9. The Bunker

Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Graham Nolan

Are"¦Are we out of villains? Because the last issue had Jolt, who isn't normally a villain, and this issue is a new creation. But this issue also made me tear up, so I can't complain.

A bunker with Stark International markings on it is discovered beneath the state of Nebraska, and Tony heads out to investigate. It turns out that Howard Stark built the bunker for an increasingly insane Obediah Stane, but Stane pulled out of the project, and left Howard in financial ruin. To defend it, Howard used one of Tony's childhood designs, the Iron Man armor (an early version). It's a nice little issue, and its coda is very sweet.

Plus, in this universe, Howard Stark is seemingly still alive, although he's in hiding. We’ll see how all of this goes in the next issue (I read ahead, so sue me) and it's a fun time. But yeah, good issue. Made me misty-eyed.