Invincible Iron Man #316: Review

May 1995

Len Kaminski, Tom Morgan

Story Name:

Triangle

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #316 Review by T Vernon (April 23, 2019)

Comments: Part two of five parts. Valentin Shatalov was previously seen as the Crimson Dynamo (number 6) in issue #255 and SOVIET SUPER-SOLDIERS #1 (one-shot); this Crimson Dynamo is next seen in IRON MAN: LEGACY #2-5 in 2010. As for Mr Mycroft, he was never heard from again; this was the result of Len Kaminski's departure from the book.

Review: A beautifully shiny issue with a lot of armored adventure going on while issues of Russia's future are decided by violent encounters. An impressive issue from Kaminski and Morgan.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #316 Synopsis by T Vernon

In Russia, Titanium Man holds the helpless Iron Man, preparing to tear him to pieces, when the Black Widow arrives, kicking the baddie in the face and blasting him with the Widow's Sting, allowing Iron Man to escape his clutches. This battle is being watched the the Russian elite who summon Valentin Shatalov, the new Crimson Dynamo. I-Man tries to protect Widow from their merciless foe while she tries to talk sense into T-Man—and then the Dynamo arrives....

In Los Angeles a gaudily-clad sexpot named Collette ushers a group from Roxxon through a gauntlet of safety systems and into the presence of Mr Mycroft, a red-haired super-genius. He already knows why they are there: they want him to destroy Stark Enterprises and he has decided to accept....

Crimson Dynamo wants Iron Man to leave as this is an internal Russian matter; Shellhead refuses as the villain is threatening Stark property. CD assures TM that they share the resentment of the changes in their country but he has to follow the dictates of their cowardly leaders and bring him down. TM calls him a liar and a traitor and bashes him around....

Back in the States, Dr Theodore Slaght, bristling from Tony's claim that he may have Alzheimer's Disease, sets up the synthetic alloy process that had failed earlier (last issue) but again something goes wrong and Slaght is caught in a huge explosion....

Iron Man, Black Widow, and Crimson Dynamo team up to fire on Titanium Man but he fights them off and jets away. Iron Man prepares to follow him but learns that CD is seriously injured. CD pleads with IM that for an American hero to rescue Russia from its own super-soldier would be a disgrace to the nation and Natasha agrees. But Shatalov is in no condition to fight the enemy. Tony has a suggestion: and soon it is Tony Stark donning the Crimson Dynamo armor to save Russia's pride....