Iron Man #234 (September 1988)

One of the fun things about a shared universe with a bunch of characters in it is the chance to see all those characters come together. To see them join forces to combat a great threat. But sometimes, it's fun to see a smaller team-up. A couple of characters having an adventure together. This comic is such an example. This is Iron Man #234!

The cover is a Bob Layton and Jackson Guice piece. It's well-drawn, but it's a bit basic. It just depicts Iron Man and Spider-Man flying (and swinging in Spidey's case) over a white background. There's not much else that can be said about this cover, really.

"Fallout!"
Writers: David Michelinie, Bob Layton
Penciler: Jackson Guice
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editor: Bob Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Tony Stark introducing his then-new suit of armor at an innovators' expo.

Stark shows off a holographic projection to his audience. This projection is a presentation of the new suit's capabilities. The new suit impresses some people from Pendyne, a company he wants to use as a headquarters for Stark Enterprises on the East Coast. They agree to work with Stark...as long as the board gives the okay.

Unknown to the Armored Avenger, the expo gets another visitor.

Yup, a Mr. Peter Parker, aka the original Spider-Man. He's able to come to the expo because of his press credentials (The expo is not open to the public). He's covering the expo for the Daily Bugle, but he also has another goal while he's here. He is going back to college, and he wants to make some contacts so when he graduates, he has a chance at a better job. Nice bit of multitasking there, Mr. Parker.

As Peter is doing a bit of picture-taking and shmoozing, one James Rhodes is having some fun trying out a prototype flight simulator.

"Man, this new After Burner game is awesome!"

Yeah, it's likely it'll end up being made into an arcade game. Rhodey and Stark reunite and make some small talk until they encounter exhibit at the expo.

"This kiosk has nothing villainous about it. Nope."

You see, Stane International was once Stark International...until Obadiah Stane bought it out from under him. Stane had taken his own life earlier, but the company still lives on. The man heading the exhibit is a Dr. Chen Lu, aka the Radioactive Man. Lu is able to sense radiation, and he picks up a source of it. But he can't identify the source. Meanwhile, Peter is feeling a bit...weak. Like his energy is being sapped. His Spider-Sense briefly goes off. 

Stark meets a former security guard named Vic Martinelli who stayed with Stane after Stark was bought out. He hopes that Stark is holding no hard feelings. Stark is fine with it, as the man did what he had to do. He shakes Stark's hand, wishing him the best of luck. Stark discovers the guard slipped him a note. Stark and Rhodey go outside, where they meet a new player in this game.

Meet Kathy Dare. Her life would...not go so well. But that's the future. Stark agrees to go out to dinner with her. That night, Chen Lu is fiddling with some boxes at the Expo Center. his thoughts reveal that he's displeased with his being an employee of Stane. However, as an employee of Stane's, he's got access to funding and equipment he would have...a lot of problems getting otherwise, so it's not so bad. He picks up that radiation again.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man swings in, wanting to investigate why he felt weak. He starts to feel it again...and his Spider-Sense tingles.

Radioactive Man and Spidey tussle, which ends with the Chinese supervillain winning. The next day, Tony Stark gets a view of the paper. 

"Huh? I thought Omega got shot in Vegas."

Stark finds this odd, and wonders if it has something to do with the note that Vic had slipped him. Stark reads the note and sees that it's a call for help. There's some...weird things going on at Stane Enterprises, and he wants Stark to take a look. Later on, the two meet. Vic reveals that Stane had hired a man named Chen Lu. They built a special lab for him that was lined in lead, and his work there is top secret. Hush-hush. Beyond his pay grade.

This made Vic suspicious, so he decided to do some snooping. He discovered that the near-crash of a Stane nuclear satellite that happened last issue was deliberate. It was caused by Lu because he wanted to observe the effects of nuclear radiation on humans. That night, Stark suits up in his Iron Man armor and investigates the Stane Enterprises campus. So, what of Spidey and Radioactive Man?

Dr. Lu finds Spidey's irradiated blood fascinating and wants to study it. And he's gonna need a lot of Spidey's blood for this. Exsanguination time!

Luckily, Iron Man bursts in. He and Radioactive Man brawl. Iron Man tells Spidey to get out, as he'll be no help here. Lu's radiation weakens him, after all. However, Spidey wants to help. Being the clever arachnid-themed hero he is, he attacks Lu...wearing a radiation suit.

The suit is cumbersome, so Spidey can't use his full powers or his webbing. But he is able to distract Radioactive Man long enough for Iron Man to stop him by melting the lead ceiling, then freezing the molten lead, trapping the Chinese supervillain. The next day, Stark and Rhodes are watching a news report on the fight. Stane officials deny they were aware of Lu's criminal activities and intend to cooperate fully towards Lu's deportation to China. Stark is feeling good. He saved Spider-Man, stopped the Radioactive Man, and made it out in one piece. As far as he's concerned, today was a good day.

This was a fun little one-off adventure. It really was. It was neat seeing Iron Man and Spider-Man team-up against a common threat. One thing that I thought was interesting that as far as I know, Chen Lu seeing Peter unmasked never led to Lu learning who the face belonged to. It was clear in the story he wished to study Peter's radioactive blood. And his presence did weaken Peter. I think it would have been neat for Lu and Peter to cross paths more often after this.

I also can't help but wonder how the events of One More Day affected Lu's memories of this event. Does he remember it differently? I mean, it's not like he learned Peter's name or anything...It's interesting to think over. Anyway, Jackson Guice does the actual interior pencils, with Bob Layton doing the inks. The two must have enjoyed working together, as they also collaborated on X-Factor beforehand. It's pretty good, I must say. 

This comic hasn't been reprinted in trade as far as I know, so you may have to search the back issue bins if you want t oread this for yourself. I recommend it, it's a fun little team-up one-shot story. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted.