportunity passed them by when Michelinie and Layton left the title. This matter was covered by Brian Cronin in his Comic Legends series at CBR.com on April 17, 2017. Her final appearances are in issues #289 and 297.

> Iron Man comic book info and issue index

Excelsioring your collection:

Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Len Kaminski

Kev Hopgood

Mike DeCarlo

Mike Rockwitz

Kev Hopgood (Cover Penciler)
Mike DeCarlo (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos.
Editor: Nel Yomtov. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Abe Zimmer
(Abraham Zimmer)

Tony Stark

Plus: Atom Smasher, Erica Sondheim, Iron Man (James Rhodes), Marcy Pearson, Morgan Stark, Rae LaCoste.

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