Issue(s): Tales Of Suspense #43
Cover Date: Jul 63
Title: "Iron Man versus Kala, Queen of the Netherworld!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Plot
Robert Bernstein - Script
Jack Kirby -Penciler
Don Heck - Inker

Review/plot: In the Marvel Universe, the planet Earth's center must look like Swiss cheese. We've already met the Mole Man and his underground kingdom, and Tyrannus and his underground kingdom, and here is Kala and her underground kingdom.

Kala's kingdom is said to be the remnants of Atlantis. There's no attempt to tie this in with the Sub-Mariner's version, although granted Tony Stark's glib "Very interesting, but..." doesn't leave much room for exploration.

I also wanted to say: I wish Tony Stark would wear some clothes under his Iron Man armor. It looks so bizarre when he is changing and he is naked except for some Iron Shorts.

Kala's people can't find a way to the surface so they use some sort of technology to kidnap Stark to make him build weapons that will let them dig their way out. It's oddly inconsistent, though. They make two attempts before grabbing Stark, and those people are simply teleported away. Those were in error, and eventually they grab Stark, except he isn't teleported; he is encased in some sort of crystal globe and dragged down to the bottom. Oh well.

When Stark gets to the bottom he immediately figures out that the problem is that there is a woman in charge, so he starts buddying up with Baxu, the male head of the army.

In the meantime, he is locked up alone in a room full of equipment and supplies, unsupervised, and told to make weapons. Just like in TOS #39. Hey, bad guys, here's an idea! When you capture the brilliant weapons manufacturer and put him in a room to make weapons, keep an eye on him!

Stark wasn't wearing his Iron Man armor at the time (Words you should never say: "Since there's little chance of another crisis arising right after that one, I'll leave my costume behind!")...

...so he just goes ahead and builds himself another Iron Man suit, and then goes out and whups some highly advanced underground kingdom butt. Iron Man's weapon arsenal at this time is still not integrated with his armor - he keeps pulling out extra gadgets to do all his tricks.

In the end, though, he defeats Kala by flying her to the surface, where the differences in the air composition make her ugly and old.

That's how you defeat a woman. He flies her back down to where she is beautiful and puts Baxu in charge.

Then he goes out to a cocktail party to pick up some ladies! Damn right, Tony Stark!

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Kala

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Collector's Item Classics #6

Here is the great mystery of Tony Stark in the Silver Age:

How come all them fine ladies never notice he's wearing this big, cumbersome chest plate that looks exactly like Iron Man's? You would think that would be awkward to explain when someone hugs you, slow dances with you, or wants to take your shirt off.

Or maybe all the chicks he's with are drunk out of their minds and don't remember anything the next day.

"I'm an industrialist, ladies. It's how i roll."

Kala's people were so advanced they could make a dome that allowed them to survive sinking to the bottom of the ocean, but not advanced enough to come up with an evacuation plan?

Some very shaky science and some very goofy Iron Man gadgets. I find it funny that Stark is on a first name basis with his security guard but a last name basis with his scientist. Kirby loves outrageous headgear (Kala, Queen of Netherworld & Baxu). I am waffling between 2 and 3 stars, but I guess I'm in a bad mood and will go with 2.

here's a pretty cool blog that discusses integrating the Timely issues into the silver age stories. For example, a captain america story from 1942 that has sub-earth men similar to these. http://www.comicbox.com/index.php/articles/oldies-but-goodies-captain-america-comics-17-1942/

A really in depth blog for the timely golden age stories. BTW, it's in French.

"How come all them fine ladies never notice he's wearing this big, cumbersome chest plate that looks exactly like Iron Man's?"

"I've had so much kinky sex with so many hot women over the years, it all just bores me now. This is the only way I can get off anymore!

But if you think THIS is bad, you should see what Donald Trump does in the bedroom!"

Actually, multiple issues indicated the armor he wore was "collapsible" (per the panel in this issue) or soft or loose until he assembled the entire armor to make it hard (I think polarized might have been one word they used). It is somewhat inconsistent, but they do address it in a handwave kind of way.

The armor was collapsible but he still had to wear the chestplate at all times at this point. So even it was "non-polarized" it would still prevent him from taking his shirt off in front of company.

That first scan is from Tales of Suspense #42.

Thanks, Robert. One of the weirder scan mistakes i've made.

I think the main reason why Kala probably was able to get away with being created at this point is that there really isn't any real rules of the "unified universe" at this point that would allow for better explanation as to why she is there when the Mole Man and Tyrannus are probably nearby neighbors. (or why she would come from Atlantis when...yeah, Namor) The early days of Marvel prior to the attempts to better unify everything (obviously pre-Avengers) is just a weird period with the belief they were all separated even when you already have the F4 encountered the Hulk.

It was stated somewhere that when the original continent of Atlantis sank the capital city descended intact deep beneath the Earth and that was how Kala's city got there.