Random Happenstance

I try to avoid buying books I already have (that's a damn lie, there's at least four others in the box from the last show!) but it's a damn good issue and one I was glad to read in hand rather than dig up! From 1988, Iron Man #228, "Stark Wars: Chapter 4, Who Guards the Guardsman?" Plot and script by David Michelinie, layouts by Mark D. Bright, plot and finishes by Bob Layton. Edited by Mark Gruenwald; which I mention because I wonder if he had any input.

"Need help--and shield. Can you supply?" That was the terse message Tony Stark received from Steve Rogers, the former Captain America, who returned his uniform and shield to the federal government. Tony is more than happy to help out his old friend, but has ulterior motives: he was tracking down and eliminating stolen armor technologies, and his next target was the Vault, since he had to take away the Guardsman technology. (Which wasn't originally his work, if you read deeply obscure old IM books.) Tony feels bad about this, but thinks gifting Steve a new shield will buy him off. Come on, that'd work on just about anybody else, but definitely not Steve.

En route to the Vault, at a truck stop (Chuck's! Which appears to be directly on the road very high up in the mountains.) Tony and Rhodey are having a pleasant breakfast, when Tony notices Steve is there giving him the stinkeye. He doesn't have any proof, but he knows Tony took out the Mandroids, and it's reasonable to suspect the Guardsmen could be next. After a literal staredown, Tony blinks, and heads home...to change his plan, to a break-in.

Three days later, Electro is zapping up Denver, and gets captured by a squad of Guardsmen. As planned: 'Electro' is Rhodey in whiteface and a suit Tony knocked out to fake the villain's powers. The Vault's cage for Electro is too clever: it would knock out Electro's specific metabolism, but anyone else can walk through, and Rhodey does, lowering the Vault's defenses. In the silver armor, Tony flies in, with Cap in the black suit right behind. (Aside: I didn't scan in, but it feels like the Guardsmen spent a lot of time moving villains around in nets or sacks.)

Tony activates the Vault's gas defense, knocking out anyone not in a Guardsman suit, and Rhodey in a facemask. Cap realizes what's happening, and scrambles to try and get a gas mask. Only twelve Guardsman were usually suited up at a time, so Rhodey puts armor-wrecking negator packs on the suits in the locker room, but gets cornered by one ending his shift. Tony faces down four, and even that many aren't able to pose him any kind of threat.

Rhodey blows the locker room's armor recharger to get clear, while Tony tries to exploit a design flaw that he knew would probably have been fixed. Now facing seven, they're starting to pile on; while the still-awake (?) Mr. Hyde and Titania wonder if they'll be able to exploit these happenings. Rhodey drops an elevator on the Guardsman chasing him, while Tony outfights his until only one is left standing. Steve arrives in the nick, to place himself between Tony and the last Guardsman, claiming "it's vital to national security!" Whoa, settle down, Steve; that feels a bit much.

The Guardsmen only had 30 minutes of air, although I'm not sure it had been that long yet, and the last one is running out of air. (Presumably, the seals on the other suits open when the suits are negated...if Tony has negated them all at this point: some of those guys were knocked out, but maybe not negated.) The Guardsman, perhaps misguidedly on a tactical level, refuses to stand down and unmask; Steve is forced to unmask him to save his life, which leaves him wide open for an electrical shock from Tony. Perhaps barely conscious, Steve again stares down Tony, as he places the negator pack on the Guardsman, feeling their friendship may be gone forever. 

 The next issue box strongly suggests you read Cap #339 for the conclusion, but that's the Fall of the Mutants crossover. #340 is the conclusion, as Hyde and others break out: it's another good issue, but the Iron Man crew was top of their game here and the next one, which we mentioned before, Iron Man #229 vs. the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man! Another high point. And if you've forgotten, Cap would get another replacement shield in a couple issues, from the Black Panther! I don't know if Cap was closer to Tony and wanted to give him a shot first, or wanted to 'buy American,' as it were; or if he didn't want to ask T'Challa for a favor since he hadn't seen him in a bit.