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.
Namor is pretty gullible to fall for Iron Man’s ruse. “Please don’t throw me in that room”, begs Iron Man. Guess where he wanted to go?
We see Iron Man work with “printed circuits”, while usually he works with “transistors”. These are pretty related concepts. A transistor is a component of a printed circuit board.
Why is Namor mad at Iron Man? Iron Man let Krang retreat, depriving Namor of his vengeance. So he’ll kill Iron Man before he pursues Krang. Reasonable.
If he’d just ignored Iron Man to go after Krang, he’d have no reason to be mad at Iron Man.
The battle ends in a stalemate. They both had to go back to their corner for a timeout. More battery and more water respectively.
Round 2 is coming, but not in the next issue of Tales of Suspense…
This is a pretty unique moment in Marvel history. The direct continuation of this issue will not be found in this title, but over in Tales to Astonish. We read Marvel’s first crossover between Namor and the Human Torch, but that wasn’t quite inter-title, as both shared Marvel Mystery Comics.
We have seen the hunt for the Hulk continue from Avengers to Fantastic Four, but it’s not like there was a cliffhanger or such a direct continuation there. Hulk showed up in Avengers #3 and then Fantastic Four #25, but Avengers #4 took place in-between. We’ve seen Wasp’s saga continue from Tales to Astonish to Avengers, but that’s like a subplot crossing titles.
This very battle from Iron Man’s series will continue in Namor’s series and become the next major chapter in Iron Man’s story. Seems like a big stepping stone for connectivity of the Marvel Universe. For better or for worse.
I think it’s important for readers to note that “Iron Man” is an anagram for “Namor in”. Coincidence? I think not.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Iron Man Epic Collection vol. 2: By Force of Arms.
Characters:
- Namor
- Iron Man
- Pepper Potts
- Happy Hogan
Story notes:
- Iron Man’s armor too low on power for the fight.
- Iron Man needs to reach other suit.
- Working with printed circuits, it’s easy for Iron Man to swap out energy packs.
- Police called to scene because Iron Man is attacking plant.
- Pepper calls Happy about the trouble at the plant, both having returned home from their date.
- Even Pepper doesn’t believe Iron Man’s story that Namor had been there.
| Previous | #569 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
