Invincible Iron Man #34: Review

Nov 2000

Frank Tieri, Paul Ryan

Story Name:

Power Part Two: Villains

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #34 Review by T Vernon (June 19, 2020)

RobFJ - I accidentally credited the synopsis to Smasher instead of T Vernon.

Comments: Issues #33-34 are tie-in to the upcoming MAXIMUM SECURITY event with the epilogue leading into it. Written by Joe Quesada and Frank Tieri. Inked by Rob Hunter, Paul Ryan, Rob Stull, and Derek Mei.

Review: The high-tech hero Tony Stark always seems at a disadvantage when surrounded by chaos and that’s what makes this issue so enjoyable. Not only does he have to contend with an angry and super strong girlfriend but he needs to rescue idiots who are flying through the skies when their own doses wear off. These bits are treated with humor, more so for the partygoers who are left in awkward positions. And there’s a classic battle with Shellhead fighting a beloved foe who is temporarily made of mirrors. His fight with the overpowered Max Power is even more exciting and that poor lady at the end discovers that being Martha Kent is only a good idea inside a DC comic book. Wait, who’s yelling, “Why did you say that name?” at me?

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #34 Synopsis by Smasher

Rumiko Fujikawa, with Absorbing Man’s abilities, has turned into a brick giant and is attacking Iron Man at Max Power’s secret party. Rumiko, frustrated over how Shellhead is always coming between her and Tony, bashes him around the room filled with partygoers who have also gained various superpowers. Turning to “iron” after hitting him, she knocks Iron Man through the roof, causing all the partygoers with flying powers to head out into the night sky. Iron Man comes back in to discover that Rumiko has touched the mirrored ball and will now shatter if she hits him. Suddenly, time runs out: Max Power’s drug wears off and she returns to normal. And then Iron Man realizes that the same thing must be happening to the fliers so he dashes around, catching them before they hit the ground. Others come to embarrassing situations when their doses wear off. Shellhead discovers that Max Power has fled in Tony’s stolen limo and tracks him to a bridge where traffic is jammed because of various partygoers occupying the street. Power takes all his formulae extracted from various heroes’ and villains’ DNA (as he did with Speedball during the bank robbery last issue) and battles the hero, angered at his interference. Power slams Iron Man into a school bus, pushing it in front of an oncoming train. Iron Man’s armor is damaged and he can’t lift the bus—but Power does, insisting he isn’t a monster, before he bashes the hero. Shellhead gets hold of Power’s briefcase where he discovers that the villain has taken all the power drugs except for those marked “telepathy.” He hurls them all at Power who immediately gains mind-reading power and is overwhelmed by all the voices in his head; there is an explosion that knocks him out—and gives Iron Man telepathic abilities, too….

Epilogue: a middle-aged couple are driving home in Nebraska when they see an object come crashing to Earth. Certain that it contains a space baby, the wife nags her husband into bringing the contents of the tiny spaceship home. When they examine it, they are shocked to see what they’ve found….

Story #2