Avengers Annual 9

Avengers Annual 9
1979

The Power of Arsenal!
by Bill Mantlo, Don Newton, Jack Abel, Joe Rubinstein, John Costanza

Part 1: Today the Avengers Die!

The Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Yellow Jacket, Thor, Beast, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Vision) talk about their first fight with Arsenal in Iron Man (1968) 114. One of them, probably Iron Man but maybe it was Yellow Jacket, has built a miniature replica or the killer robot.

Iron Man (1968) 115

Iron Man (1968) 115
Oct 1978

Betrayal!
by Bill Mantlo, John Romita, Jr., Dan Green

Iron Man leaves Avengers Mansion with the comatose Unicorn and returns to Stark Industries. There he uses the memory extractor on Unicorn to learn what can about the ‘Other’ who has been controlling the Unicorn. Tony toils for a while, after which he removes his armor and heads home.

Iron Man (1968) 114

Iron Man (1968) 114
Aug 1978

The Menace of…Arsenal!
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Giffen, Bruce D. (Patterson)

The Avengers (Yellowjacket, Beast, Wonder Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Captain America) guest star in what feels like an issue of the team’s book. Iron Man has brought Unicorn to Avengers Mansion because he thinks he is dying. Yellowjacket conducts some tests on the subconscious villain. Unicorn wakes up, blasts a hole in the floor and falls through. The Avengers follow him down into their sub-basement.

A villain named Arsenal shows up and attacks the Avengers. There doesn’t seem to be any connection between Arsenal and the mysterious figure controlling the Unicorn. There is no explanation given as to where Arsenal comes from or what he is doing in the sub-basement of Avengers Mansion.

Unicorn is eventually subdued. Iron Man takes Unicorn with him back to Stark International at the end of the issue. Arsenal is more than a handful for the Avengers to deal with. He beats Shellhead’s teammates. It isn’t until Iron Man puts up some fierce resistance that he turns tail and runs. He vanishes in a flash of light. There is a note at the very end of the issue that promises that Arsenal will return soon in the pages of the Avengers. Based on my research he returns in Avengers Annual 9 (1979). He shows up again in Incredible Hulk 282 (Apr 1983) but after that nothing for at least a couple decades. Bill Mantlo wrote Avengers Annual 9 and Incredible Hulk 282.

Madame Masque shows up briefly. She goes to Tony Stark’s Manhattan penthouse apartment. There is also another glimpse at the thief at Stark Industries. Still no clue as to his ultimate goal or role in the larger story.

The regular art team is replaced by a team that will go on to draw a good portion of the Legion of Super-Heroes epic, the Great Darkness Saga, for DC Comics. Keith Giffen’s layouts aren’t exactly what they would later become but there is some similarity to his work on Legion of Superheroes.

Iron Man (1968) 113

Iron Man (1968) 113
Aug 1978

The Horn of the Unicorn!
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Pollard, Herb Trippe, Joe Rubinstein

Tony Stark invites the press in to see how he rebuilt Stark Industries. The new look of his Long Island HQ is displayed in a dazzling double page spread. Jack of Hearts leaves. This is his final appearance in Iron Man. He next shows up in a solo story in Marvel Premiere 44.

Madame Masque gives Tony a bit of the cold shoulder. She isn’t completely over him just yet but this feels like foreshadowing. Her major gripe is that he keeps running off without her, which is true. It’s hard to fault her for being angry at him for that.

Someone is sneaking around Stark Industries. He was also in the previous issue. He doesn’t have a name yet but I think I know who he is. I’m not sure that his real identity will be revealed in the last couple issues of Bill Mantlo’s run on Iron Man.

Someone else sneaks into Stark Industries and gets into a fight with Iron Man: The Unicorn. He seems to be serving someone else but that someone isn’t nearby and is only shown in shadows.

I’m not sure what they are building to here but it feels like they are building to something. I’m along for the ride through the end of Mantlo’s run on the book but that’s just two more issues.

