When Iron Man's red/gold armor was first revealed, we got a brief run-down on its make-up and improvements over his all-golden armor. But, seven months later, we'd find out a little more about how Tony Stark slips in and out of his armor, thanks to his attaché case which housed all of its components (with the exception of his chest device). But it's his armor itself that holds a good deal more. For instance, I didn't realize that his belt carried most of those nifty devices which he seems to pull out of a hat whenever he's in a jam and needs a specialized tool:
Also, Stark was always talking about how lightweight his armor is, despite it being "the strongest armor known to man." Lightweight, that is, until your life depends on reaching an electrical socket:
Of course, such life-and-death scenes wouldn't be necessary if Stark just provided his armor with a built-in generator. What's that, you say? Iron Man's armor has a built-in generator?
Well, maybe in the early days, bub. You can't have your hero in dire straits with something like a built-in generator coming online and saving the day with the flick of a switch.
And look, Iron Man even took a leaf from Captain America's book:
And lightweight chain-mail, too! No wonder those air jets in his boots could lift the guy into flight.
I bet you've also been wondering about those old hip pods he used to wear. Would you believe storage space for radio equipment?
Gosh, I always thought they were power-pods:
I guess they took the place of that built-in generator. I think they're cooler-looking, too.
And you can probably guess that those knobs on his pecs control his "variable power spotlight." Of course, in Iron Man's case, "variable" means pretty much any kind of beam the writer wants to give Shellhead in order to get him out of a jam:
So, to recap:
Wow--first-aid equipment, as well. Jeez, this guy's got everything. And knowing Stark in those days, he's probably got a bottle opener stashed in their somewhere, too.
5 comments:
Any room for a corkscrew in that armor?
And now for a more pleasant topic.
In the silver age of Marvel comics, especially in annuals or king-sized books, I loved how the creators dedicated a couple pages to the ins-and-outs of a superhero's powers and their HQ. Even if the science was far-fetched, it was still cool to learn how Spidey's mask worked or how strong a hero like Giant Man was or what was inside the Baxter Building. Stuff like that was a treat to feed the minds of young readers.
Dunno if modern comics do that anymore. Last time I saw stuff like that was in Wizard Magazine. Would be cool to see comics do that again.
Then again, I still long for either company to get back into Hostess snack ads too. I'm easily entertained. ;P
Adam, yes, those segments were great, weren't they? In fact, I really ought to start an "All about..." tag (or something appropriately worded) for all the posts here that include those great segments on the details of our heroes' powers, headquarters, and other such "fun facts" that are shared with readers through the fourth wall. (Now I just have to go back and track them all down!)
I remember the built-in generator. I think Stan did away with it pretty early on, as it would tend to eliminate Tony's biggest plot point in Tales of Suspense, viz. his power running out & his dicky heart. Besides, a generator has to run on something! Coal? Oil? Trained hamsters? An itty-bitty nuclear reactor?
Gecho, all good points!
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