FB in IM 72

[michel]

IM 72 (2:7 - 3:4)-FB shows Tony Stark in a plane on his way to San Diego. It's obviously a PFB, the story continues in San Diego, but the MCP has other stories between the FB and the main story. Maybe IM 72 has been moved but not IM 72-FB?

IRON MAN/ANTHONY EDWARD "TONY" STARK/"RICHARD FRANCO"
...
IM 71
IM 72-FB <-- MOVE FROM HERE
GSA 1-FB
CM 34
A 126
GSA 1
A 280 (17:4)-FB
IAGE 2/2
CA 176
A 127
FF 150
A 128
A 129
GSA 2
A 130-FB
A 130
IM 72-FB <-- MOVE TO HERE
IM 72
GSM-T 2
...

[Col_Fury]

I can't check at the moment, but I seem to recall the Iron Man Index addressed this. I'll check later tonight.

[StrayLamb]

Yep - the Index places the flashback immediately after IM 71, and it's specifically shown as his return to the States from Manilla. It's written as a clear lead-in to the rest of IM 72, but IM has to play catch up with his appearances in other titles somewhere, and it's not expressly stated that the now part of the issue follows immediately. It's probably been put down to a later return to San Diego to accomodate IM's other appearances. Another consideration may have been that the issue specifically takes place during the San Diego Comicon, in August. I think Michel's right, however, and we should just say that happened at a different time of year in the MU, at least for 1974.

A better way to have done it would be to simply have IM 72 follow the current placement of the FB. The story ends conclusively at this point. In GSA 1-FB, IM is in NYC.

IRON MAN/ANTHONY EDWARD "TONY" STARK/"RICHARD FRANCO"
...
IM 71
IM 72-FB
IM 72 <-- MOVE TO HERE
GSA 1-FB
CM 34
A 126
GSA 1
A 280 (17:4)-FB
IAGE 2/2
CA 176
A 127
FF 150
A 128
A 129
GSA 2
A 130-FB
A 130
IM 72 <-- MOVE FROM HERE
GSM-T 2
...

[Col_Fury]

FEATURE CHARACTER: Iron Man (also in fb between IM #71, ’74 & GSAv #1, ’74 fb; next in GSMTh #2, ’74)
---
FLASHBACK: Tony Stark returns to the United States via airplane (following IM #71, ‘74).

I remember that being a deliberate fix for something, but don't recall exactly for what.

[StrayLamb]

I think i've found it - IM 72 references Cap's resignation from the Avengers in CA 176, then in A 130 the Avengers learn that Cap is Nomad, so IM 72 at least has to be after CA 176, and might as well remain after A 127-130.

[michel]

Tony Stark comes to San Diego for a problem with Stark Industries that is fixed when he arrives, and he's "stuck here until tomorrow when the next plane back to Saigon departs."
The last panel of the FB is a call to fasten the seat belts, and in the next panel: "That brings us to the present, as the appearance of Iron Man we witnessed was made by Tony to establish Shellhead's presence in town, and protect Tony's secret identity, clear?" To me, this says the FB happens just before the main story.
So to me, Iron Man comes back in the USA from Manila between issues after IM 71, has the stories from GSA 1-FB to A 130 and learns about Cap's resignation, flies back to Manila via Saigon, and receives the "frantic cable that brought me here." Then he stops at least a week in New York for the conference about the Man-Thing in GSM-T 2, and is back in Manila in IM 73.