Marvel Bullpen Bulletins
- The Beatles
- Star Lord
- Hulk Treasury Sized
- Amazing Spider-Man novel by Marv Wolfman and Len Wein

Iron Man (1968) 112

Iron Man (1968) 112
Jul 1978

Moon Wars!
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Pollard, Fred Kida

Iron Man leads the New Men or Knights of Wundagore into battle with the Rigellians. Fleet Commander Arcturus threatens Earth if the Jack of Hearts won’t help him fight the New Men. He makes good on his promise by sending the Punisher Robot through the transporter back to Earth. Iron Man follows the Punisher Robot racing madly to catch up to it.

Madame Masque uses the authority Iron Man gave her to order a missile strike on the two objects headed toward Earth, Iron Man and the Punisher Robot. The robot takes the brunt of the missile’s concussive force. Iron Man chases it back to Earth. They land in Detroit and continue the fight there.

The Jack of Hearts, the Rigellians, and the Knights of Wundagore follow Iron Man and the Punisher Robot through the portal and wind up on the Moon. Fleet Commander Arcturus tries talking the Knights into teaming up with the Rigellians to conquer the Earth. Rigellian Recorder #211 shows up and sets things right.

This Recorder had a number of appearances prior to this one, mostly in Thor. It had also appeared in Incredible Hulk and a couple Warlock comics. It's first appearance was in Thor 132 (Sep 1966) and it's next appearance (after this issue of Iron Man) was in Uncanny X-Men 137 (Sep 1980), the final chapter of the Dark Phoenix Saga. This is not the same recorder that appeared alongside Hercules in his mini-series and other appearances.

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt but I enjoyed the spectacle. I didn’t love every aspect of the art but there are some great panels of the Punisher Robot and Iron Man fighting including the cover.

Marvel Bullpen Bulletins
- Stan announces that Archie Goodwin has decided to step down as Editor-in-Chief and will be replaced by Jim Shooter
- Marvel TV announcements about past Amazing Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk specials and upcoming specials featuring Dr. Strange and the Savage Sub-Mariner (more)
- Roy Thomas, Walt Simonson, and Tony DeZuniga to start working together on Thor (see Thor 260-271)
- Nova by Marv Wolfman
- What is the correct pronunciation of Magneto?

Printed Circuits
The regular letters page includes an ad for Marvel Comics Super Special #4 featuring the Beatles. An additional letters page is a full page comic strip written and drawn by Fred Hembeck. This was at least the second time that Hembeck sent in a comic strip letter. There was mention of another one in the letters page for Iron Man 109 but only the text was printed that time around. The comic strip letter in Iron Man 112 is not included in the Marvel Unlimited or Comixology version of this issue. It has been scanned and can be found at the link below mixed in with a lot of other scans from other comic books.

Link: Cobwebs #24: Beware! It’s Assistant Editor’s Month!

Iron Man (1968) 111

Iron Man (1968) 111
Jun 1978

The Man, The Metal, and the Mayhem!
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Pollard, Fred Kida

Iron Man and Jack of Hearts get separated in the battle between the Rigellians and the Knights of Wundagore. Iron Man gets blasted out of the Rigellians command ship. He takes out one of the Rigellians cannons which earns him their ire. They blast him and he falls to the planet below.

Jack of Hearts learns the history of the Rigellian colonizers, stories previously told in Thor 134 and 218. They spend a few pages telling him about their past including their encounters with Thor. They tell him about why they chose Wundagore even though it is already populated and what they know about the beast-men (the Knights) that they are trying to subdue.

There is a brief interlude on Earth. Darkstar contacts Madame Masque and warns her that the giant egg into which Iron Man and Jack of Hearts disappeared has started to glow. Jasper Sitwell wonders how Tony Stark can sleep at a time like this. Sitwell is still oblivious to the fact that the man who he thinks is Tony is actually an LMD and that the real Tony Stark is Iron Man.

Iron Man gets the rest of the story of the Knights of Wundagore from the knights themselves. After he lands in a swamp he battles a giant insect. He surreptitiously recharges his armor as he listens to the Knights' story, about encounters with Thor and Hulk, and the High Evolutionary from Thor 135 and Tales to Astonish 94-99.

Not great but fun. I like all the history. I have never read any stories that involve the Rigellians or the Knights of Wundagore before. I was passingly familiar with both but that’s about it up until now.

Mantlo still has yet flesh out Jack of Hearts in any meaningful way. Issues like this one go a long way toward making him feel like more than just part of the scenery but I look forward hopefully to a story that is centered around Jack Hart.

