Jack of Hearts flies through a heavy storm crossing Long Island Sound. He passes a
Coast Guard cutter on a search-and-rescue mission and can hear the captain
telling his mate that superheroes live in their own world and don’t have the
time for ordinary people. So Jack locates the capsized yacht and lights up to
guide the rescue ship to their location. On the ship, he lets the captain know
he heard what he said earlier and slips his calling card into the man’s pocket:
the Jack of Hearts….
He
arrives home at his New Haven, Connecticut, estate and is greeted by his new
butler, Martins, selected by SHIELD. He gives Martins some instructions,
including leaving untouched the room where his father was murdered. Martins has
had another batch of calling cards printed up, which causes Jack to have
flashbacks to his previous adventures, bringing the reader up to speed. He
informs Martins that the Zero Fluid has been absorbed into his every cell,
necessitating his wearing the elaborate armor to prevent destruction. Tony
Stark and SHIELD have devised the Neutro-Mist which renders him powerless for
an hour, permitting him to relax without his armor. But there’s nothing that
can be done about the radiation burns on his body which appear to be spreading.
Jack receives a letter informing him that the Corporation that had his father
dead can order his death as well, ending with a challenge from “Hemlock.” He
decides to go once his powers return…
At
his palatial home in Ithaca, New York, Jonathan Hemlock, a cultured fellow who
wears an all-black costume with mask, lectures his two henchmen on his plan to
take Jack of Hearts alive and so gain the secret of the Zero Fluid….
Jack
of Hearts arrives at Hemlock’s mansion and the villain greets him in his
garden, offering to purchase the Zero Fluid for his employers; Jack refuses so
Hemlock tosses him a gas bomb before attacking. Jack has trouble seeing in the fog-filled
room. Jack is assaulted by the baddie’s henchmen and easily defeats them. The
fight spills over into Hemlock’s greenhouse and he is angered that his beloved
plants are endangered. He sends out a trowel, which is actually a heart-seeking
missile. Jack flies away but leads the trowel back to blow up the prize
orchids. This drives Hemlock insane and he determines to kill Hemlock, against
the Corporation’s orders. The two engage in a brutal hand-to-hand fight which
ends when the villain uses a small hand blaster to knock out the hero. Hemlock
then tries to cut open Jack’s armor—and the sudden release of energy devastates
him. Jack awakens, surveys the situation, leaves his calling card, and goes
home….