Invincible Iron Man #78: Review

Sep 1975

Bill Mantlo, George Tuska

Story Name:

Long Time Gone

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #78 Review by T Vernon (February 25, 2014)

Review: Another fill-in issue? Those guys must be having a lot of deadline trouble. At least it isn’t a silly throwaway issue like the next one. Here they tried to do something serious, presenting an anti-war tale which addresses the matter of their hero’s involvement in an increasingly unpopular war (and trying to cover the shifting views of the Marvel editorial board). They do a pretty good job of it too. Tuska’s and Colletta’s art, which could at times look silly, suits the darker, grimmer tale without becoming unreadable as a grittier style would have made it.

Comments: Story takes place around the time of TALES OF SUSPENSE #50.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #78 Synopsis by T Vernon

After his experiences in Vietnam (issues#68-73, more or less), Tony Stark broods over the part he played in the War early in his career as Iron Man. He visited a US Army unit in ‘Nam to supervise the first use of a new gun which fires laser-guided shells up to twenty miles. Suddenly they were attacked by the Viet Cong and the Commander was killed. Iron Man ordered the firing of the new gun which got off a few shells before being bombed by an enemy plane. Iron Man was severely damaged in the explosion and awakens to find the rest of the American troops dead. He used the gun's mechanism to recharge his chest plate and explored the area. He was fired upon by a gunman who turned out to be a blind and frightened kid. He carried the boy home to discover the village was wiped out by the Stark shells. The hero used his Repulsor Rays to bury the dead villagers in a mass grave then cut the word “Why?” atop it. And he cried as he carried the boy off to another village. Today, Iron Man vows to avenge those whose lives were lost through the ignorance and prejudice of ignorant men like he once was….