Issue(s): Tales Of Suspense #51
Published Date: Mar 64
Title: "The Sinister Scarecrow"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Don Heck - Inker

Review/plot: A vaudeville contortionist helps Iron Man catch a thief, and Iron Man casually mentions that it's a good thing the performer is on the side of the law because of his great abilities. The contortionist thinks about it and decides Iron Man was right - he'd make a great thief. He gets himself a scarecrow suit out of a costume shop and steals his partner's trained crows and becomes the Scarecrow. That's really all it took back in the day to be a super villain.

Meanwhile Pepper Potts is turning away Stark's date - Veronica Vogue - because she is snooty. Stark thinks it's because Pepper is jealous, but having read The Iron Age, we know it's because she's keeping Tony focusing on his work instead of Hollywood starlets. Stark figures something is up but doesn't really mind because he's basically done with that piece of ass ("she was becoming a bore, anyway!").

Happy drives Tony home...

...and they find the Scarecrow ransacking the suite.

Happy attacks, and while he's getting his butt handed to him, Stark changes into Iron Man, but gets himself wrapped in up in some drapery and tied up by crows. Not the high point of Iron Man's career. The Scarecrow manages to steal some high tech weapon designs, and his plan is to head out to "a land where all enemies of America are welcomed" - Cuba. Iron Man tracks down the Scarecrow and whoops him and gets to sink an evil commie boat as well. Then he comes home and tricks Pepper into going on a date with Happy. Meanwhile the Scarecrow cools his heels in Cuba.

The one cool thing about the Scarecrow is his crows grab him by the costume and fly him around. It's a good visual. This guy is totally not in Iron Man's league, though. He should have been a Daredevil villain.

Also in this issue, a man is challenged to a duel by a plant from outer space, but the alien gets eaten by a crow.

And, the Watcher tells a story about individuals in the future who search for life on other planets but only find primitive forms of life. In a real twist, one of the primitives actually has a framed certificate stating that his people mastered atomic energy, but the scientists are too predisposed in believing other races are primitive to read it. It's interesting to see the Watcher start to narrate these weird Tales Of Suspense.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Scarecrow

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

Batman fought another Scarecrow in the Golden Age, but at this point the villain had been mothballed and wouldn't reappear until 1966.