Featuring: Iron Man Release: May 9, 1963 Cover: August 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: R. Berns Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
In June 1963, a Cleopatra film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton debuted.
One month earlier, perhaps in an attempt to ride a marketing tail, Iron Man meets Cleopatra!
While there are certainly lots of things Iron Man can do that may seem like sorcery to Cleopatra, having wheels is not one of them.
The comic does end with Iron Man attending the Cleopatra film premiere, to make this a very specific nod.
Now, Anthony Stark is already famously a ladies’ man. And a reporter earlier in the issue asks him about how he’d fare if he met her. It turns out very well. She is smitten with him despite never seeing his face. He wears bulky Iron Man armor the entire time.
Featuring: Ant-Man and Wasp Release: May 2, 1963 Cover: August 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: H.E. Huntley Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man vol. 1.
We have met Cyclopes twicebefore. (Yes, I had to google how to make “Cyclops” plural.) It is not clear what connection if any this character has to those two. Dr. Pym notes that according to myth, there was a whole race of Cyclopes, who came from Thrace. Of course, this turns out to not be a real Cyclops, but a robot sent by alien invaders (basically identical to the Gargantus story). Perhaps the others we have met were real Cyclopes. Or perhaps all were sent by the same alien invaders.
This comic is most notable for introducing flying ants to Ant-Man. Riding a flying ant is a better way for him to keep up with Wasp than his catapult. It’s not clear it’s technically the introduction, as Ant-Man appears with flying ants in Fantastic Four #16, which was released a month earlier than this issue, but which I’ve decided to read after this one. Mainly because here he really seems to be meeting flying ants, whereas there he acts like riding flying ants is just something he does.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: April 9, 1963 Cover: July 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: R. Berns Art: Jack Kirby Inking: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
If there’s one thing I associate with Kirby (and there’s a lot more than one), it’s stylish headpieces on women.
That outfit seems pure Kirby.
Beyond that and maybe some of the machinery, the issue mostly reminds me of Heck’s art. I’m guessing Kirby’s art is really pretty loose design and layout, leaving a lot of the details, particular facial details, to Heck’s finishing. Just a guess.
Anthony Stark leaves costume behind, figuring it will be safe. This is called foreshadowing.
The world beneath the surface seems pretty crowded. I guess there’s lots of room down there, enough for a few underworld kingdoms. Kala is the third ruler of a subsurface kingdom we have met, after Moleman and Tyrannus. She won’t be the last. Let’s see who Thor fights next month…
Featuring: Ant-Man and Wasp Release: April 2, 1963 Cover: June 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: H.E. Huntley Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man vol. 1.
With the return of Egghead, Ant-Man gets his first recurring villain. We’ve only seen so many recurring villains, with many new (but often forgettable) ones cropping up. Fantastic Four recurring villains so far are: Namor, Dr. Doom and Puppet Master. Thor of course keeps fighting Loki. Human Torch has now fought Paste-Pot Pete twice and Wizard thrice. And I think that’s it. So far, no recurring foes for Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Hulk (unless you count the US military).
They dedicate 2 pages the recapping the last battle with Egghead. At this point, the writers have mostly seemed to pay little attention to details, continuity, or consistency. Yet here they stick pretty close to the actual story in the recap, including some dialogue. Mostly new art and script, but a very close retelling.
Yeah, yeah. We already read all this.
Remember that in the 1960s, comics weren’t yet published online. You had to find them at a local vendor, so it was possible to miss an issue. This recap would help keep readers of that era up to speed if this happened.
We now have a new status quo. Ant-Man and Wasp are teammates. She thinks they should date. He is stuffy. They are both eager to battle evil and such. Wasp is sometimes overeager to prove herself. Even though she’s the one who can fly. While he… catapults.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: March 12, 1963 Cover: June 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: R. Berns Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in the Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
I also have it reprinted in Marvel Collector’s Item Classics #5 from 1966, and include scans from that reprint below.
Robert Bernstein has been scripting more and more Marvel books. We just saw him in our last Human Torch entry and his name is showing up on Ant-Man and Wasp stories.
As we’ve discussed before, the comic treats Stark’s military work as entirely noble, as opposed to the more nuanced take the movie would have decades later. It’s about changing attitudes. But this comic really seems to push it. Stark invents a disintegrator ray, and notes among its applications that it could destroy a metropolis. Surely we recognize that as a purely evil application? That’s not much better than building a nuclear bomb.
We all get this is evil, right?
Hulk’s origin had a subtle swipe at weapon-building, given that Dr. Banner was a victim of his own bomb. But it’s not clear to me how intentional that was on the part of Lee or Kirby. Or whether it’s interpretation that comes from reading the comic through a modern lens.
Featuring: Ant-Man and the Wasp Release: March 5, 1963 Cover: June 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: H.E. Huntley Art: Jack Kirby Inking: Don Heck 18 pages
This is the first we have seen of H.E. Huntley. It is a pen name for Ernest Huntley Hart, known as Ernie Hart. He is freelancing at this point, and will do only occasional Marvel work in the 1960s, but he was an active Marvel writer and artist going back to the 1940s, perhaps most famous for his funny animal comics. He created Super Rabbit in 1943.
In this issue, meet our next Marvel superhero star, the Wasp. In yet another moment of serendipity, she was introduced the same day as Sgt. Fury!
