Issue(s): Iron Man #28
Cover Date: Aug 70
Title: "The Controller lives!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Johnny T. Craig - Inker

Review/plot:
The Controller returns in a story that also inserts a little back story for Tony Stark, including the first flashback of his father, Howard.

Stark gets a call from Meredith McCall asking for help at Pinewood Sanitarium. McCall was Stark's girlfriend when they were 17, but their parents didn't approve...

...and so they were separated, with Meredith sent to live with relatives and Tony sent to Europe.

McCall has been working at the Sanitarium, but it's where the Controller was transferred to, and he has taken over the place and even built a new Absorbatron.

Iron Man, with some help from Jasper Sitwell...

...is able to stop the Controller...

...but Stark avoids a meeting with Meredith, seeing that she is now married.

Some wonky art from Don Heck (Stark is being forced to design a new helmet for the Controller, but he of course rigs it to fail)...

...and the Controller isn't quite as deadly as he seemed in his last appearance, but a decent story.

This is Archie Goodwin's last issue. The Controller was one of Goodwin's better contributions during his run (contending with Firebrand and fixing Tony Stark's damn heart), so establishing him as a recurring character was a good way to end it.

Years later Meredith McCall resurfaces and joins a group of cyber-samurais as the second Kaze (i know, right?), so i've listed her as Kaze II in the Characters Appearing.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Squeezing in a bunch of Iron Man issues after Avengers #82.

References:

• Jasper Sitwell and Tony Stark awkwardly trying to get along even though both of them are aware that the other has interest in Whitney Frost, as shown in Iron Man #24. Sitwell is also feeling inadequate and is considering requesting a new assignment from Nick Fury.
  

• The Controller previously appeared in Iron Man #12-13.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Meredith McCall's '90's appearances are completely contradictory. Creighton McCall appears (and dies) in one of those stories, so you might want to add him as a character appearing.

Creighton only appears in flashback so i didn't list him here.

Busiek pretty much straight-out steals the majority of this story for IM v. 3 #12. (Wherein he also forgets that Basil learned Tony's identity during IM Annual 15, but that's a different problem.) Nicely moody work. Goodbye, Archie, we'll miss you!

Busiek didn't forget; Tony mindwiped most of the Earth to erase his identity in an Annual set before that Controller story.