The fact that the Rigellians are there to colonize the planet of Wundagore II is most likely a reflection of things that were in the public consciousness and on Bill Mantlo’s mind at that time. Jack of Hearts makes some very pointed comments to the Rigellians about their plans for colonization of Wundagore II and says that they would fit in well on Earth. I recall similar notes from Mantlo’s run on Micronauts which began publication in 1978. I discussed the first 12 issues of Micronauts (all written by Bill Mantlo) on Dave Talks Comics.

• DTC 55 - Micronauts Special Edition 1
• DTC 61 - Micronauts Special Edition 2 - 3
• DTC 69 - Micronauts Special Edition 4 - 5

Iron Man (1968) 110

Iron Man (1968) 110
May 1978

Sojourners through Space!
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Pollard, Fred Kida

Iron Man and Jack of Hearts materialize and find themselves aboard the command ship of a fleet of Rigellians. The Punisher (not Frank Castle but an Android that once belonged to Galactus and was previously seen in Fantastic 49 and 74) attacks them on behalf of the Rigellians. It subdues them sufficiently and they are taken captive.

The Rigellians technology analyzes the heroes in a double page spread. The tricks, tools, and weapons of Iron Man’s armor are revealed on one half of the spread. Jack of Hearts origin (from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu 23) is revealed on the other half.

Back on the Moon the Soviet Super Soldiers wonder what they should do as they recap the events of the previous issue. Back on Earth Madame Masque gets irritated by LMD Tony Stark. She wants the real Tony back. Jasper Sitwell, her previous lover, isn’t clued in to the fact that it isn’t the real Tony.

The Rigellian fleet is nowhere near the Earth or the Moon. The Rigellians are approaching Wundagore II. They plan to invade it and claim it for their own. Their homeworld was destroyed long ago. The Rigellians are readying their assault when the Knights of Wundagore attack. The Rigellians are caught by surprise. The damage caused by the Knights is enough to allow Iron Man and Jack of Hearts to break free.

Rigellians first appeared in Thor (1966) 131 and had only appeared in Thor up to this point. The most recent appearance of the Rigellians prior to this issue is in Thor (1966) 221 (Mar 1974). They pop up every now and then but aren't the most popular alien race in the Marvel Universe.

Iron Man (1968) 109

Iron Man (1968) 109
Apr 1978

Moonrise!
by Bill Mantlo, Carmine Infantino, Fred Kida, John Costanza, Francoise Mouly

Most of the allies of Iron Man take off now that they have been restored. Tony Stark shows up and dresses down Iron Man for doing a shoddy job of taking care of Stark Industries HQ in his absence. Madame Masque is confused until Iron Man reveals that the recently arrived Tony Stark is a Life Model Decoy (LMD).

Jack of Hearts sticks around and asks Iron Man to teach him how to be a better superhero. Shell Head agrees to tutor young Jack Hart. They are soon off on a mission to the Moon after they discover information leading them to believe that Growing Man’s appearance at Stark Industries has something to do with the Moon.

The Quinjet they use to get to the Moon crash lands after they are assaulted by a piercing noise. They exit the craft only to discover that there is a breathable atmosphere on the surface of the Moon. They also discover that they are not alone. Three Soviet superheroes (Crimson Dynamo, Darkstar, Vanguard) arrived there before them. The American heroes fight with the Soviets. Iron Man has a chip on his shoulder over the death of Janice Cord (a former girlfriend) who died at the hands of the Crimson Dynamo. It isn’t until Iron Man calms down that it is revealed that the man in the Crimson Dynamo armor isn’t the same one that killed his girlfriend.

The issue ends with Iron Man and Jack of Hearts flying into a giant mysterious egg-like object on the surface of the moon. No one (Americans or Soviets) seems to know what it is but the armored Avenger and his apprentice rush in when they spot an opening.

Carmine Infantino penciled this issue but the art looks significantly less polished to my eyes than the previous one. I assume that’s because it is inked by Fred Kida instead of Bob Wiacek. I don’t have a problem with the visual storytelling or the art in general in this issue but when compared to the art in the previous issue I think I prefer the art in 108.

