Featuring: Iron Man
Release: June 11, 1963
Cover: September 1963
12 cents
Story plot: Stan Lee
Script: R. Berns
Art: Don Heck
18 pages
We meet a new villain, Jack Frost. His special suit covers himself in ice and he can freeze people. He isn’t the first ice-themed super character and won’t be the last. Though off the top of my head, I am not thinking of any earlier examples within Marvel. Over at DC, we met Captain Cold in Showcase #8 (1957) and Mr. Zero in Batman #121 (1959).
But Jack Frost is something of a footnote in the Marvel Universe. This is the first of 6 stories he’ll appear in, making him the most significant Iron Man villain we’ve met, but still not all that significant.
The bigger news is that Iron Man gets a supporting cast!
The writers must know that having a supporting cast is a good idea. This isn’t new. Superman has had Lois since his first issue. Jimmy and Perry followed eventually. Batman has had Alfred for a couple decades at this point. It’s just not a new concept. And it’s working really well for Spider-Man. Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Flash Thompson… they help make the book. But the other stories have mostly not bothered with the concept. Thing has Alicia and Thor has Jane, but that’s the extent of it so far.
So Iron Man gets two cast members who will stick around. Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan.
Pepper Potts we learn has been Stark’s secretary for some time. Happy is a former boxer who saves Stark’s life after his failing heart causes him to crash a race car. This earns Happy a job as chauffeur and bodyguard.
Happy’s personality is that he’s always gruff and never smiles. He reminds somewhat of Ben Grimm. He also falls immediately for Pepper, but she only has eyes for Mr. Stark, who she thinks doesn’t even notice her. Happy calls this a love triangle, but it’s pretty one-directional. Happy → Peggy → Tony
For a more classic love triangle, see Reed/Sue/Namor, where they both like her and she likes them both. Reed ⭤ Sue ⭤ Namor.
For the classic superhero version, see Clark/Lois/Superman, which is an actual complete triangle. He likes her, but she likes him, but he is him. Clark → Lois → Superman = Clark.
Now for an aside. It has come to my attention from this blog’s most loyal reader–my mother–that I am not very complimentary about these books and it may discourage people from reading them.
I am not sure that is a bad thing. Do I think you should read my blog about old Iron Man comics? Absolutely. Do I think you should read old Iron Man comics? Absolutely not. Maybe read his introduction, then skip ahead several years. Same for Ant-Man. Read his intro. For Thor, I would even skip that. And no need to read any Human Torch comics. Read my blog instead.
What is good? Well, Fantastic Four is worth reading. So is Sgt. Fury. And the Dr. Strange stories. Notably, these are all the ones Stan is writing himself, as opposed to the ones where he farms out the writing.
And, then there is Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The best work of fiction I have read in any medium. Of course you should read that.
She also suggested I try to find one nice thing to say about every issue. And while I don’t always mention it, the answer to that question is always the art. Kirby is a great artist. So is Heck. And of course Ditko stands above all.
Rating: ★★½, 46/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
I read this story in The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1. You can also find it in the Iron Man Epic Collection vol. 1 or Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man vol. 1. Or through Kindle.
Characters:
- Professor Shapanka/Jack Frost
- Harry “Happy” Hogan
- Anthony Stark/Iron Man
- “Pepper” Potts
Minor characters:
- Mike (from Stark’s pit crew)
Story notes:
- Iron Man on jet skates doing 200 mph near Indianapolis.
- Tony Stark is scheduled to drive in 500-mile Speedway Classic; the Iron Man 2 film would play off Stark’s racing.
- Star’s race car is “Stark Special”.
- Happy Hogan described as “grouchy stranger”.
- Hogan nicknamed “Happy” at Stillman’s Gym–because he never smiles
- Lots of references to current and historical figures in comic: Louis Pasteur, Sonny Liston, Rock Hudson, Bela Lugosi
- Happy hired as chauffeur, may also act as bodyguard.
- Stark’s cars include a Rolls-Royce, a Caddy El Dorado, and a Jaguar convertible.
- Happy turns down $50K check and asks for steady job instead; gets $10K advance.
- Stark’s main plant in Flushing, Long Island, which is in Queens; near site of 1964 world’s fair — Flushing Meadows, Corona Park.
- Stark has a plant on each continent.
- Happy claims Iron Man could beat Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Liston and himself in the ring.
- Feature-length Iron Man story; accomplishes this by having first 9 pages unconnected to main plot.
- Shapanka working on freezing to preserve life and youth, and gets idea from Stark for a frozen suit.
- Jack Frost can shoot forth cold jets of oxygen to freeze anything.
- Newspaper coins Shapanka’s nickname Jack Frost.
#89 story in reading order
Next: Amazing Spider-Man #4
Previous: Tales to Astonish #47
