Following up on the last issue, Iron Man returns home with Happy, but soon starts to wonder if he’s losing his mind. More concerning, others begin to question his sanity as well—including Senator Byrd, Tony’s newest ongoing antagonist, who is looking for any excuse to strip Stark Industries of its defense contracts. But how is this happening? It turns out Count Nefaria has sent Tony’s cousin to the U.S. with a device designed to make Tony see things that aren’t really there.

Originality & Continuity

Much like the previous issue, and falling into the same mold as others I’ve mentioned before, this story leans into the overused trope of making our hero question his own sanity. It’s starting to feel a bit tired.

But the final straw for me is the last-minute switch at the end. Making Tony think he’s seeing alien ships somehow leads him to actually finding one—revealing a colony on the Moon, upset about Earth’s rockets. And just like that, we go from psychological thriller to full-blown sci-fi.

Characters & Development

hat said, there is at least one fun twist: the introduction of Tony’s evil cousin, Morgan Stark. This expands our hero’s world a bit, giving him his first real family connection in the comics. But Morgan isn’t so much a foil as he is a bitter, envious failure, trying to take advantage of his cousin’s success. Whether Tony figures out the truth about him by the end of the issue is left frustratingly unclear.

Story & Art

And that brings us to the story as a whole—unfortunately, it’s a mess. Even the best elements can’t save it from being downright cringeworthy. Perhaps the highlight is the very beginning, when Tony returns home and we get a nice moment with Pepper happily reuniting with Happy. But from there, it all goes downhill fast. The plot kicks in, takes a hard turn, and zooms straight into crazy town.