Jack of Hearts 4

Jack of Hearts 4
Apr 1984

Heart Attack
By Bill Mantlo, George Freeman, Eduardo Barreto, Hilary Barta

Jack discovers that Marcy is also aboard the spaceship that is headed for the sun. Commander Vargas has a change of heart after he learns that Spy placed Kaina aboard the ship with Jack. He is about to go after them when Spy attacks him. Vargas is badly injured but takes off anyway.

Vargas’ small spacecraft catches up to the one that Jack and Marcy are aboard. Jack places Marcy aboard the ship in which Vargas arrived. He sends her back to Contraxia. He and Vargas stay on board the sun-bound vessel. Vargas is killed by the extreme heat. Jack survives, rejuvenates the sun, and then returns to Contraxia.

Jack of Hearts 3

Jack of Hearts 3
Mar 1984

Heartbreak!
By Bill Mantlo, George Freeman

Jack, Marcy, Vargas and his followers arrive on Contraxia. Jack is overwhelmed by his mother’s homeworld. He agrees to do what he can to help save Contraxia’s sun. They run all sorts of tests on him but they can’t figure out how to siphon energy from him. The Contraxian sun priestesses and their scientists are ready to throw in the towel and accept defeat. They suggest that maybe he could save the sun himself but he might be killed in the process. They don’t pressure him to do it but he accepts the risk and agrees to give it a try.

Marvel Two-in-One 48

Marvel Two-in-One 48
Featuring The Thing and Jack of Hearts
Feb 1979

My Master, Machinesmith!
By Bill Mantlo, Chic Stone, Tax Blaisdell

Jack of Hearts gets lured to a ship on Pier 9. The Machinesmith’s robots attack. They are just the appetizer. The main course is the Thing who is being mentally controlled by Machinesmith. The fight ends once Jack of Hearts blasts the Thing after he figures that the Thing must also be a robot.

Marvel Team-Up 134

Marvel Team-Up 134
Oct 1983

The Boy’s Night Out
By Bill Mantlo, Ron Frenz, Mike Esposito

The Jack of Hearts narrates as he breaks free from his SHIELD minders and heads to Empire State University. He is looking for Marcy Kane, an old flame of his, and an acquaintance of Peter Parker. Jack crosses paths with Peter but the encounter is a brief one.

Jack’s SHIELD minders track him and do their best to apprehend him. Spider-Man helps Jack fight off his would-be captors until he discovers who they are. Jack ultimately decides to return home and allow to SHIELD to keep him there.

Jack of Hearts 2

Jack of Hearts 2
Feb 1984

Heart to Heart
By Bill Mantlo, George Freeman

Jack is free but pursued by those who were his keepers (SHIELD) and by aliens who seek to capture him. Jack understands SHIELD’s motivations and Marcy explains to him who the aliens are and why they are after him. They are from Contraxia, the same planet that Jack’s mother and Marcy Kane came from. Marcy reveals her true appearance and her origin and then proceeds to tell Jack, with the help of some Contraxian technology, all about her home world.

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.

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.

Marvel Premiere 44

Marvel Premiere 44
Oct 1978

Jack of Hearts!
by Bill Mantlo, Kieth Giffen, Rudy Nebres

Jack of Hearts battles Hemlock, an assassin hired by the Corporation.

Jack returns to his father’s mansion in Connecticut. Agent Martins of SHIELD who is also Jack’s butler and looks a little like Alfred Pennyworth (with a full head of hair), hand delivers a note to Jack. It is from Hemlock, an assassin hired by the Corporation, the organization that sent the thugs who killed his father.

Jack heads to Ithaca, NY where he finds Hemlock and some of his goons waiting for him. Hemlock has been hired to kill Jack. He also wants the secret of Zero Fluid. It was invented by Jack’s father. Jack was accidentally bathed in Zero Fluid while trying to escape his father’s killers. It is the source of his powers which are now so volatile that he has to wear a protective suit to keep him from injuring others. At the mansion in Connecticut he regularly bathes in a neuro-mist which dampens his powers.

