Iron Man #130 — Nick Peron

Jan 3

Jan 3 Iron Man #130

The Digital Devil

Iron Man flies over Hong Kong, putting his armor through the paces before arriving at the local Stark International Branch to investigate a recent accident. When Tony arrives he meets with the manager in charge, Mister Jameson. He learns that some of the scientists in a new experimental computer center were killed in the accident. Taking in look inside the server room by a guard, Tony sees that something caked the entire room with ice. Suddenly, a dragon made of flame appears in the room and attacks his escort. Tony quickly changes into Iron Man and is able to save the guard and drive off the dragon.

Horrified by what he encountered, Tony changes out of his armor and meets with Jameson, demanding he pull up employee records of anyone who has ties with the occult. This leads him to an employee named Lin Chu, whose father was part of a sect of mystics. He questions her harshly until he learns that her fiancée, Bernard Roberts, was one of the employees killed by the monster. Seeing how hurt she is, Tony changes his line of questioning. She explains that Bernard was brilliant scientist that worked for Stark’s microwave research section. He had a habit of skirting safety regulations to get results and his last experiment caused him to be bombarded with radiation. It robbed Bernard of his voice. Blaming Stark International for his condition, Roberts began spending time with Lin Chu’s grandfather and reading his old religious texts.

Taking a rickshaw out to the boat where Lin Chu’s grandfather lives, Tony questions the old man to learn more about Bernard’s obsession with the occult. From him, they learn that Bernard was obsessed with a creature of ancient legend, the so-called All-Devourer. That’s when they are attacked by a water elemental. While Tony keeps it distracted, the old man concocts a potion that freezes the monster into a solid block of ice which Stark then shatters. The old man tells them that the All-Devourer must be trying to free himself from his prison and needs to take the lives of seven mortals in order to cross over into their world.

He takes Lin Chu and her grandfather back to Stark International so they can meet with Iron Man and help him exercise the fire dragon that haunts his servers. While Iron Man goes into the corridor to fight the dragon again, Lin examines the computer Bernard works on while her grandfather looks through ancient scrolls to try and find a way to banish the All-Devourer. They are horrified to discover that Bernard incorporated an ancient spell in his computer code. Upon making this discovery, the All-Devourer emerges in the physical world in order to stop them from trying to banish him.

While Iron Man keeps the All-Devourer busy, Lin Chu scrambles to program her grandfather’s exorcism spell to banish the All-Devourer. Luckily, she succeeds just as the All-Devourer overpowers Iron Man and is about to take his life. Later, as thanks, Tony Stark takes Lin Chu out for dinner. She decides on going to a popular fast food restaurant, and Tony jokes that next time they meet he’ll pick the restaurant.