The letters column includes a letter from Fred Hembeck which was sent in cartoon form but only the text of the cartoon is printed on the letters page.

Iron Man (1968) 108

Iron Man (1968) 108
Mar 1978

Growing Pains!
by Bill Mantlo, Carmine Infantino, Bob Wiacek

Iron Man Man feels helpless to restore his friends who were turned to gold by Midas. Yellow Jacket and Jack of Hearts work together in what is left of a Stark Industries lab to try and restore the statue-like friends of Shell Head while the armored Avenger battles the Growing Man. Every time Iron Man hits him he grows more. Eventually he gets so big that Iron Man is able break into his head and cause him to self destruct or something like that.

I’m surprised by how much I like the art in this issue. I’m not usually a fan of the way Carmine Infantino draws. It may be the inks by Bob Wiacek that make the diffence for me. The story isn’t great but I’m enjoying the ride. Probably the most disappointing part of this run of Iron Man is how little his supporting cast, namely Jack of Hearts and Madame Masque, are given to do.

Growing Man is a robot that was created by Kang. This is just his third appearance. His previous appearances were in Thor 140 (May 1967) and Avengers 69 (Oct 1969), alongside his creator. He also appears in Iron Man 109 but after that isn't seen again until Avengers 268 (Jun 1986)

Iron Man (1968) 107

Iron Man (1968) 107
Feb 1978

And, in the End…
by Bill Mantlo, Keith Pollard, Fred Kida

Midas turns Iron Man and his allies to gold. Jack of Hearts manages to break free and fight back. Iron Man isn’t far behind him. Only his armor was turned to gold. His armor breaks when is knocked over but Tony is able to salvage enough armor from the Iron Man clones he defeated to get back in the fight.

Marianne Rogers proves to be the decisive factor in the fight. Her past is explained in a big double page spread. She shows up looking for revenge on Tony. She tries to blast him with her mental powers. She misses and hits Midas, turning him into a vegetable.

Abe Klein dies, having been dealt a fatal blow by Midas.

The others are still gold when the issue ends. According to the letters page the next issue will be the final one in this six-part story.

Iron Man (1968) 106

Iron Man (1968) 106
Jan 1978

Then There Came a War!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, Mike Esposito

Jasper holds a gun to Madame Masque’s Head and threatens to kill her if Iron Man doesn’t do his duty and locate Tony Stark. The Wraith is the only one of the assembled heroes who knows that Iron Man is Tony Stark. Tony is torn. He thought he had finally found peace and happiness with Whitney but Jasper has reminded him that there are lots of people counting on him. In the end he takes off to find and deal with Midas. Jack of Hearts and the Guardsman fly after him. The other heroes plus Madame Masque leave Jasper Sitwell and head for Stark Industries by car.

The heroes arrive at Stark Industries Long Island HQ by land and air and a battle with the forces of Midas begins. The heroes seem to be winning the fight against Midas’ troops but then reinforcements, spare suits of Iron Man’s armor controlled by Midas, attack. Midas got help with the suits of armor from Abe Klein, one of Tony’s top scientists, whom he blackmailed into helping him. The heroes are picked off leaving Iron Man alone against the automated suits of armor.

The bottom half of the final page seems to include a preview of things to come once the Midas story has ended. Marianne Rogers arrives outside Stark Industries. She says something to herself about killing Tony in the final panel.

For the most part this was a good issue I’m not sure why there were four splash pages. I don’t think they needed that many. I wonder if it was just to drag the chapter out a little longer or maybe because it is George Tuska’s final issue of Iron Man.

Iron Man (1968) 105

Iron Man (1968) 105
Dec 1977

Every Hand Against Him!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, Mike Esposito

The issue opens with a dream sequence. Tony sees himself lying on the ground in his armor but helpless. A young version of himself tries to help. It is clear that this is Tony's dream but it isn't so clear which version of himself he thinks he is. Midas shows up in the dream and promises to look after young Tony. When he wakes up Tony is safe in his mansion with Madame Masque.

