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Tales of Suspense #80

When Fall the Mighty!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, Sovereign of Script
Gene Colan, Prince of Pencilling
Gary Michaels, Imperator of Inking
Artie Simek, Lord of Lettering
12 pages

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Tales of Suspense #79, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #80, Story B
Tales of Suspense #79, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #80, Story B

At last! I’m at the peak of my power! This is the moment that makes all the agony of the past more than worthwhile! This is the supreme sensation which no other living being can ever experience– the feeling which none can ever fully comprehend– the triumphant moment when the strength of a thousand transistors flows thru me and I stand once more ready for battle– as the invincible Iron Man!

Namor attacks Iron Man. Superheroes do that when the meet, generally. And Namor has always walked that superhero/supervillain line.

Superhero brawls are a well-established trope by this point. A one-on-one battle between Namor and Iron Man was due. Of course they’ve fought before, but then Iron Man had all the Avengers on his side. And Namor still held them at bay.

The battle will exploit their respective weaknesses. They both need the occasional charge. Iron Man needs to plug in. Namor needs water.

Amazing Spider-Man #8, Story B

Spider-Man Tackles the Torch!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Steve Ditko
6 pages

This is Kirby’s third comic story featuring Spider-Man. All 3 have had Ditko on inks. Of course, he also drew the cover of Spider-Man’s first appearance. Also with Ditko on inks.

This is a pretty slight story. A piece of frivolity squeezed into the back of an issue. Spider-Man and Human Torch annoy each other.

Their antics lead to Spider-Man fighting with Mr. Fantastic and Thing as well. Fighting is what superheroes do when they meet.

Tales of Suspense #49

The New Iron Man Meets The Angel!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: October 8, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko
Inked by: P. Reinman
18 pages

Paul Reinman on inks. It’s not often Ditko gets an inker. He usually does his own finishes. His first Iron Man story had Don Heck doing “refinement”. I think that’s the only other time we’ve seen anybody else finishing Ditko. Paul Reinman has been inking the X-Men comics, so he may be here to help keep their faces on-model.

Once again, that weird note at the beginning; we’ve seen something similar in every crossover. Stan thanks the editors of X-Men for letting the characters appear. You are the editor, Stan. But there may be legal reasons for this. Martin Goodman played all types of crazy games with shell companies and such to save a buck here and there.

The idea is it’s all one continuity, one universe. That’s why we read these comics together. But we don’t know that any character is part of that continuity until they cross over. At first, crossovers were sparse. It was a while before there was any hint Iron Man and Thor might be in this world. Crossovers have become increasingly common. After only two issues of X-Men, we learn they are a part of this world. The main story is a battle between Iron Man and Angel, but all the X-Men and Avengers will also show up.

Fantastic Four #21

The Hate-Monger!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: September 10, 1963
Cover: December 1963
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: George Bell
22 pages

The cover tells me not to dare reveal Hate-Monger’s identity. I fear that I am going to have to do just that. Spoilers ahead.

This is George Roussos’ first time on Fantastic Four and the effects are noticeable. He makes less effort than the other inkers to smooth out Kirby, and if anything only emphasizes the sharp angles of the faces, creating a more exaggerated style. The first page is meant to show the FF looking angry and hate-filled, so perhaps is not the ideal introduction to his take on the characters.

The first page lets me know this will be the most unusual, thought-provoking tale I will read this season. Often, Stan uses hyperbole in these opening pages. But I think the ending (yes, the one I plan to spoil; you are warned) more than lives up to Stan’s promises.