Iron Man #307-309Issue(s): Iron Man #307, Iron Man #308, Iron Man #309 Review/plot: Tony Stark's virtual self starts off dressed like Forge. But then he starts playing with power (although Game Gear was a Sega product). VOR/TEX takes over Stark's body. And gets drunk. He then tries to rape Veronica Benning. Failing that, he gets into an Iron Man suit and goes on a rampage, targeting his creators. Meanwhile, Stark is having trouble getting off the internet (relatable; we've all had trouble logging off). Raven helps him download into a prototype robot body. Part of what helps win the fight is that (what is said to be) his normal temper is missing from his robot body, while VOR/TEX is overwhelmed with unhelpful emotions. VOR/TEX is also not accustomed to physical pain. It takes a couple of hits and assumes that it's dying. VOR/TEX deletes itself rather than face more pain. When Tony gets back into his physical body, he has to overcome the fact that VOR/TEX has been drinking. In addition to the addiction problems, no one else is yet aware that VOR/TEX was controlling him. So Mrs. Arbogast gives him the cold shoulder and Veronica Benning has left him a note breaking up with him. And when James Rhodes calls asking for help, Stark explodes at him. Rhodey gets pissed and puts on the War Machine armor, intending to head over to confront Stark. Also in these issues, the Mandarin's hand grow back as dragon claws. The Mandarin is able to recover his rings. The search for the rings also leads him to a mysterious temple where he finds an orb called the Heart of Darkness. We also get a glimpse of the Mandarin's new Avatars. Quality Rating: C- Chronological Placement Considerations: Both the Mandarin story in Marvel Comics Presents #169-170 and War Machine #8 take place directly after this story. References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (4): showCharacters Appearing: Abe Zimmer, Bethany Cabe, Butterfly, Deluge, Foundry (Avatars), HOMER, Iron Man, Mandarin, Mrs. Arbogast, Q'Wake, Raven, Veronica Benning, VORTEX, War Machine, Warfist CommentsBleh. For ten years after Neuromancer every writer and his brother thought a boring story would be interesting because it takes place, wait for it, in a computer! Thank goodness those days are over (Ready Player One nonwithstanding). Posted by: Andrew | March 20, 2018 7:36 PM Note that VOR/TEX was the voice on the phone directing Mary Pearson in her smear campaign against Stark Enterprises. It was also Osamu Moroboshi's employer in Iron Man 292-293, which is what Moroboshi meant by his employer's "true nature". Posted by: Michael | March 20, 2018 7:54 PM @Michael: Thanks for the info. I stopped reading Iron Man regularly a year earlier, so I wasn't aware that VOR/TEX was eventually revealed to be behind the consortium that was attacking Stark Enterprises. Is it ever explained where VOR/TEX came from or who created it? Posted by: Ben Herman | March 21, 2018 8:11 PM Comments are now closed. |
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