Jasper Sitwell gathers a group of people who have had some connection to Shell Head in the past. He wants them to help him locate and talk some sense into Iron Man who as far as Sitwell is concerned is not fulfilling his obligations to his employer, Tony Stark. The group includes the Jack of Hearts who is lured to the meeting by a phantom projection of Iron Man generated by the Wraith, who was last seen in a series of stories in Marvel Team-Up 48-51.

Among the faces familiar to me at the gathering are Captain Jean DeWolff of the NYPD. She is better known for appearing in Spider-Man stories which up to this point has been in issues of Marvel Team-Up. Detective Sergeant Michael O'Brien (aka the Guardsman II) is also present and in costume, but doesn't seem to have any qualms about revealing his true identity to others whom Agent Sitwell has assembled. Nick Fury also shows up but doesn't join Sitwell's group.

Unfamiliar to me are the Wraith who doesn't remove his mask but provides his real name, Brian DeWolff (brother of Captain DeWolff), and Eddie March. March describes himself in his one panel intro as an ex-prizefighter who once substituted for Iron Man (in Iron Man 21-22).

The Wraith has one more appearance in this era in Marvel Team-Up 72 (along with his sister) in which Spider-Man teams up with Iron Man to fight Whiplash. He has only shown up a handful of times since the late 1970s.

Eddie March had more appearances before this story than since. This is his ninth appearance (all in issues of Iron Man) overall. His only other appearances following this run in Iron Man is a few appearances in Iron Man in 1993-94.

Sitwell thinks that Madame Masque must be blackmailing Iron Man. That's the story he sells to the team. He withholds the fact that he knows who Madame Masque really is, his own connection to her, and his rivalry with Iron Man for her heart.

The group comes after Iron Man. They lure him. Away from Madame Masque and try confronting him.

I love the addition of all these characters. Most of them probably won't be around very long but it is fun to see Mantlo pull out some faces from the past even if I am unfamiliar with some of them.

Iron Man (1968) 104

Iron Man (1968) 104
Nov 1977

Triad!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, Mike Esposito

Iron Man and Madame Masque try to find some peace and quiet at Tony's mansion. It is one of the few things (including his personal fortune) that Midas does not now control. Whitney has a nightmare about Midas killing Iron Man. She wakes up to find that he is okay.

She levels with him and tells him that she had already figured out who he really is before he brought her to his home. The next interruption is Jasper Sitwell. He has been looking for them. He is there to arrest Whitney but he also wants Whitney back. He is ready to fight Iron Man for her. For once he is dressed not in street clothes but in a SHIELD uniform and is well armed. Whitney balks at the idea of being fought over by the two men.

There is a fair amount of flashback in this issue. All of the previous appearances of Madame Masque are briefly revisited.

Jack of Hearts makes an appearance in the first of two brief interludes on the final page. He wants to help Iron Man but isn't sure where to find him. Marianne Rogers is featured in the second interlude. She must be someone from Tony's past but I have no idea who she is and I would rather find out in the course of the story. She also showed up in a similarly brief scene at the end of Iron Man 103.

There's a lot of scene chewing in this issue and not much in the way of action. I'm okay with that. I enjoyed the showdown between Iron Man and Sitwell. The SHIELD agent still doesn't know that Tony is the one beneath the helmet of his employer's bodyguard. The opening with Madame Masque's dream involving Midas was a bit weird. I wonder why they included it. Could it be foreshadowing?

Iron Man (1968) 103

Iron Man (1968) 103
Oct 1977

Run for the Money!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, and Mike Esposito

All sorts of stuff happens!

Jasper loses Krissy Longfellow and Harry Key. Their car is grabbed by a flying fortress commanded by Midas. He was last seen in Iron Man 19 when he seemed to have been killed when his throne exploded. Harry Key reveals that he has been working for Midas all this time. Midas is displeased when he finds out that the Iron Man armor which Harry stole is fake. He punishes Harry by throwing him from a deadly height from his flying fortress.

Krissy takes off her mask and reveals her true identity to Midas: Madame Masque. He seems conflicted but says he bears no ill will towards her even though she left him for dead. He is conveniently forgetting the part where she helped Tony Stark or maybe he just doesn’t remember that part.

Iron Man flies back to the US from France via a commercial airliner. He arrives just in time to discover that Midas has engineered a takeover of Stark International. Midas has fired Stark’s security force and replaced them with his own men.

