Issue(s): Tales Of Suspense #42 (Iron Man story only)
Cover Date: Jun 63
Title: "Trapped by the Red Barbarian"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Plot
Robert Bernstein - Script
Don Heck - Penciler
Don Heck - Inker

Review/plot:
Don Heck drew Iron Man's first appearance, but Kirby has been handling the series since then. We're back to Heck here, and then one more Kirby, and then Heck becomes the regular artist.

Compared to the last two issues, this one is a bit mundane, with Iron Man just fighting a commie. At least he is a barbarian commie.

One thing i like about this issue is that it shows that very early on Iron Man decided to make himself invulnerable to magnetism.

So i don't want to hear any nonsense about Magneto being able to take out Iron Man in a Whoodwin.

The Red Barbarian has a master of disguise in his employ, and he introduces himself by pretending to be "Comrade K".

The commies are after a prototype Disintegrator Ray that Tony Stark has been working on.

Stark envisions it being used to wipe out large civilian cities...

...but luckily it "still has a few bugs in it" and i'm assuming it never got completed. That's real super-villain territory there.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - formative Iron Man story

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man vol. 1

I don't see much of a moral difference between the "atomic naval" cannons Tony was working on in the previous issue and the disintegrator ray this issue.

It was the fact that Tony Stark's vision including directly attacking cities full of civilians that caused me to put it in a different category. Normally you could potentially claim that his weapons could be used only for military vs. military purposes or as a deterrent, but that image shows this one destroying a major metropolis.

There really is a trend with Marvel genius characters, especially in the early issues, to come across like flat out mad scientists.

Tony's getting a touch of that here, Hank basically comes across like a fledgling super-villain a good 80% of the time, and people always point out just how inhuman and cold Reed usually is, to the point of basically just being a total dick.

It's always interesting to see just how thin the line between someone like Reed and someone like Doom can really be. Or how easily a character can cross from one side to the other.

It took until 2011, but the Red Barbarian managed to reappear in Captain America #617-619 and Winter Soldier (2012 series) #2 and #5.

Added him as a Character Appearing then. Thanks.

I placed Tales of Suspense#42-44 before the Avengers#1.

Respectfully, Bobby, there's not much point telling us where you placed a book unless you also tell us why.

And now I just saw your nice note on Spider-Man 3, and feel bad...