Synopsis
Iron Man (1968 series) #214 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
An angry Valerie Cooper contacts Iron Man, demanding that the Avengers deliver Spider-Woman to her. After the events of AVENGERS ANNUAL #15, wherein the Avengers were falsely accused of going rogue and locked up in The Vault, it was Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter ) who broke them out so they could clear their names. Now Cooper thinks the rogue Julia will go to the Avengers for refuge. She wants Shellhead to deliver the message that if she returns on her own, her punishment for rebellion will be softened, though she still must serve as an example to the Freedom Force (ex-villains now used as heroes by the government). Tony finds this distasteful but can't do anything about it as he doesn't know where Spider-Woman is....
In Denver, a trio of electrically charged baddies is formed: Grasp (who has Electro-Gauntlets), Chain (with Power-Shackle), and Sonic (with Sound-Cannon). Their mission: to capture Spider-Woman for the reward....
In downtown Denver, the fugitive Julia calls her daughter Rachel to tell her why she can't come home; Julia's ex-husband is angry at her disappearance but Julia is unable to explain anything for fear of revealing her secret identity. At that moment, a crane at a construction site breaks, dropping heavy steel girders toward a crowd. Without changing into her Spider-Woman outfit, she leaps through the air, snatching the girders and dropping them at a safe place. Recognized by the crowd, she dashes off down the street, running into a group of police officers. She quickly webs them up and heads a different way. A bystander contacts the Seekers with the news....
Iron Man also sees the news and, after a talk with Hawkeye, decides to help Spider-Woman. He jets quickly to Denver and traces the residual energy of her web to find her in hiding on a riverbank, 20 miles out of the city. Iron Man reveals himself and thanks her for helping them escape from The Vault and relays Val Cooper's message. Julia regrets getting involved with the Freedom Force and just wants her normal life back. Iron Man offers some empty words of encouragement but at Julia's request he sets out to find her daughter. Moments after he flies off, the Seekers arrive to do battle with Spider-Woman. Shellhead quickly returns and engages the three armored baddies. His energy bolts don't stop them and neither does trying to bury them alive. A mechanical crab from Sonic latches on to Shellhead's armor and begins leaching Tony's life away. Spider-Woman removes Chain's helmet and clouts him with it, knocking him out of the battle. Shellhead vaporizes the crab and uses his concussion beam to take out Sonic. The two heroes then team up to ensnare Gauntlet in a web....
Later, from the safety of a Stark-owned cabin in the woods, IM tells SW that bringing back her daughter would only condemn the two of them to a life of fugitives. Instead he takes her to her ex's house, loaning her an invisibility device so she can enter and check up on Rachel unseen. She decides to turn herself in to Val Cooper...
...and Cooper offers Julia a choice: prison or a secret mission. Julia chooses the mission and is introduced to Mike Clemson, whom no one knows is really a bad guy with a vendetta against Spider-Woman....
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Valerie Cooper (
Val Cooper).