Jack Hart arrives at Stark International just in time to see Iron Man go ballistic. Jack transforms into Jack of Hearts and tries to restrain Shell Head from wrecking havoc. This just makes Iron Man, who isn’t fully aware of what has happened just yet, angrier. Iron Man cuts into Jack’s armor which holds back the “explosive force” in Jack’s body. A huge explosion occurs and Iron Man has to scramble to prevent Jack from falling to his death. The two heroes crash through Midas flying fortress and find the villain and Madame Masque. Midas reveals that she was masquerading as Krissy Longfellow. Iron Man is unsure what to do now that Midas has legal control of Stark Industries. He flies off with Madame Masque in one direction. Jack of Hearts takes off in another direction.

Other things:

• Jo Duffy makes a cameo appearance on the plane as Iron Man. They share a panel while she is getting his autograph.
• In a brief aside Jack of Hearts reveals that Tony Stark is one of the trustees of his father’s estate.
• Marianne Rogers, a woman from Tony's past, is shown being released from Milford Sanitorium.
• Jasper arrives just in time to see what’s happened and watch Shell Head and Madame Masque fly away. They are too far away for him to recognize the person with Iron Man.

Good read. Not great but I am enjoying seeing all the pieces come together. Jack of Hearts and Madame Masque will both be regulars in Iron Man for about a year.

Krissy Longfellow

Iron Man 91 - first appearance of Kristine Longfellow, Tony Stark’s new executive secretary; Tony asks her if they have met before but she doesn’t think so

Iron Man 92-96 - supporting member of the cast but no hint of her true identity or that she is anything other than Stark’s executive secretary

Iron Man 97 - captured by the Guardsman II (Michael O’Brien); first hint that she is more than she has seemed up to this point

“For a second Krissy Longfellow sits in silence, her every nerve tensed — and only when she is satisfied that she is truly alone does she rise, and with seemingly uncharacteristic determination — skillfully slips her hands free from the wire that bound them!” P. 12

Iron Man 98 - Jasper Sitwell, agent of SHIELD, not a stranger to the pages of Iron Man, recently assigned to be Tony Stark’s bodyguard, introduces himself to Ms. Longfellow. He thinks they have met before but she says he must be mistaken, after saying something to the contrary under her breath.

Sitwell was absent from the pages of Iron Man for about 50 issues and made his first appearance in over 5 years in Iron Man 96.

Iron Man 99 - a masked woman confronts an intruder (Harry Key) at Stark Industries; the woman isn’t identified except that according to her the intruder used to work for her; he doesn’t recognize her until she removes her mask; he is stunned to see her because he thought she was dead

Harry Key was a private investigator. He made appearances in Iron Man in 1976 and 1977. His first appearance was in Iron Man 88 and his last was in Iron Man 104.

Tony leaves instructions with Jasper that he and Iron Man (haha) will be gone for a while. In his absence Jasper and Krissy are in charge of Stark Industries.

As Sitwell watches Iron Man fly “off on some new dangerous mission,” Krissy asks him, “Jasper… do you ever think of anything… besides danger?”

In the letters page (Sock it to Shell-Head) a reader (David Hill of St. Petersburg, FL) asks, “Whatever happened to Jasper Sitwell and Whitney Frost?” The response from the editor, “Well, David, as of this issue you have not only Jasper Sitwell ... but also threads that are gonna lead to some other ideas you suggested. C’mon, now, you know who this issue’s shady lady is, don’t you?”

Iron Man 100

As Krissy watches the recently returned Michael O’Brien talk to Jasper she thinks to herself, “Tony left Jasper and I in charge! I — I can’t leave without arousing suspicion, yet... I must! And if he follows me, Jasper Sitwell may die!” The narrator adds, “Thus, mystery enshrouds Krissy Longfellow!”

Iron Man 101

Krissy leaves Stark Industries with Harry Key and a briefcase full of industrial secrets. She is spotted by Jasper who quickly jumps in his car and takes off after them.

In the letters column two readers (in response to Iron Man 98) insist that the person in the shadows is Madame Masque. One of them goes a step farther and says that she and Krissy Longfellow are one and the same person. Bill Mantlo refuses to comment and tells them they will just have to keep reading. All will be revealed in a couple more issues.

