Ghost Righter!

Iron Man has agreed to help Justin Hammer deal with the Ghost, who has been attacking his subsidiary company, Electronica Fabrizzi. This is in exchange for the release of Donny Gill, aka the Blizzard, whom Tony wants to steer away from a life of crime. However, in the ensuing battle with the Ghost, Iron Man has been trapped in an immaterial state where he will starve to death.[1]

When Jim Rhodes comes in looking for Iron Man, he is in a panic over his situation. However, Tony eventually composes himself and discovers that the power of his suit still works internally. He then triggers an internal electromagnetic pulse in the hopes of shutting the device down. The gambit pays off and before the systems can come back online, Jim uses his gun to blast the device off Tony’s armor.

Meanwhile, Justin Hammer is meeting with his operatives: Blizzard, Blacklash, and Boomerang. He is expressing his displeasure over their inability to stop the Ghost. The meeting is interrupted by the Ghost himself, who assures Hammer that he is just beginning after defeating Iron Man. Hammer offers to pay the Ghost to turn his anti-corporate ways toward his business rivals, but the Ghost refuses as they counter his goals for the destruction of all corporations.[2] He promises to add Electronica Fabrizzi to the list of corporations he has brought down and departs. However, this is all part of Justin Hammer’s plans. After checking to see if his latest preparations are ready, he then tells his three operatives that he has another job for them to do.

At that moment, Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes have returned to their hotel room to figure out their next plan. Hearing someone in the bedroom, they both rush in to confront the intruder and are shocked to discover Kathy Dare waiting in Tony’s bed. Stark is furious that she came all this way and got access to his room and tells her to get dressed and go home. Jim continues to express his concern over Kathy’s increasingly obsession over Tony, but Stark doesn’t have time to deal with her right now. Annoyed that she is being kicked out, Kathy shatters an expensive vase before leaving. That’s when Tony gets a call from Justin Hammer, who tells him about his encounter with the Ghost and asks Iron Man to return to Electronica Fabrizzi the next day to stop him.

When Iron Man and Jim arrive the next day they run into Blacklash, Blizzard, and Boomerang who have also been sent to deal with the Ghost. Since they are all trying to achieve the same goals, Iron Man suggests they put aside their differences and work together. When the Ghost reappears, Hammer’s men put on specially made goggles that allow them to see him when he is invisible. Working together, they manage to knock out the Ghost. As soon as that happens, Hammer’s men turn on Iron Man and Jim. While they are all distracted, the Ghost recovers and then reveals that he has planted a bomb that will go off in seconds. The Ghost, will be protected from the blast now that he has become intangible again.

Realizing that they don’t have time to stop the bomb and get away safely, Iron Man unleashes another electromagnetic burst, temporarily shutting down the bomb so that he and the others can escape. Sure enough, when the pulse wears off, the bomb goes off, destroying Electronica Fabrizzi in the process, a victory for the Ghost. Alone with Blizzard, Iron Man tries to convince him to stop working for Hammer. When Donny refuses, Iron Man shows him a video recording of Tony Stark’s earlier meeting with Hammer wherein Justin uses the Blizzard as a bargaining chip. Realizing he was being used all along, Blizzard agrees to surrender and turn himself back over to the authorities.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Ghost returns to Justin Hammer to collect payment. As it turns out, Hammer was paying the Ghost the whole time. However, when the Ghost threatens to bring Hammer’s empire down next, Hammer flees the room and seals it with material that the Ghost can’t phase through. Blasting his way to freedom with his gun, the Ghost witnesses Hammer escaping in a helicopter. Debating if he should continue going after Tony Stark or to focus on Justin Hammer, the Ghost finds this a must delightful dilemma.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Justin Hammer, Blacklash, Blizzard, Boomerang, Ghost, Jim Rhodes, Kathy Dare

Continuity Notes

1. Donny Gill, aka Blizzard, was arrested while trying to assassinate Force, a Justin Hammer minion who went rogue in Iron Man #223-224. He was later broken out of prison in issue #238. Hammer made the deal to release Gill to Tony last issue.

2. The reason for the Ghost’s anti-corporate agenda is not explained here. In Thunderbots #151, the Ghost claims that he was once screwed over by a business trying to steal his technology. Killing his employers, he became the Ghost to take down all corporations.

Topical References

• During the battle with the Ghost, Iron Man makes a comparison to the Invisible Man. Since this story is considered classical literature its reference here would not be considered topical. What would be topical would be Iron Man’s reference to Claude Rains, the actor who portrayed the titular character in the 1933 film adaptation. The story has been adapted multiple times with various lead men playing the titular character.