Invincible Iron Man #240: Review

Mar 1989

David Michelinie, Jackson Guice

Story Name:

Ghost Righter!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #240 Review by T Vernon (July 25, 2017)

Comments: Part two of two parts. Title is a pun on the phrase “ghost writer.” Donnie Gill's name is spelled “Donny” here. Tony has seen the classic THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933); it's recommended. Blacklash gives the punchline to an old joke: Lone Ranger: “We're surrounded by Indians; it looks like we're finished, Tonto.” “What do you mean 'we,' paleface?”

Review: A well-plotted issue with a lot of excitement with the opening intangible Iron Man scenes a standout. And the Ghost is an unsung villain for Shellhead, his tech always seeming one step ahead of Tony's tech. We should see him more.

From Our Blog:

Gwen Stacy, beauty queen of Standard High School, was Peter Parker's (alias Spider-Man) first great love.

Gwen Stacy: Classic Beauty

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #240 Synopsis by T Vernon

James Rhodes enters Electronica Fabrizzi to discover Iron Man is intangible—thanks to a circuit that the Ghost has placed on him, trapping him in a world without touch. Realizing his powers still work, he runs an electromagnetic pulse which shuts down his entire system for six minutes—including the Ghost's circuit. How to remove that? Easy, Rhodey shoots it off. Now for Justin Hammer....

Justin Hammer meets with his trio of failed henchman, Blizzard, Blacklash, and Boomerang, and the meeting is crashed by the Ghost. Hammer offers Ghost quite a bit of cash to come work for him but the baddie taunts him with the news that he will soon destroy Electronica Fabrizzi. After Ghost vanishes, Hammer is ready to explain his next project to his henchmen....

Tony Stark and Rhodey return to their hotel suite to discover a naked Kathy Dare in Tony's bed. Tony angrily orders her out and she leaves, destroying an expensive vase in a fit of pique....

The next day, Hammer arranges with Tony to have Iron Man at Electronica Fabrizzi to trap the Ghost. Rhodey accompanies him and they learn that Hammer has also sent Blizzard, Blacklash, and Boomerang to help. They try to outline the Ghost with smoke by firing smoke pellets but their quarry triggers the sprinklers to wash the smoke away. Boomerang manages to spray some radioactive dust on the Ghost so they can track him with special glasses. They confront the Ghost and attack with their specialized weapons and then Iron Man is double-crossed by Hammer's men, who have been instructed to let the Ghost and Iron Man fight to the finish. Rhodey arrives with a gun so he and Shellhead make quick work of Hammer's trio. The Ghost now triggers the explosives to destroy the company but Iron Man sends another EMP to stop the system. Shellhead and Rhodey have six minutes before the pulse wears off and they spend it hustling the bad guys to safety. They are outside when the factory goes up in a holocaust. Iron Man takes the defeated Blizzard under his wing, as promised by Hammer....

The Ghost visits Justin Hammer to gloat over his victory in destroying Electronica Fabrizzi; Hammer reveals that the room has been lined with a material Ghost cannot pass through. Seeing this is true, Ghost pulls a gun and blows a hole in the wall. On his way out he ponders whether to kill Tony Stark or Justin Hammer next....