Iron Man Vol 1 275

The real Iron Man dives into the middle of the dragon hordes and begins tearing things up. The Mandarin eases back and takes the seat near his palace to watch the fight. The dragons focus their attention on Tony who keeps them at bay with a steady stream of repulsor blasts. They begin throwing large boulders at him but these are easily dispatched. Iron Man fires a line of poly-fiber that wraps around the legs of one of the dragons. The dragon flies off smashing Tony against several mountain peaks. But Tony scales the line and manages to mount the dragon as if he were a horse. Now using the poly-fiber line as a bridle, he angles the dragon back into the fight and unleashes another volley of repulsor blasts at the rest of the Makluans.

Jim Rhodes however, is tired of seeing his pal handling the dragons alone. Although his armor is nearly completely disabled after his fight with Fin Fang Foom, he flies forward to offer Tony some assistance. Fin Fang Foom snatches him out of the air and throws him away as if he were a rag doll. Rhodes lands near where the Mandarin has been sitting. He tries to enlist the Mandarin’s aid, but the Mandarin emits a blast of energy that sends Rhodes sailing far across the valley.

The Mandarin is still enraged at being betrayed by Chen Hsu. He floats back down into the thick of the fray and begins firing off bolts of energy at the dragons. Even Tony is stunned to see himself fighting side by side with his arch-nemesis. Chen Hsu taunts the Mandarin for not having enough power to harness the full potential of the rings. This comment gives Tony an idea. He grabs a hold of the Mandarin’s hands and absorbs the energy of the rings into his gauntlets. This allows him to wield their power more greatly than the Mandarin has ever been able to. Coupling the ring energy with that of his own armor, Tony and the Mandarin emit a column of energy that literally tears loose the fabric of creation. A violent storm erupts that rages for over sixteen hours – concentrated within the crater left behind at the Valley of the Dragons. When all is said and done, the dragons are gone – presumably dead. Rhodey manages to fly back into the valley and finds Tony clinging to a piece of glazed rock. The energy storm has literally wiped the paint from Iron Man’s armor, leaving it a pitted silver and white. The two heroes, using the last ergs of power in their respective armors return home.

Six weeks later, the Mandarin is shown sleeping in the hut of a small Chinese village. He is in a coma and his hands have been removed.

Appearing in "Moments Unseen"

Featured Characters:

Tony Stark

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Mister Yin
Ho Sing

Locations:

China

Items:

Vehicles:

Stark's car
Mr Yin's car

Synopsis for "Moments Unseen"

Before returning to the United States, Tony Stark meets with Dr. Su Yin. Su Yin confesses that there really is no hope for healing Stark’s nervous system. She had been ordered by the Chinese premier to give Tony a glimmer of false hope, so that he would continue to allow Iron Man to serve in China against the Mandarin. Tony is saddened by the news but he does not hold Su Yin responsible.

Later that day, he visits her home and meets Su Yin’s husband. The man is aware of Tony’s affections towards his wife, but is not angry. In fact, he wants Tony to take her away from him. Su Yin’s husband is crippled – a result of a car accident five years ago. Tony is amazed by the man’s inner strength and realizes that he should attempt to muster as much courage and fortitude as this man. Tony says good-bye to Su Yin for the last time.

Appearing in "Here's a Little Gem..."

Featured Characters:

Iron Man

Synopsis for "Here's a Little Gem..."

A one page pin-up.

Notes

This is a double-sized issue.

The last comic page of this issue features an Iron Man pin-up by John Romita, Jr.

Although "The Dragon Seed Saga" is only four issues long, the prologue to this story began as early as Iron Man #260.

This story is reprinted in the trade paperback The Dragon Seed Saga.

Links and References

References

Iron Man Vol 1 275

Appearing in "The Dragon Seed Saga (Part IV of IV) - Dragon Doom!"

Synopsis for "The Dragon Seed Saga (Part IV of IV) - Dragon Doom!"