Comic Browser:

Iron Man #302

Mar 1994

Len Kaminski, Kev Hopgood

Story Name:

Oil and Gold

Synopsis

Iron Man #302 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

The mad monstrous vigilante Venom, believing Tony Stark to be guilty of a multitude of financial crimes, has captured the billionaire playboy and casually bites his head off. And we learn that Tony was an LMD (Life Model Decoy). Venom climbs to the penthouse where he has (correctly) deduced the real Tony is hiding. Tony crashes his mobile chair into the invader, knocking him through the wall and giving Tony the time to reach the elevator, though Venom rides atop the car all the way down, trying to break in and finish his murderous job....

Interlude: Abe Zimmer tells Erica Sondheim that he has identified Stark Enterprises' hacker....

When Venom reaches the armory level he comes face-to-face with Iron Man. There is a battle: at first Venom appears to have the upper hand but Shellhead grabs the monster's tongue and sends a lot of electric current through it, while telling Venom that Tony Stark is not a criminal and that Venom is no hero but a psychopath who pretends to be fighting for good to justify his homicidal actions. Venom pulls himself together and leaves with a threat to return on his lips. Exhausted, Tony calls Bethany Cabe to help him again....

Bethany takes Tony back to his apartment where Veronica Benning is both concerned and jealous....

Several days later, Tony receives a call from Dwayne Taylor questioning the proprieties of a Stark dam project; Tony is offended by Taylor's tone and cuts the call short. Taylor, secretly Night Thrasher, decides to address the matter a different way and assembles the New Warriors: Speedball, Rage, Nova, and Firestar. Meanwhile Tony meets with his next visitor: Captain America....

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #302 Review by T Vernon (December 4, 2018)

Comments: “Crash and Burn” part two of six. Tony's password to the armory is “Mallory,” possibly a reference to Sir Thomas Malory [sic], author of Le Morte D'Arthur, which Tony was seen reading in a flashback in issue #287. Or maybe not.

Review: The battle with Venom is a very nice sequence, though I'm not sure why the monster just decides to leave when faced with a foe who can fight back. He's a monster and a lunatic but not a coward. After this point in the issue, something happens to the art, taking on a rougher look with the climactic reveal of Cap making him look downright ugly. Hopgood's pencils do not improve over ensuing issues with the next issue looking worse.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Len Kaminski

Kev Hopgood

Steve Mitchell

Ariane Lenshoek

Kev Hopgood (Cover Penciler)
Steve Mitchell (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Phil Felix.
Editor: Nel Yomtov. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Abe Zimmer
(Abraham Zimmer)

Captain America
(Steven Rogers)

Firestar
(Angel Jones)

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

Nova
(Richard Rider)

Speedball
(Robbie Baldwin)

Venom
(Edward Brock)

Plus: Bethany Cabe, Erica Sondheim, New Warriors, Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor), Rage (Elvin Daryl Haliday), Veronica Benning.

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