Synopsis
Iron Man (1968 series) #255 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
The story is told with parallel stories on each page. This division is somewhat simplified here for convenience.
In Russia, the new Crimson Dynamo battles the Devastator as part of a test. The Dynamo's arrogance makes him launch increasingly bigger attacks at his opponent until the Devastator is forced to blast him at full power....
Iron Man discovers an intruder at a Stark testing ground: a character called Freak Quincy who is broadcasting and receiving on all frequencies and it has driven him mad. Suddenly, Freak absorbs a powerful transmission (which we recognize as the Devastator's attack at the other end of the page) and blasts Iron Man....
And Tony Stark and Valentin Shatalov discover their minds have been switched in their bodies....
Unused to the Crimson Dynamo armor, Tony is knocked unconscious by the Devastator...and wakes up in the hospital, visited by “his” lover Lt. Colonel Yelena Brement. Covering his confusion by claiming amnesia, he has a romantic interlude with Yelena, then insists on going back to the scene of the incident where he downloads the details on the accident. He then places a call to “Tony Stark” in the USA....
Shatalov, unused to the Iron Man armor, fires a pulse and tears off both of Freak Quincy's arms. He manages to activate the homing beacon and finds his way to Tony's house, where he discovers “his” true identity. Shatalov takes advantage of his new persona to examine top secret plans and schematics, plotting theft and sabotage. He takes the call from “ Valentin Shatalov” and refuses to to anything to help his enemy....
Tony broadcasts to Freak Quincy in the hospital who mindlessly transmits to “Tony” shutting down the implant that enables him to walk. Shatalov suits up as Iron Man and flies to the hospital where Quincy's emissions override his armor. Tony, as the Crimson Dynamo, locates Devastator and bullies him into firing the same blast as earlier while transmitting to Freak Quincy the same thing. As they hit simultaneously, the two men's minds are returned to their rightful craniums. In Russia, Shatalov is placed under arrest for his violent actions, while Tony resolves to help Freak Quincy control his powers....
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Crimson Dynamo (
Valentin Shatalov), Devastator, Mrs. Arbogast.