Issue(s): Iron Man #26
Cover Date: Jun 70
Title: "Duel in a dark dimension!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Johnny T. Craig - Inker

Review/plot:
Pepper Potts has been kidnapped and the kidnapper has demanded that the Freak be given to him in exchange. We quickly learn that the kidnapper is the Collector...

...and the Collector quickly learns that Happy Hogan is the Freak, something Happy himself doesn't know.

Iron Man is unable to attack the Collector without putting Pepper's life at risk, so he resorts to bargaining, and the Collector sends him to a Dark Dimension to retrieve a solar sword. The Dimension is ruled by an evil wizard named Shar-Khan.

The bearer of the solar sword is Val-Larr.

I know i don't have any business commenting on typos, but "they'll be time to check on that"? It's actually pretty rare to find a typo in a Marvel comic so i'm pointing it out.

There's no indication that this Dark Dimension has anything to do with Dormammu's, but you can pretend that Shar-Khan is one of his regional governors or something if you like. In any event, he's clearly the bad guy, so Iron Man has a conundrum... he needs Val-Larr's sword to save Happy and Pepper but taking the sword will doom the good guys. So... what's a clever way to solve both problems at once? I know: abruptly demand the sword and then hit Val-Larr on the head and steal it.

Now, luck will save the day here. The solar sword absorbs power from the sun, and while the sun in the Dark Dimension is very weak, once the sword is back in the Collector's ship, it suddenly becomes overloaded with energy, allowing Iron Man to drag it, and the Collector, back to the Dark Dimension to chase away Shar-Khan.

But Iron Man didn't know that would happen. He starts to get an inkling that something like that might occur, but he's interrupted by the Collector before he can complete the thought...

...and anyway, that was after he betrayed Val-Larr and took the sword.

Speaking of betrayal, when Iron Man arrives back at the Collector's ship, he finds that the Collector had already turned Happy into the Freak.

Didn't think Iron Man would make it back, i guess? Ultimately, though, the Collector lets everybody go.

Poor Happy still has no idea that he's a repeat Freak.

This was on the goofy side.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: See the comments on Iron Man #21 and Avengers #80-82. There's really no dependencies here but i'm pushing this past Avengers #82 to catch myself back up with the Index & MCP.

References:

• Happy Awwwwwwwwww Freaked Out!! previously in Tales of Suspense #74 and Iron Man #3.
  
• Iron Man's previous encounter with the Collector was collected (har, har; joke is sic) in Avengers #51.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Masterworks: Invincible Iron Man vol. 7

yeah, not a great issue although it does point out how IM is different from other heroes. As said somewhere, spider-man or captain america would have been much less likely to just punch out their ally Val-lar and steal the sword the way that Tony does.

Val-Larr is begging for an audition on Rupauls Drag Race. He actually would be well received as his character and background scream for him to become the quintessential Gay Warrior