Featuring: Iron Man
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
A study in splendor by Stan Lee, writer!
A muse of majesty by Don Heck, artist!
A glimmer of glory by Wally Wood, inker!
A nice lettering job by Art Simek, bon vivant!
12 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Tales of Suspense #70, Story B | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #71, Story B |
| Tales of Suspense #70, Story B | Tales of Suspense | Tales of Suspense #71, Story B |
My heart must remain as cold as the armor I wear– forever!
Wally Wood on inks. He’s just about done with Marvel, so this will be a rare treat.
He teams up with Kirby for an excellent cover. Iron Man getting a solid Kirbyesque punch in. With Happy dead or dying in the background.
We haven’t seen Wood on Heck before. I think the team works really well.
Last issue featured Happy’s apparent death. So now Iron Man isn’t just fighting Titanium Man for national pride. Now it’s personal.
Happy’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain as the gadget he delivered allows Iron Man to win the day.
Hey, it turns out Happy’s not dead after all.
He is in critical condition and in no shape to attend a wedding. That was almost certainly in the past.
Meanwhile, Pepper finally seems to decide Stark is too much of an uncaring jerk for her. Never around when Iron Man needs him.
Ultimately this is a pretty simple plot to play out over 3 issues. Iron Man and Titanium Man punch each other back and forth. They used to be able to wrap up for more complex stories in 12 pages. That’s the newfound story decompression we’re seeing, and it’s working. This is one of the best Iron Man stories yet. Not that the bar is all that high.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 57/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1.
Characters:
- Iron Man
- Titanium Man
- Happy Hogan
- Pepper Potts
- Senator Byrd
- Countess de la Spirosa
- Doctor Schiller
Story notes:
- Titanium Man’s arsenal includes shatter-blast ray.
- Titanium Man compares Iron Man to Nijinski, a famous Russian ballet dancer.
- Iron Man wins with reverser ray.
- Ed Sullivan reference.
- Doctor sends for specialist from Vienna for Happy; Dr. Schiller arrives.
- Ends with Happy in critical condition.
| Previous | #408 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales of Suspense #70, Story B | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #71, Story B |
| Tales of Suspense #70, Story B | Tales of Suspense | Tales of Suspense #71, Story B |
