Iron Man #88
Fear Wears Two Faces!
After Pepper Potts handed in her resignation, Iron Man catches up with the train she and Happy Hogan are taking out of town. There, Tony asks why they are leaving. Pepper explains that after Happy had a relapse from his injuries she has decided that it is too dangerous for them to continue associating with Tony.[1] Tony understands and bids the Hogans farewell before flying back to the city.
Meanwhile, a trucker named C.B. Crenshaw is taking the highway east when he comes upon another truck that has jack-knifed on the highway. Searching the wreckage for survivors, he is disturbed that someone cut the throats of all the hogs that were being transported. That’s when he is ambushed by the alien Blood Brothers, the ones responsible, who demand the trucker give them his vehicle so they can continue on their mission.
By this time, Tony has returned to Stark International, where he finds his former mentor Abe Klein hard at work on repairs following the attack on the facility by the Blizzard.[2] Tony is impressed by the work Abe has put in and admits that he has been distracted by his recent romantic troubles with Roxanne Gilbert. Abe tells Tony to stop dwelling on things and find her.
At that moment, Roxanne Gilbert is out for dinner with Michael O’Brien. The police detective is convinced that Tony Stark murdered his brother and covered it up. Roxanne, who only agreed to come out to make Tony jealous, doesn’t believe Michael’s unfounded accusations. After getting her fill of Michael’s ranting she decides to leave. With this latest scheme a dud, Michael has decided to give up using the law to learn the truth and begins contemplating other ways to make Tony pay.[3]
Meanwhile, the Blood Brothers dangerous driving has attracted the attention of the authorities who set up a roadblock to stop their speeding truck. When ramming through the barricade fails, the Blood Brothers emerge from the ruined semi and begins attacking the police. As this is happening, the entity that has been commanding them grows annoyed by their tactics as it will draw the wrong kind of attention.[4]
Back in the city, Tony Stark goes to visit Roxanne at the guest apartment that Tony set her up with. When he learns from the desk attendant that she went out with Michael O’Brien, Tony decides to blow off steam as Iron Man. That’s when he notices a commotion at the Lincoln Tunnel and goes to investigate. There he finds the Blood Brothers on a rampage and races in to stop them.[5] As the battle between Iron Man and the Blood Brothers rages on, a crooked private eye named Harry Key reads the news about the Blizzard’s recent attack on Stark International. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity for some corporate espionage, Harry heads out unaware that he is being tailed by Michael O’Brien.
While elsewhere, in the ruins of a collapsed building, the entity trying to summon the Blood Brothers wishes they would finish their battle and finally arrive. As this being ponders his next move, a homeless man named Scrounger returns with some food for his master. Back at the scene of the battle, Iron Man discovers that the Blood Brothers seem to be getting stronger as the battle carries on. With his batteries running low, Iron Man is soon overpowered and pinned under some heavy chunks of concrete. When one of the Blood Brothers stomps on the hero, he breaks through the rotting pier and into the water below. With his life support systems damaged in the battle, Tony’s armor begins filling with water, putting him at risk of drowning if he doesn’t do something fast.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Blood Brothers, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Abe Klein, Roxanne Gilbert, Michael O’Brien, Harry Key, Scrounger, Controller (unidentified),
Continuity Notes
Happy was injured while masquerading as Iron Man in Iron Man #82. In order to heal the damage, he was exposed to the Enervator turning him to the Freak again in issues #85-86. Happy was recovering until he suffered a relapse last issue.
Tony recently hired Abe in Iron Man #82. The Blizzard’s attack was in issues #85-86.
Kevin O’Brien was actually driven mad by his Guardsman armor and died battling Iron Man. See Iron Man #46. Michael has been trying to prove Tony murdered his brother since issue #82.
The entity trying to summon the Blood Brothers is identified as the Controller next issue.
Iron Man recalls his previous two battles with the alien duo in Iron Man #55 and Marvel Feature #12.
Topical References
The narrative of this story states this story takes place in the year 1976. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale.
However, references to The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep are not necessarily topical references since these movies aren’t identified as being brand new and are referred as classic cinema.
