Invincible Iron Man #306: Review

Jul 1994

Len Kaminski, Kev Hopgood

Story Name:

Redemption

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #306 Review by T Vernon (January 2, 2019)

Comments: “Crash and Burn” part six of six. Last appearance of Marcy Pearson. Recommended reading (Tony's ideas): The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler, The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner. Also mentioned: Ben & Jerry's. The fake news tabloid Weekly News World is a thinly disguised version of the real life Weekly World News (some stretch, huh?). Mandarin has been bedridden and amnesiac since issue #275. Berserker destroyed Tony's beach house in #292. Issue includes a farewell by departing penciler Kevin Hopgood.

Review: Mostly clearing up details of past plotlines, this issue is notable for the two-page manifesto on ethical business practices. An audacious move (how many Shellhead fans actually read it?), one which shows unsuspected expertise on the part of writer Len Kaminsky as some of the ideals expressed are not too far-fetched to have some limited success. And the one action scene, Iron Man demolishing the beach house, is pretty cool.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #306 Synopsis by T Vernon

Tony Stark has a nightmare that he is in a broken Iron Man armor, being accused of all of Stane's wrongdoing by the heroes he had recently encountered (Captain America, the New Warriors, Hulk, Thunderstrike, Deathlok, Venom) and he is awoken by the telephone. It is Bethany Cabe reporting that she has captured the hacker. Veronica Benning is worried that Tony is pushing himself too hard but he is concerned about the future of his company, shutting it down and rebuilding it to be incorruptible....

Later he meets with Felix Alvarez and Abe Zimmer about the legal ramifications of kidnapping hacker Philip “Raven” Grant before Bethany brings him in. Tony pressures Grant into revealing that he was hired by Marcy Pearson to bring Stark down. After Grant leaves the room, Abe persuades Tony to hire Grant, giving him a second chance as Tony once did for Abe (in issue #219). Tony then calls Marcy Pearson, implying he is hiring her back but when she arrives, he confronts her with Grant and she confesses that she was hired by a still-mysterious baddie to act against Stark. Tony doesn't believe in this mystery villain and the FBI takes her away....

Tony presents his restructuring plan to his department heads, some of whom object, and a week later to the press and public, in two columns of text on the comics pages. There is reaction from all over the world, including Captain America's approval, Roxxon's cynicism and, in a small village in China, to the comatose Mandarin who pops awake when he hears his enemy's name. Nick Fury calls Tony, asking him to intercede with War Machine Jim Rhodes but Tony explains that Rhodey won't listen to him....

Tony has one more task to take care of: he dons the Iron Man armor and destroys the wreckage of his damaged beach house planning to rebuild from scratch—but the optimistic Tony is being watched by the mystery villain....

Story #2