Synopsis
Iron Man (1968 series) #22 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
Tony Stark as Iron Man rushes to the waterfront to save the life of his replacement, Eddie March (see last issue). At the pier, the new hero is taking a savage beating from the new, improved Crimson Dynamo. When Tony arrives he finds the gravely injured Eddie alone and rushes him to a hospital for emergency surgery. Tony realizes that being Iron Man is his responsibility and vows to avenge Eddie even if it causes his synthetic heart to fail….
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the river, the huge crate that fell overboard during the armored battle breaks over and from it emerges…Titanium Man!
At Cord Industries, Janice Cord discovers Alex Niven repairing the Crimson Dynamo armor and is shocked that her trusted scientist is a villain. Niven has a different spin however—his real name is Alex Nevsky and he was assistant to the original Crimson Dynamo, Professor Vanko. He watched as his mentor was dispatched to the United States to kill Iron Man, and how Vanko was convinced to defect by the American hero. But Nevsky believes that Iron Man tricked Vanko with a faked recording of Russia’s plan to betray him, so when Vanko was killed sometime later, Nevsky vowed vengeance against Iron Man and Tony Stark. Janice realizes that his romantic gestures toward her were merely part of the plot against Stark and she lashes out at him. Nevsky protests that his feelings for her are genuine but they are interrupted by Titanium Man crashing through the wall. He has been ordered to capture Nevsky and return him to Moscow to serve the State. Elsewhere, Iron Man receives the news that Eddie March will recover from his injures. Elated, the hero heads off on Titanium Man’s trail. At the Cord factory, Nevsky, his armor still damaged from the battle with the new Iron Man, tries to carry Janice to safety. Iron Man, arriving on the scene, leaps to the conclusion that Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man are working together; he attacks the Dynamo who is attempting to take Janice to safety. The weakened Nevsky drops Janice and Shellhead must rescue her. Ignoring Janice’s pleas that it isn’t what he thinks, Iron Man fights the Dynamo—then suddenly Titanium Man surprises them with the shock of an electric beam. The critically injured Janice dies in Tony’s arms, never realizing that the hero was her beloved. The Golden Avenger strikes back against the giant armored enemy, while Alex Nevsky vows vengeance against Iron Man and steals off into the dark. Iron Man savagely beats Titanium Man, destroying his weapons one by one. In trouble, the Soviet killer magnetizes his armor to drag his foe down to the bottom of the river with him. Under the surface, though, the Russian’s armor shorts out, freeing Iron Man who mourns as he carries the lifeless form of Janice Cord to an ambulance….
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Eddie March, Janice Cord.
EnemiesPlus: Titanium Man (
Boris Bullski).