pepper potts – Page 3 – Coke ⊕ Comics

Tales of Suspense #58

In Mortal Combat with Captain America!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: July 9, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Every word you are about to read was written by ol’ faithful Stan Lee, one of the world’s most prolific script writers!
Every drawing you are about to marvel at, was created by Don Heck, one of America’s most promising illustrators!
Every bit of inking you are about to savor was done by Dick Ayers, one of the industry’s most painstaking artists!
Every sentence you are about to scan was hand-printed by Sam Rosen, one of Marvel’s most perspicuous letterers!
18 pages

The story begins with Iron Man battling a shark. That’s cool.

This story will guest star Captain America. Remember in Strange Tales #123 when Thing was a guest star, and then he was sharing title billing by issue 124? Or how Hulk was a guest star in Tales to Astonish #59, and then had his own regular feature in Tales to Astonish #60? I don’t know why I’m bringing those up.

Kraven and Chameleon return to America after their most recent deportations. Iron Man catches Kraven sneaking ashore, but Chameleon gets away.

I really appreciate the battle between Iron Man and Kraven. So often in superhero comics, they exaggerate the threat the villain poses against the hero. This has been a particularly pernicious problem with heroes as powerful as Thor and Iron Man, who tend to outclass their villains. It is thus rather refreshing to see the battle between Iron Man and Kraven resolved within 3 panels, as it should be.

Tales of Suspense #57

Hawkeye, the Marksman!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: June 9, 1964
Cover: September 1964
12 cents
Written by: Smiling Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Sparkling Don Heck
Lettered by: Sterling S. Rosen
18 pages

Interestingly, this is the first Iron Man cover not drawn by Kirby. In fact, it’s the first major cover of the era not drawn or partially drawn by Kirby or Ditko. In general, Ditko has been drawing the covers of his books, and Kirby has been drawing the covers of his own and everybody else’s. For example, Kirby has drawn very few Giant-Man stories, but has drawn every cover. Since covers were often drawn before the issue, Kirby often had a hand in the creation of the new villains, by virtue of being the first to actually draw them. But not Hawkeye. Hawkeye may be the first major character we’ve met not in any way attributable to Kirby or Ditko. He seems to be entirely the creation of Stan Lee and Don Heck.

For example, Kirby is generally not credited as a creator of Black Widow, but he was involved at the beginning, having drawn her first cover appearance. Same story for Daredevil. I see none of his fingerprints on Hawkeye, but may be unaware of some behind-the-scenes work.

When we met Daredevil, I declared our cast of original stars complete. That was an admittedly arbitrary cut-off. I could have waited just a few months and claimed Hawkeye completes the package.

I said what I said because Hawkeye is not of our stars. At least not yet. He is a just a new super-villain, one of many. Like Black Widow. Like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch…

See the Our Cast So Far page to see how I’m breaking out the characters.

Tales of Suspense #56

The Uncanny Unicorn!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: May 12, 1964
Cover: August 1964
12 cents
Written with consummate skill by: Stan Lee
Illustrated with blazing drama by: Don Heck
Lettered with bloodshot eyes by: S. Rosen
18 pages

The time of the science fiction short stories has ended, allowing this comic to devote a full 18 pages to telling Iron Man’s story. I’m sure that making it longer was the missing ingredient in making it good.

This issue, Iron Man battles the Unicorn. I’m undecided if that name conjures a powerful Soviet menace. It doesn’t sound like something a tough bad guy would call themself, but then I wouldn’t want to have to fight a unicorn.

The character arc of the issue is that Tony Stark decides to give up being Iron Man and live a normal life. He then feels guilty when Happy is injured by the Unicorn because he had neglected his responsibilities.

Tales of Suspense #55, Story B

All About Iron Man

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Presented by: Stan Lee and Don Heck
Lettered by S. Rosen
5 pages

This is pushing the line between what I’d call a story and what I’d call a special feature at the end of a story. It’s long enough and told in a comics format, so I decided to give it its own entry, but I could have included it at the end of the last one.

This feature fits in where the science fiction tale would normally have gone, but those are done now.

The first page shows some of Iron Man’s major villains:

Black Widow
Mysterious Melter
Mandarin
Scarecrow
Mr. Doll
Crimson Dynamo
Gargantus
Jack Frost

It’s not an exhaustive list. I don’t see:

Wong-Chu
Kala and the Netherworlders
Dr. Strange
Red Barbarian
The Actor
The Mad Pharaoh

One villain is unnamed, and I don’t recognize him.

Tales of Suspense #55

No one escapes the Mandarin!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Written by: Friendly Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Faithful Don Heck
Lettered by: Fearless Art Simek
13 pages

For the second issue in a row, a comic I own in original form, because it was too hard to find the Watcher story in the back any other way.

The title is, “No one escapes the Mandarin!” Iron Man is currently a prisoner. Willing to bet money someone will escape the Mandarin by issue’s end. (In fact, someone will escape the Mandarin by page 3.)

I need everybody to agree on a couple points. Iron Man is a captive. He is tied up just like he was at the end of last issue. That’s the first point. The second is that he is wearing a different helmet than he was a moment ago. There is a clear lack of bolts down the face. Somebody explain.

Tales of Suspense #54

The Mandarin’s Revenge!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: March 10, 1964
Cover: June 1964
12 cents
Written (in his magic Marvel manner) by: Stan lee
Drawn (in his famous flashing fashion) by: Don Heck
Lettered (in his smooth subtle style) by: Art Simek
13 pages

We reach a personal milestone for me in this reading. Up to this point, every story I’ve read, I’ve used some form of reprint, often a collection from one of their reprint lines like Marvel Masterworks, sometimes a later comic that happens to reprint the old story.