There is a brief recap of Jack’s encounters with White Tiger (Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu 23), Hulk (Hulk 214, 215), Iron Man (Iron Man 103-113). I own some of the Iron Man issues, 103-107 and 112. I should really take another step back and read the Iron Man issues. I’m pretty sure that they are all available on Marvel Comics Unlimited. From the way this story begins it sounds like the events of those issues lead into Jack’s situation at the beginning of this story which is more or less the same as his situation at the beginning of the 1984 mini-series.

Agent Martins is a recurring character in Jack of Hearts stories. This is his first appearance. He doesn't have very many more. His last one is during the Jack of Hearts (1984) limited series.

Giffen and Nebres do a very nice job with the art. It looks different from Giffen’s work a few years later on Legion of Super-Heroes. There are a few modified 9-panel grid pages which aren’t quite the same but are similar to some of the panel arrangements that Giffen used during his work on Legion of Super-Heroes.

First Class Mail, the Marvel Premiere letters page, is given over to a text piece by Bill Mantlo titled Dealing from the Top of the Deck. He explains the status of the Jack of Hearts and encourages fans to write in if they want Jack of Hearts to get his own book. There is also a character sheet drawn by Dave Cockrum which as the text accompanying it explains is now the definitive look for Jack of Hearts.

Jack of Hearts 1

Jack of Hearts 1
Jan 1984

Murmur of the Heart..!
By Bill Mantlo, George Evans

Jack of Hearts’ life seems to be spinning out of control. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, but might relate back to the events in Marvel Team-Up 134, he feels as though he is a danger to others. After unsuccessfully attempting to kill himself he lets SHIELD place him in a protective chamber (in his parents’ mansion) which is saturated with chemicals to keep his powers from flaring up.

Jack’s background leading up to this point is explained and explored. His parents are dead. The source of his powers is Zero Fluid, which Jack's father invented. Jack was accidentally bathed in Zero Fluid years ago. He has a bit of a history in the Marvel Universe. He has had encounters with White Tiger, Hulk, Iron Man, and (just before this mini-series) Spider-Man.

There are three supporting characters in this chapter: Agent Martins of SHIELD; Mr. Smythe, executor Jack’s father’s estate; and Marcy Kane, Jack’s former girlfriend who believes she can help Jack overcome the problems he has with his powers.

Martins is a scientist, a biochemist who treats Jack as a dangerous object. His approach to Jack seems very impersonal. Smythe's main concern is Philip Hart’s estate and the mental competence of Jack. Considering that he just attempted to kill himself, Smythe has his doubts about Jack’s mental health. Marcy is the only one of the three who seems to care about Jack. I know that she was a supporting character in Spectacular Spider-Man for a time and also appeared in Marvel Team-Up 134 but I don’t know anything else about her other than the fact that she and Jack were once romantically involved. She seems to feel that Jack’s powers could be of great use to humanity.

The chapter ends with flying saucers showing up. They seem to want to capture Jack. Agent Martins doesn’t want to let Jack out of the protective chamber but Marcy defies Martins’ orders and frees Jack. He fights off the UFOs and then flies off with Marcy.

This is great stuff. It holds up very well in my opinion. I love both the words and the pictures. Evans does a great job laying out the story, both in terms of panel arrangements and the way he fills in the panels. There is a fair amount of text but it doesn’t feel superfluous. I can see some people not digging the art as much as me, at least for the way Evans draws some facial expressions.

...

It occurred to me as I started reading this issue that I may not be starting at the right place. Maybe I should have started by reading Marvel Team-Up 134 which is an introduction of sorts to this mini-series. I own it. I’ve read it but unlike this mini-series I didn’t discover it until maybe 30 years after it was published.

Maybe I should have started with the earliest appearances of Jack of Hearts. I own a few of those but certainly not all of them. I’m not sure that they are all available on Marvel Unlimited. There’s some logic to starting with his earliest appearances and working my way forward. It would give me the chance to track the evolution of the character.

I started here because I have such fond memories of reading this story when it was first published and numerous times since. It is one of those little gems that I enjoy revisiting from my childhood. It is made that much more precious by the fact that it has never been reprinted and is not available in digital format.