War Machine #23: Review

Feb 1996

Dan Abnett, Fred Haynes

Story Name:

Wish Upon a Star

Review & Comments

Rating:

War Machine #23 Review by Rob Johnson (May 2, 2012)

This issue of the Crossing crossover follows from Force Works #20. Iron Man is not in this issue. But I am including it in the Iron Man database to complete the crossover, and because the crossover itself is important for Iron Man. A caption says Iron Man #319 was a few months ago, but it was only a couple of weeks. Rhodey never investigates the Warwear's origins further. And Skye's master never appears. Presumably he is the unknown enemy Kang is fighting. This is the end of 1 leg of the crossover. The fact that the satellite has been destroyed should foil Kang's plans. But Stark turns out to have a backup weapon in his Arctic base in Avengers #395.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

War Machine #23 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

This leg of the Crossing crossover continues from FORCE WORKS #20.

War Machine flies up to the Starcore satellite that Stark built to secretly house Kang's chronographic weapon.

Stark built the satellite in Iron Man #319. The chronographic weapon is intended to shift the whole of Earth out of its timeline, as has already happened to Vietnam in Force Works #17. The shifted Earth would create superbeings whom Kang would use in his Anachronaut army, as seen in Force Works #19.

When Rhodey breaks in he finds the mystery woman Skye already there. She explains that her undisclosed cosmic boss wanted Rhodey to oppose Kang and Iron Man's plans. So when he lost his War Machine armour, she was sent to give him the alien Warwear armour in #18. Jim was supposed to kill Iron Man, but he let him get away in #22.

Skye promises to tell Jim more about her boss after they destroy the weapon. It seems the weapon could still fire, even though War Machine helped Force Works destroy the control system under Force Works HQ in Force Works #20.

They are opposed by Dirge, an alien guard in another Warwear suit, different from Rhodey's. He fatally wounds Skye.

During the battle between Rhodey and Dirge, the Warwear suits also fight each other by intermeshing. From the resulting mind link Jim learns that Dirge has served Kang in his suit for decades. The suits themselves were designed long ago by and for the alien Eidolon. The suits have long outlasted their makers.

Despite Jim's inexperience, his Warwear suit defeats the other one, killing Dirge. Dirge's Warwear self destructs, taking the satellite and chronographic weapon with it.

Before the end the dying Skye shows Jim where in space the Warwear came from. And warns him that her cosmic master is coming. War Machine escapes back to Earth.

Meanwhile at SHIELD, Kirby Martell is waiting with the ageing and dying Sheva Joseph. She is ageing because of effects of the time-travel she and Rhodey did in #15-17.

This leg of the Crossing joins the other leg in AVENGERS #395.