This comic I own. Cover barely hanging on, brown at the edges, but this is mine. That cover? That’s a scan of my copy. Most of the other covers have been taken from the GCD.

So that’s pretty exciting.

Now for the bad news. The Mandarin returns. Iron Man’s lamest villain yet (despite some stiff competition) is back for round 2.

Iron Man gets a new helmet. The face mask no longer protrudes out, making his head a smoother shape, and there are visible bolts along the mask. I get the bolts along where the facemask meets the helmet, but not sure what the ones down the middle are doing. They won’t be around long. In fact, they’ll disappear mid-story suddenly without any plausible explanation.

It’s a pretty weird look, frankly. It will be better when that middle line of bolts goes away.

Tales of Suspense #53

The Black Widow Strikes Again!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: February 11, 1964
Cover: May 1964
12 cents
Story plot by: Stan Lee
Script by: N. Korok
Art by: Don Heck
13 pages

Iron Man takes a big step forward. Since his debut, he’s been the lead feature of Tales to Suspense, featured on the cover with his name somewhere prominently, and his visage in the little box up top. This issue, he gets a logo. Large font in a standard position atop the page reads, “The Power of Iron Man”. The comic is still “Tales of Suspense”, as noted at the top; yet, the comic’s title is the subordinate font. In big bold letters, we see clearly this is Iron Man’s comic. Marvel will do the same with Thor next month. For whatever reason, they seem less inclined to advertise Human Torch or Giant-Man so boldly.

While less impressive, it should be noted that The Watcher gets acknowledged on the cover in a text box. No other covers have or will mention his backup features. That coincides with a change in the Watcher tales. He will no longer be narrating other tales but starring in his own adventures.

Black Widow returns, now with black hair (though this time it looks red on the cover). Last issue, her only role was distraction by seduction. Here, she steals a powerful new Stark weapon, but we still don’t see her demonstrating many talents of her own.

Her plan largely hinges on Stark’s stupidity (which worked well for her last time). He shows her his new top secret super weapon, perhaps because he is smitten with her. She then steals the weapon. We learn Stark was not smitten, but pretending to trust her to learn her plans. There was no need for that. The events of last issue provide plenty of evidence she was a Soviet spy and an accomplice in the murder of Professor Vanko. There was no reason to learn her new plan. Just have her arrested.

Tales of Suspense #52

The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: January 10, 1964
Cover: April 1964
12 cents
Plot by: Stan Lee
Story by: N. Korok
Art by: Don Heck
Lettering by: S. Rosen
13 pages

N. Korok is an alias for Don Rico. Stan credits Rico with the story and himself with the plot. I would love to know what Stan thinks the difference between “plot” and “story” is. Rico had been working with comics, and Marvel Comics in particular, since 1939, as artist or writer or editor. By this time, he had mostly left comics behind and become a successful novelist– likely why he’s not using his real name on this comic work. Any comics work by Rico from this point forward will be quite uncommon.

Khrushchev decides it’s time to deal with the traitorous Crimson Dynamo. He sends for Russia’s best agents, Boris and Natasha.

No, not those two.

Tales of Suspense #51

The Sinister Scarecrow

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: December 9, 1963
Cover: March 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan (When does he sleep?) Lee
Illustrated by: Don (When does he eat?) Heck
Lettered by: Art (When will he learn to spell?) Simek
13 pages

Stan notes we are probably wondering how a Scarecrow can cause Iron Man any trouble. I was wondering exactly that, Stan. In fact, I often wonder why most of Iron Man’s villains cause him any trouble. This issue will not answer the question. Iron Man strikes me as far more powerful than you make him out to be.

We get a somewhat interesting origin for a super-villain. It begins with Iron Man making a joke that he’s glad the performer is not a criminal, which inspires the performer to be a criminal. All he needs now is to steal a Scarecrow costume from a costume shop and some trained crows from a colleague.

Those who engage in humor know it to be an art form not free from consequence; we maintain that the rewards, though subtle, are worth the risk.

Tales of Suspense #50

The Hands of the Mandarin!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: November 12, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Don Heck
Lettered by: Ray Holloway
13 pages

So there’s this idea of an archfoe. Not every superhero needs one, but most have one. For Superman, it’s Lex Luthor. Batman has an extensive rogues gallery, but Joker stands out amongst them as his archfoe. We have not yet met Green Goblin, but many consider him Spider-Man’s archfoe. That’s likely why he was the villain in the first Spider-Man film. Those people, including the filmmakers, are wrong. We have met Spider-Man’s archfoe. It’s Dr. Octopus.

Thor has fought Loki in almost every issue. Magneto showed up in X-Men #1 and will be showing up a lot more. The Fantastic Four have fought Dr. Doom in a full quarter of their issues.

For Human Torch, it seems to be the Wizard. For Ant-Man/Giant-Man, it’s a little less clear. I tend to point to Egghead, others to the Human Top.

In this issue, Iron Man meets the Mandarin. He’ll be showing up again in a few issues. And conventional wisdom suggests Mandarin is Iron Man’s archfoe. I have no idea why conventional wisdom suggests that. I just don’t understand and never have.

Mandarin is a “yellow peril” villain, part of a long tradition of villains, with the most eminent one being Fu Manchu. Within Marvel, they had the Yellow Claw back in the 1950s. We’ll visit his old stories when he reemerges in the modern era. Today, by modern standards, this tradition of villains is considered racist. They are stereotypes of Asian people, which feed and draw from the prejudice that many Americans feel toward the people of various Asian countries. This prejudice is rooted partly in government propaganda, going back to the war against Japan, and continuing with the Cold War against Communist China, with this xenophobia enduring to the present day.