POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #84 (1982): Jo Duffy’s last issue

Sabretooth and the Constrictor return for revenge on Luke, Danny, Misty and Colleen.  This is confirmation that they were the villains in issue #78–they appeared in long coats and hats, so we didn’t know it was them.  And they start out the same way in this issue.

First, Sabretooth goes for Misty, but instead finds her roommate (and Luke’s girlfriend) Harmony, and beats her so bad she has to go to the hospital.  So, Luke goes after Sabretooth.

I like this sequence.  Danny is humble enough to know he can’t really take down Power Man (although he could if he used his iron fist ability), and is gentle in the way he speaks to Luke.  Meanwhile, Luke is ready to kill without giving it a second thought.  The two men are written distinctly by Mary Jo Duffy—this book is her best work, even at this point when she’s winding down her run and her stories aren’t as good as they used to be.  In general.  But this is a really great issue.

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Mary Jo Duffy’s last issue, last panel.  And it sums up everything about her long run that made her great.  Warmth and friendship was the theme of this comic.

A fitting end to Mary Jo’s run. It was #3 on my list of the top 10 stories from this series.

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