Issue(s): Iron Man annual #11 (Mrs. Arbogast story only)
Cover Date: 1990
Title: "The awesome origin of Mrs. Arbogast--"
Credits:
Carrie Barre - Writer
Steve Ditko - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker
Len Kaminski - Assistant Editor
Howard Mackie - Editor

Review/plot:
This short back-up in Iron Man annual #11 tells the origin of Mrs. Arbogast, showing how she became Tony Stark's personal assistant. Basically she was one of many candidates, most of whom were much younger than her.

And while she's waiting for her interview, a fight between Iron Man and Whirlwind breaks out.

Instead of running away, she sticks around and tries to keep the office tidy and the phones answered.

My favorite hilariously stupid scene:

After the fight, Iron Man tells her that he's going to recommend to Tony Stark that she get the job, and she does!

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Mrs. Arbogast's first appearance by publication date is in Iron Man #118. The MCP have this issue between Iron Man #116-117.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? Y

My Reprint: N/A

this one is odd just because, i don't think IM and whirlwind have any important history together. So what brought on the "black bile of vengeance"?

I imagine Tony, despite having a secret identity at this point, managed to let some of his womanizing slip within vicinity of the Wasp and Whirlwind heard about it. :D

as silly as the story is, I love the Ditko art here.

Whirlwind wasn't using the blades on his arm when Mrs. Arbogast first appeared- an easy-to-spot continuity error the editor missed.

I suspect "Taste the black bile of my vengeance!" is a takeoff of "Drink the black sperm of my vengeance!" from the 1969 film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls".

I have no idea how Whirlwind's punches could hurt IM ithout his blades. Its not like punch metal really fast would be any different from just punching metal.

You're wrong, speed does make a difference: if there's more kinetic energy in the collision between Whirlwind's fists and Iron Man's armor, they would definitely have a bigger impact. If you hit a window very slowly, it won't break, but if you hit it really fast, it might. Kinetic energy is also why even fairly small asteroid can do massive damage to Earth's surface, because they hit it with a huge speed.

Though of course the real question is, why aren't the bones in Whirlwind's fists shattered when he hits IM, since they would be affected by the increased kinetic energy too? I guess he must have limited invulnerability as a secondary superpower?

That's why I said punching metal not glass, Toumas. Duh.:-) Normal fists won't hurt metal no matter how fast he spins.

If tornados can push pencils through tree trunks, I don't think it is impossible that you could propel human flesh fast enough to dent or damage metal. As Tuomas said, the bigger problem is the damage that would/should be done to Whirlwind's body by hitting metal at the required speed.

But I think most speedsters are understood to possess some degree of invulnerability, to protect them against that sort of consequence of their powers. I'm pretty I've heard some reference to that with Northstar or Quicksilver or both.

Well, pencils and tree trunk are both made of wood, so again a poor example. When you find a pencil pushed through metal then we can talk.:-)

I agree that the damage to Whirlwind is the issue. Speedsters bodies would need to be super durable anyway. I was mostly making an offhand joke anyway. Don't need you guys to keep (poorly) trying to refute it. Fnord my get bothered and we all agreed, no arguments.

Since you guys like the apples to oranges types of examples, I'm gonna go hurl some jello at superhuman speed and see if it'll go through concrete.:-)

If you'd hurl it at a high enough speed, it most certainly would. Even a water stream would, if it has enough kinetic energy. There's absolutely no question that with the speed Marvel Universe speedsters have, their hits should be powerful enough to dent metal. But we all agree that without super-durability, they shouldn't be able to do that more than once.

Tuomas, I told you it was a joke. No need to keep trying to refute it.

If you feel like it, go hurl your head really fast against a metal wall. Then come back and tell me how you broke through it.

I'll be waiting:-)

I'm not sure when it's first established, but by the time Matt Fraction is writing the book, Mrs. Arbogast finally gets a first name. She's Bambina Teresa Bliss Arbogast, known to her friends as "Bambi."

It was at least revealed just before Heroes Reborn; a book called "Iron Man: The Legend" included a list of Stark employees, and Bambina was listed.

Whirlwind's Gladiator-like wrist-blades and Rhino-hide undergarment are inconsistent with both his previous appearance in Defenders #65 and his next appearance in Avengers #222. It's the Ditkoverse. Mrs. Arbogast could have been designed for the Ditkoverse, she's so perfect for it. Another Ditko treasure I never knew existed 'til now. Thanks.