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.
Thor has recently considered giving up being Thor so he can settle down with Jane. The most recent decision had lasted about 5 minutes before Cobra and Mr. Hyde attacked. Spider-Man has considered quitting since Amazing Spider-Man #3.
There is something a bit off about the plot. Tony blames himself for giving up the Iron Man identity, but he’d given it up for like an hour. The attack happened while he was on a date. His decision to quit being Iron Man was actually pretty incidental to the fact that he wasn’t there when Unicorn attacked. A superhero can’t always be everywhere and should be allowed a private life.
He put on the Iron Man armor again at the first sign of trouble within a couple of hours of deciding to renounce the identity. That hardly counts as giving it up. It’s similar to how I claim to be a vegetarian for stretches of up to 16 hours between dinner and lunch.
The issue opens with Iron Man in rage, the rage that leads him to quit his identity. This conveniently explains the status quo, that he can never take the chestplate off, and that even with it, he may die any minute.
He is rather rude to Pepper, who he knows has a crush on him. He makes her get him his little black book, and then rushes off to a date with some glamorous socialite, insulting Happy on the way out. But on the date, he almost calls the girl Pepper, reinforcing that his mind is really on Pepper. For the first 15 issues, Tony Stark seemed to be a man who often dated a variety of women all over the world. Starting 2 issues again, he has been specifically fawning over Pepper, but he has not yet asked her out. This issue sees a combination. He goes on a date with a random woman, but thinks about Pepper while doing so.
The Avengers try to contact Iron Man while he’s off on his date. This scene will get referenced again soon, so let’s note a few details of it. The rest of the team wants Iron Man to go after the Unicorn while they investigate another case. They make no reference to details of this other case, and it’s not covered in the Avengers title. This unseen adventure must take place between Avengers #6 and #7, and all the characters’ outfits are consistent with this. They find it important to contact Iron Man, but don’t know how to. They call Mr. Stark’s secretary. Similarly, Thor had left instructions to call Dr. Blake if they needed to get in touch with him. Iron Man will get in trouble for refusing the call, but he didn’t really refuse it. The Avengers were just unable to get in touch with him. The thing they wanted to do was have him fight the Unicorn, which he did later that evening. Also, Giant-Man specifically noted the Avengers agreed that each were their own master.
The doctor has an eloquent rebuttal to Tony’s offer of money to make sure Happy gets the best treatment. He insists everybody gets the best treatment regardless of money. I’m not sure how the American health care system worked in 1964, but that is not how it works today.
Iron Man tracks the Unicorn with what Stan describes as an “experimental black light tracer”. Heck’s art just shows a couple panels of Iron Man projecting a black spotlight. It is in no way clear what is happening. But it works. He tracks down the Unicorn.
Iron Man has 15 minutes to stop the Unicorn before a bomb goes off. Four panels and seemingly as many blows later, 5 minutes have already passed. Compare this to any Thor comic. He often drops his hammer and only has 60 seconds to get it back. A lot can happen in those 60 seconds.
We come now to the superhero code of honor. They feel the need to hold to any promise, even those made under threats to innocent life. But they are only honor-bound to the letter of their promise. For example, Thor promised to help Zarrko in exchange for Zarrko not killing people, but then he technically fulfilled his pledge and could now battle Zarrko again. Same thing here. Iron Man agrees to be taken prisoner… but not to stay a prisoner.
Iron Man refers to himself by two nicknames, both of which will become quite prominent: “Golden Avenger” and “Shellhead”. I think this is the first reference to both names, but sometimes I overlook an appearance of a famous phrase. Please let me know if I missed one.
Tony wonders at the end if Pepper loves him or Happy. Perhaps if you weren’t so rude to her and didn’t make her help book your other dates…
Rating: ★★½, 48/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
While I still don’t think these Iron Man stories are very good, this one is at least trying. It does that thing I praise the Spider-Man comics for doing, where it integrates the character arc and super-villain arc. The characterization in Spider-Man is just… better.
The significance rating is how important this story is to a read-through of the Marvel Universe. 4-star stories are those which impact several later stories. I’ve often been using it for comics that introduce major supporting characters or villains. The Unicorn very much stretches the definition of “major” villain. But he’ll definitely be back and he’ll even go on to fight the X-Men. So…
I read this story in The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1. You can find it in the Iron Man Epic Collection vol. 1 or Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man vol. 2.
Weirdly, issues 54-56 don’t seem to be available on Kindle. Not sure why.
Characters:
- Iron Man/Tony Stark
- Pepper Potts
- Happy Hogan
- Giant-Man
- Wasp
- Thor
- Unicorn
- Crimson Dynamo (Professor Vanko)
Minor characters:
- Pamela (Tony’s date)
- Mac (Stark security guard)
Story notes:
- Iron Man must always wear electronic chest plate; notes he is living on borrowed time, that he may die any minute.
- Iron Man angry about his status; he lashes out at Pepper over intercom.
- Iron Man refers to himself as “Golden Avenger” and “Shellhead”.
- Tony Stark quits being Iron Man.
- Pepper refers to Iron Man as Mr. Stark’s personal bodyguard.
- The Avengers attempt to contact Iron Man and Mr. Stark tells them he’s on vacation.
- Avengers too busy with another case to tackle Unicorn.
- Unicorn attacks a Stark munitions factory.
- Happy tries to tackle Unicorn and gets hospitalized.
- Unicorn a Soviet saboteur whose costume was designed by Professor Vanko; he has a power horn which fires energy blasts and radiates an energy shield; he is also capable of jet-assisted flight.
- Original Crimson Dynamo seen in flashback.
- Iron Man’s experimental “black light tracer”.
- Unicorn still on the loose
#219 story in reading order
Next: Tales of Suspense #56, Story B
Previous: Amazing Spider-Man #15