Iron Man 102

Jasper chases Krissy Longfellow and Harry Key. Harry seems to lose him by making a wild hairpin turn on the highway but Jasper has an ace up his sleeve. He presses a button on his car and it becomes a flying car.

Iron Man (1968) 102

Iron Man (1968) 102
Sep 1977

Dreadknight and the Daughter of Creation!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, and Mike Esposito, Pablo Marcos

Iron Man and Frankenstein’s Monster battle the Dreadknight. They are defeated and imprisoned. It is then that Iron Man meets the Daughter of Creation, who is the great granddaughter of Victor von Frankenstein and the Baroness of the castle.

She tells Iron Man about the Dreadknight: who he is and how he arrived in Castle Frankenstein. His real name is Bram Velsing. He was a Latverian scientist who was punished for talking back to his monarch, Victor von Doom. Doom punished Velsing by fusing an elaborate iron mask to his face. Velsing fled Latveria and wound up by chance at Castle Frankenstein. The baroness nursed him back to health and gave him a bat-winged black horse, which Iron Man believes once belonged to the original Black Knight, Nathan Garrett.

Unsatisfied with the hospitality he received and eager to get revenge on Doom he sought to learn the secrets of Victor von Frankenstein. The baroness refused to share those secrets. The Dreadknight responded by taking over the castle and. imprisoning his benefactor.

Iron Man and Frankenstein break free and defeat the Dreadknight. The baroness is once again restored to her proper place.

This is the first appearance of the Dreadknight. He has only had a few appearances in the 40 years since this story was published.

Jack Hart appears in one panel of this issue. He witnessed Jasper Sitwell chasing Krissy Longfellow and Harry Key in a wild car chase. He notes that they are coming from the direction of Stark Industries and decides to head that way.

Iron Man (1968) 101

Iron Man (1968) 101
Aug 1977

Then Came the Monster!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, and Mike Esposito

Iron Man steals a Chinese fighter plane and heads for home. He sets the plane on autopilot and falls asleep. The plane flies west. It is shot down over Eastern Europe. Iron man breaks free from the plane and crashes to the ground and is knocked unconscious.

He wakes up to find himself captured by a squad of gnomes and Frankenstein’s monster. He fights with the monster who associates Iron Man’s appearance with someone whom he refers to as the “other”. The “other” captured the monster’s mistress, the “daughter of creation”. The “other” shows up at the end of the chapter and blindsides Iron Man. He is the Dreadknight.

This story was a bit goofy. I'm reading it because I am reading my way through Bill Mantlo's run on Iron Man (95-115) but I can't say that I was terribly enthused about this issue. I wonder if Mantlo had a reason for having Frankenstein's monster and the Dreadknight in this story. Maybe he originally wanted to have Doctor Doom in it but the powers that be said no so he invented a new iron masked villain from Eastern Europe.

In 1977 Doctor Doom was a regular in Super Villain Team-Up so there's definitely some logic to not having him also appear in this story. It is pure speculation on my part that Bill Mantlo originally wanted Doctor Doom to appear in this story. I have no evidence other than that generated by my overactive imagination.

Iron Man (1968) 100

Iron Man (1968) 100
Jul 1977

Ten Rings to the World!
by Bill Mantlo, George Tuska, and Mike Esposito

Iron Man battles the Mandarin in Red China. The fight takes up the bulk of the issue. A couple pages are spent explaining who the Mandarin is and how he came back from the dead.

In addition to the big fight there is a brief glimpse of Krissy Longfellow and Jasper Sitwell who are at Stark Industries Long Island plant when O’Brien arrives back in the United States. There is also a glimpse of a press conference in Washington DC where one of US Senator Hawk’s assistants (who is secretly working for the Mandarin) unsuccessfully attempts to discredit Tony Stark.

This is the culmination of a story that began in Iron Man 95 when Bill Mantlo took over writing the book. I read Iron Man 95-99 a couple years ago, before I started keeping this blog. I recall enjoying those issues but I’m not going to go back and reread those issues today. I might skim them and make some notes about what Krissy Longfellow was up to for reasons that might be clearer once I get a few more issues into Bill Mantlo’s run on Iron Man.