Featuring: Iron Man
Release: May 3, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee… writer
Gene Colan… artist
Gary Michaels… inker
Sam Rosen… letterer
Irving Forbush… armor polisher
12 pages
| Previous | #585 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| PRELUDE | Captain America Comics #6, Story B | |
| Strange Tales #150, Story B | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #82 |
| Tales of Suspense #80, Story B | Tales of Suspense | Tales of Suspense #81, Story B |
This feeling of total freedom… of being air-borne under your own power… like some great metal bird… makes all the hardhip, all the danger of the past, utterly meaningless… as inconsequential as some dim, half-forgotten nightmare!
We already read the second half of this issue to finish off Captain America’s battle with Red Skull. We held off on this first half as it starts a new arc for Iron Man with Titanium Man.
Where were we? Senator Byrd has insisted for a while that Tony Stark appear before Congress to reveal Iron Man’s secrets. Stark has been conveniently avoiding this summons by doing things like get kidnapped by the Mandarin. Growing impatient, Byrd had Stark factories closed. But now, after a battle with Sub-Mariner, he’s called Senator Byrd to offer to testify.
At some point, perhaps around the time he made this phone call, Stark also took a call from Hank Pym, and recommended his employee Bill Foster to help Pym’s research.
Earlier, an Iron Man in need of help had sought out the Avengers and found them not at home. An editor’s note suggested they were across town fighting Power Man and Swordsman, but I prefer to think they were in a hidden South American kingdom.
Elsewhere in the Marvel Universe, SHIELD has just defeated AIM and the Secret Empire, and deduced both were branches of Hydra returned. Dr. Strange has defeated Kaluu. Thor has won the Troll War. The Avengers have defeated the Sons of the Serpent. Daredevil has escaped the Owl’s island. Peter Parker has met a hot redhead. Sub-Mariner remains a pawn of Number One from the Secret Empire, on a mission to destroy Hulk. And Hulk just wants to be left alone.
We’re keeping our eye out for Iron Man to have enough of a breather to attend an Avengers meeting. The Marvel Chronology Project suggests that now is the time, before he goes to Washington. But I don’t buy it. Iron Man’s attitude at the meeting will be too relaxed for me to believe he’s about to head to Washington to reveal his secrets to the world. Also, the police are pretty clear that Tony Stark hasn’t left the building since the Namor battle. So he had time for a phone call with the Avengers, but not to attend and in-person meeting. I think the MCP is wrong here.
So we’ll keep looking out. Also, we’ll need Thor to be on Earth and have a breather for that same meeting. Peter Parker already has his bike, so Spider-Man’s story is set for the meeting.
Tony is very nervous this hearing will expose his secrets to the world. He is afraid to reveal he knows too much about the armor, for fear people will deduce he operates it. But they already know he built it, don’t they?
It’s not even always clear to me what his secret identity accomplishes. He built the armor. He owns the armor. He could put it on. He could hire someone to put it on. He could wear it sometimes and rent it out other times. When the world knows it’s his armor, protecting the fact that he sometimes puts in on seems unnecessary.
It’s noted Stark keeps missing SHIELD executive meetings, but it’s doing fine under Fury. Fury had his own complicated moments appearing before hearings similar to this one, but his leadership seems on stable ground again.
The Soviets are ready for a rematch between Titanium Man and Iron Man, and the issue ends with them facing off.
Almost nothing happens this issue. Stark decides to go to Congress and almost gets there. All set-up for a hearing that doesn’t happen yet and a battle with Titanium Man that will happen next issue.
Not long ago, a battle between a hero and villain would have resolved in an issue. Now it takes until the last page to meet. That’s decompressed storytelling. This is owed partly to Colan’s art style, with his very large panels. Also Lee is happy to fill in some dead time with a lot of thought balloons.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 50/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Iron Man Epic Collection vol. 2: By Force of Arms.
Characters:
- Tony (Toni) Stark/Iron Man
- Senator Byrd
- Titanium Man
Story notes:
- Stark is heading to Congress with armor in attache case.
- Iron Man has spent “years” on armor, making it flexible and collapsible without sacrificing strength.
- Police take Stark to airport in time for 3 o’clock flight to DC.
- Stark pretends to take plane, but instead flies as Iron Man.
- Soviets ready for impromptu rematch between Iron Man and Titanium Man. Titanium Man armor redesigned to be lighter and more powerful.
- Soviets order launch of D-3Y missile.
- Final test is to take impact of projectile. Titanium Man then rides missile to America to face Iron Man.
| Previous | #585 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| PRELUDE | Captain America Comics #6, Story B | |
| Strange Tales #150, Story B | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #82 |
| Tales of Suspense #80, Story B | Tales of Suspense | Tales of Suspense #81, Story B |
