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.
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…
It’s not yet clear that these Iron Man stories have any connection to the other stories we’ve been reading. Iron Man has never mentioned the other superheroes; they have never mentioned him. The Fantastic Four have met Hulk and Spider-Man and are about to meet Ant-Man. Spider-Man has mentioned Ant-Man. Thor and Iron Man are so far entirely disconnected from the rest. But that will change soon when the Avengers form.
Given the coming connection, one must ask how this Atlantis fits in with what we know about Atlantis. We know from Sub-Mariner stories Atlantis fell beneath the sea, and that there evolved a race of undersea people, the Sub-Mariners. But this Atlantis isn’t that one. This one sank beneath the sea, but kept sinking deep into the earth. These people are obviously not Namor’s people.
Note also that Baxu says they’ve studied the surface world and learned Mr. Stark is the world’s greatest inventive genius. Moreso than Reed Richards? Then Tony Stark mentions that Iron Man can stand against their forces, and Baxu agrees, but neither mentions Thor.
Likely intentionally, this story has a lot of echoes of the origin of Iron Man. Once again, he is a prisoner. He is ordered to build weapons for his captors, but will instead build himself a suit of armor to overcome them. He builds a suit of Iron Man armor just like his own, down to the gold color scheme. Would have been a good time to develop a variant.
Not only is Stark able to craft a suit replica overnight, it’s quite fully featured: an electronic reverse-energy beam; a pellet of concentrated chemical crystals which transform flame into ice; lots of tiny transistor-powered magnets; mirrors that can project duplicates of him. He made all this overnight?
The story is weirdly sexist. Baxu is potrayed as a better choice to rule. But why is he unhappy? Because he thinks the invasion of the surface is ill-conceived. Fair point. But also because he hates taking orders from a woman. What? And Stark just nods along, agreeing Baxu should rule.
I do have to make a decision about Kala. I’ve been keeping track of the characters we meet: Our Cast So Far.
I’ve noted every villain encountered, but been breaking them between major and minor villains, based on how important they become to the larger story going forward. Mostly it’s been pretty clear. The minor villains all have at most 2 appearances. But Kala will appear in 5 other stories over the decades. As underworld rulers go, that’s less common than either Tyrannus or Moleman, but still more than the villains I’d been calling minor. I think I’m going to call her a “major villain”, but with hesitation. Perhaps it’s time for a “medium” category.
Stark should just fight crime in his Iron Undies.
Rating: ★½, 29/100
Characters:
- Kala
- Anthony (Tony) Stark/Iron Man
- Baxu
Minor characters:
- Jim (Stark security guard)
- Evans (Stark scientist)
Story notes:
- At Anthony Stark’s lab, wind velocity control panel exploded.
- Iron Man able to spin like human fan.
- Stark’s employees start disappearing.
- Netherworlders are descendants of Atlantis; how this relates to Namor’s people is not explained.
- Netherworlders see Mr. Stark as greatest inventive genius; no mention of Mr. Fantastic.
- Netherworlders have disintegrator rays and super-artillery, but not the means to transport them to the surface.
- Stark ordered to build transistor-powered machines to transport their weapons.
- Baxu loves Kala.
- Stark builds copy of Iron Man armor in Kala’s lab.
- Kala learns being on the surface would make her old and ugly; she reverted to herself instantly upon returning home.
- Kala to marry Baxu.
#76 story in reading order
Next: Strange Tales #110
Previous: Amazing Spider-Man #3