But we already know why he became Ant-Man…
For the last 7 issues, Ant-Man has starred in solo adventures in the pages of Tales to Astonish. Going forward, he will now have a partner. Wasp will be the second female star added to our cast, after Invisible Girl. Most women we’ve met are relatives or romantic interests. No females are yet lead characters, as Wasp seems to get second billing to Ant-Man. And Invisible Girl is the member of the Fantastic Four given the least focus and respect.
Featuring: Ant-Man Release: February 5, 1963 Cover: May 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: Larry Lieber Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man vol. 1.
Spiffy!
As with the Thor comic released the same day, this issue sports the spiffy new logo box with a picture of the lead character, the price, and the phrase “Marvel Comics Group”.
One of my gateways into the world of superheroes as a child was Batman: The Animated Series. A frequent feature of the show was villain origins that cast them in a sympathetic light. Often they were fired or otherwise screwed over by a corporate bigshot. Riddler, Clock King, Mr. Freeze… all were given origins where you could at least see why they were upset, even if supervillainy is rarely justified.
Professor Weems has such an origin. Fired based solely on his age. With the twist that he had been so excited to show his grandson his lab and his work. Not sure that would even be legal today. They’d at least need some better official story.
The armor makes him a superhero and keeps his heart beating.
Iron Man Versus Gargantus! Featuring: Iron Man Release: January 10, 1963 Cover: April 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: R. Berns Art: J. Kirby Inking: D. Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
Most of the credits only get first initials, perhaps to fit on a line. The letterer John Duffy doesn’t even get an initial, referred to as “Duffi”. Heck was the primary artist on the first issue of Iron Man, though building off some initial character work by Kirby. Here, Heck is credited with inking over Kirby. But to my eye, this issue mostly reminds me more of Heck than Kirby.
The script is credited to “R. Berns”. The first time we’ve seen that name. In fact, I think it’s the first writing credits given to anybody except for Stan or his brother Larry. The scripter is Robert Bernstein, who used the pseudonym “R. Berns” for all of his Marvel work, as he was mostly known for his DC superhero work at the time. He’d been working in comics for at least 17 years at this point, and had worked with Lee before on western and war stories. But he’d spent the last 4 years working in superhero comics at DC, famously reviving Aquaman for the Silver Age, and adding Aqualad and Aquagirl to the cast (working with Ramona Fradon). His Superboy stories (with George Papp) introduced the menace of General Zod and other Kryptonian criminals imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, concepts that would make it into the 1978 Superman film and the 2013 reboot. And he transformed Congo Bill into Congorilla (alongside Howard Sherman). An impressive pedigree to join our crew.
We saw 18 months of superhero comics made almost entirely by 3 people. It wasn’t sustainable as the number of heroes continued to grow, so we’ve seen an infusion of new writers and artists in the last month, some filling in, some here to stay.
A man spreads lies and fear to a crowd of people who soak it up.
The Voice of Doom! Featuring: Ant-Man Release: January 3, 1963 Cover: April 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: Larry Lieber Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant Man vol. 1.
This is Don Heck’s second issue of Ant-Man. The art duties will be a mix of Heck and Kirby going forward.
An accident at an atomic lab sends some charged particles into Jason Cragg’s microphone that imbue him with the power to make people follow his every command. We have seen other radiation-based anomalies–notably the effects of a bite from an irradiated spider and being caught in the blast of a gamma bomb–and we will see many more.
Watch out for that atomic radiation
There is perhaps some political commentary in this issue. An orator speaks and sways the crowd with demagoguery and fear-mongering. Ant-Man tries to point out the orator offers no evidence, but his cries are lost on deaf ears. Perhaps the creators were thinking of some 1960s politicians when writing this. It certain applies seems to describe a 2019 politician or two.
Iron Man is Born! Featuring: Iron Man Release: December 10, 1962 Cover: March 1963 12 cents Plot: Stan Lee Script: Larry Lieber Art: Don Heck 13 pages
I read this story in Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
Don Heck is the artist on this issue, but the cover is by Jack Kirby. The cover was drawn first, and Jack Kirby is thus responsible for designing this version of the Iron Man armor. Heck claims credit for the look of Anthony Stark and generally the interiors. I’ve read conflicting reports on how much input Kirby had to the interior art and storytelling.
Recall that Kirby had been drawing every ongoing Marvel superhero series prior to this month. One week earlier, Don Heck took over as artist on the Ant-Man feature, and now Heck will also be the artist on the Iron Man stories. And a new Marvel superhero title premieres this same day which will be drawn by Steve Ditko, so the load is getting shared now.
That’s right! It’s Iron Man! The character nobody had heard of in 2007 who was everybody’s favorite superhero by 2009.
As we discussed, December 10, 1962 is a day with four big milestones in Marvel superhero history. This is the second.
Milestone #1 of December 10, 1962: Fantastic Four meet the Hulk!
Milestone #2: Iron Man
Anthony Stark is a rich, handsome, glamorous playboy, a bachelor and socialite. Also a brilliant scientist helping out the US military. He’s invented a tiny transistor that increases the force of any device, which he’s helping the military deploy in South Vietnam.
As I understand the problem in Vietnam, it will take more than a tiny transistor to solve…
Wong-Chu is described as a “Red Guerilla” conquering villages is South Vietnam. I assume the implication is he is with the Việt Cộng, but that is not explicit.
The depictions of Asian people remain awful, with Wong-Chu as racist a caricature as General Fang.
