The Horn of the Unicorn!

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN — Issue No. 113, May 1978

Chance Shirley

Feb 09, 2023

Book: The Invincible Iron Man

Issue No.: 113

Published: May 23, 1978

Title: “The Horn of the Unicorn!”

Cover Price: 35¢

Format: Digital reprint

This book opens with the caption “Press conferences are fairly ordinary occurrences in this multi-media age... and are routinely tuned-out by most people.” It’s funny to see 1978 referred to as “this multi-media age.” Because, as I am fond of pointing out, the multi-media of 2023 makes the multi-media of 1978 look positively quaint.

The press conference in question is being held by Tony Stark (the secret identity of Iron Man), and he is announcing the opening of Stark International’s new campus. Which I must admit would be impressive even by today’s standards. I mean, there’s a monorail! We should really have more monorails by now. There is also a solar power plant (something else we could use more of), plus R and D labs and a factory for creating and manufacturing cool Tony Stark tech stuff.

Remember Maggia, the criminal organization that Spider-Man and Iron Man tangled with in Marvel Team-Up no. 72? It’s mentioned here that Stark’s girlfriend, the cool and mysterious (to me, at least) Madam Masque used to be a Maggia leader. So I guess she’s another in the long line of Marvel baddies-turned-good. Also, Stark and Iron Man appear at the press conference together, but in private it’s revealed that this Iron Man is actually a Tony Stark LMD (live model decoy — an android, basically). It’s gotta be easier to keep your secret identity secret when you can appear at a press conference side-by-side with your superhero alter ego.

A panel from this issue showing the Unicorn blasting Iron Man with his "energy horn." There's a sound effect "ZTRAK!" from the blast and a "CRASH" as Iron Man is knocked into a building. While this is going on, Iron Man thinks "Blast! Left myself open for that! Who could be behind this attack? The Unicorn was given his power by the first Crimson Dynamo, before he struck out on his own!"

There are a few bad guys in this story. One is an unnamed Stark International employee who is sneaking around doing... something? Maybe some industrial espionage? Then there is the Unicorn — he shows up and destroys that sweet new solar power plant with the energy blaster built into his helmet (it’s called a “power horn,” because he’s the Unicorn — get it?). Iron Man defeats him after a prolonged battle. But it’s clear there is a third baddie here, because someone is pulling the Unicorn’s strings. But who? That reveal will apparently have to wait for a future issue.

Next time — John Carter, Warlord of... Earth?

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