Issue(s): Tales Of Suspense #81, Tales Of Suspense #82, Tales Of Suspense #83 (Iron Man stories only)
Cover Date: Sep-Nov 66
Title: "The return of the Titanium Man!" / "By force of arms!" / "Victory!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Jack Abel / Frank Giacoia - Inker

Review/plot:
Abel (with pseudonym Gary Michaels again) inks #81 and #83.

Tony Stark has agreed to testify to Congress about Iron Man and has secretly resolved to give up his secret ID.

The Kremlin, however, doesn't want the US army developing the ability to mass produce Iron Man suits (which makes me wonder why they aren't embarking on their own program using Crimson Dynamo or Titanium Man designs), so they send a revamped Titanium Man to attack Iron Man.

At the end of his previous appearance, the Titanium Man's greater bulk was shown to be vulnerable to Iron Man's greater speed, so this version of the armor is lighter. But they've also upgraded Boris Bullski, giving him "hormones" so that he'll be even bigger and able to wield the armor better.

The fight is a relatively lengthy three issues.

Iron Man pulls out a bunch of gadgets during the fight, including a freon canister...

...and i guess a buzzsaw.

Pepper is briefly imperiled during the battle.

Luckily the plot avoids any twists where, say, Stark is prevented from testifying or Senator Byrd suspects that the attack is a ploy on Stark's part. When it's over Iron Man is lauded as a hero and the plans for the hearing remain unchanged.

If you're a fan of Iron Man's rollerskates, you'll want to know that this issue reveals that the way he deploys them is by twisting his ear piece.

I really like Colan's Titanium Man.

The poor guy is left to drown when he tries to head back to his handlers in a submarine after losing the fight, and they abandon him.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Happy Hogan already knows Iron Man's secret ID, from Tales of Suspense #69-71, also Titanium Man's first appearance, but he's had amnesia since getting injured by Titanium Man during those issues. However, he gets his memories back here thanks to a sonic boom caused by the Iron/Titanium Man fight.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man vol. 3

Gary Michaels was a pseudonym for Jack Abel.

Sorry. I see you already mentioned that.

it's a freon test tube, not some fancy shmancy canister.

Tony does some great boasting at the beginning of this issue, explaining how his flexible armor gets stored just so in his briefcase.

remember when Pepper used to be snarky instead of one the Karen Page/Jane Foster Stepfords? she lost her personality about the same time she lost her freckles.

Hmm, I'd seen something recently on the change in Pepper's look.

Yep, here it is...
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/29/foggy-ruins-of-time-2/

Anybody catch charlie sheen from a christmas past on #82 p.2 panel 3?

The way Pepper is menaced here may have inspired Archie Goodwin to do something similar, with more tragic results, in Iron Man #22.

this story is referenced in an "unpublished tale" of IM where he fights the Bloated Bandit, which would make a fun silver age tale.

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix5/bloatedbandit.htm

On the first page of TOS #81, Stark's first name becomes Toni, for one panel only. For a supposed genius, I question what he is doing in this issue: he publicly announces that he is going to Washington (as Tony/i Stark) and then flies there as Iron Man - who is spotted to the accompaniment of press statements that both are on their way there - but only one of them will arrive and be seen at any one time, after Stark spends the first few panels worrying that he will lose his secret identity !