Intimate Enemies

 

As an epilogue to the 1988 Armor Wars storyline in Invincible Iron Man, the sole purpose of "Intimate Enemies" by David Michelinie, Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Layton appears to be to provide closure to an ugly chapter in the life of Tony Stark, after undertaking a mission that ran roughshod over ethics and the rule of law in favor of doing what he believed to be right. A fair recap of the situation is presented when Stark is called on by his teammates in the West Coast Avengers to explain his recent actions that have seen him waging a series of unprovoked attacks--including a refusal of a call to stand down, made by one of his oldest comrades.

The "wars" end with Iron Man being hunted down by a government-sponsored bruiser named Firepower, resulting in a deception which made it appear that the rogue Iron Man had been eliminated, along with his threat--a very tidy arrangement for Stark, since he's held blameless for his former bodyguard's illegal actions and is free to design a new suit of armor for a "replacement" who will hopefully once again inspire trust in Iron Man.

As for Stark, he certainly seems to be at ease with the situation--putting the entire episode behind him and resolving to press on as Iron Man (or, as far as the public is concerned, the all-new, all-different Iron Man):

But if the following issue's cover is any indication, Stark's sleep will be anything but restful, as his subconscious mind apparently still has unresolved issues where the former Iron Man is concerned.

This Way Toward... Doom!

 

Perhaps eyeing the success of the DC horror/fantasy anthology titles House Of Secrets and House Of Mystery, Marvel launched two similarly themed books in late 1969: Tower Of Shadows and, one month later, Chamber Of Darkness. Like their DC counterparts which were published on a bimonthly basis (off and on), both Tower and Chamber hit the stands every other month--but it seems the similarity ends there in terms of sales, as Marvel's offerings sold poorly and were discontinued after ten and eight issues, respectively. Tower, premiering first, seemed somewhat better received by readers, judging by letters page response, though the ratio of raves to more critical assessments appeared to be about 30/70. There was also the question of sustainability, as both series began pulling in reprinted material from their earlier anthology titles from the '50s-'60s (Strange Tales and Tales Of Suspense) with their sixth issue.

Suffice to say that DC's House titles were in no danger of readers jumping ship for Marvel's offerings--though it wasn't for lack of trying on Marvel's part, at least initially, as some of the company's most notable talent were tapped to contribute stories. Roy Thomas, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Jim Steranko, et al. (including John Romita Sr., who mostly did cover work) were seemingly able to accommodate seven-page assignments (or less) within a two-month window (though I believe Steranko withdrew after only one story, reportedly due to a disagreement with Lee)--with some artists even pulling double duty and contributing scripts as well as art, in addition to inkers providing readers with examples of their own pencils.

After their all-too-brief runs, each title shifted to formats made up of almost entirely reprinted material, in addition to adopting new mastheads. Tower became Creatures On The Loose, which mixed its reprints with sword and sorcery tales as well as a regular feature on Man-Wolf, while Chamber morphed to Monsters On The Prowl--each book having a run of 30 to 37 bimonthly issues (the creatures pulling ahead of the monsters--make of that what you will). But since there's a little more ground to cover with both Tower and Chamber, and having already examined Jack Kirby's stories in the latter, let's turn to a few samples from some of the other names we've mentioned who made their mark in the macabre during the brief time when these two titles were being published.

The Raging Return of... Blastaar!

 

While there arguably may not be much to recommend 1969's X-Men #53, it was really the issue's more notable distinctions which drew me to pull it aside and explore it. It's fair to say that the title was in free fall at this point in time, and it seemed all the stops were being pulled out in an effort to resuscitate it (though the Hail Mary move of killing off the book's core character, Charles Xavier, appeared to only send it into more of a tailspin). In a way, you could say that Issue #53 could be regarded as the poster child for where things stood with the X-Men book. Had its villain, Blastaar, somehow prevailed in his efforts to destroy them, it wouldn't have been surprising if readers came away feeling that the book and its characters had been put out of their misery.

That said, it's interesting to take a look at this issue in a different light, as it seemed to trigger a number of changes in the book's development. Currently scripting X-Men was Arnold Drake, a writer with a number of feathers in his cap* including being the creator of DC's Deadman (with Carmine Infantino) and Doom Patrol (with Bob Haney co-scripting), while at Marvel he and artist Gene Colan created the Guardians of the Galaxy. In addition, Roy Thomas would come aboard two issues later, to be eventually joined by artist Neal Adams and provide the book with some of its most acclaimed issues, giving new meaning to the phrase "there's nowhere to go but up."

*Having strong overtones of Jack Kirby's writing style, this issue of X-Men may not give you the best impression of Drake's work, a resume which includes a distinguished history in comics as well as what he brought to the table in terms of character development.

As for the issue's artist, Barry Smith, he produces his first work under the Marvel banner here, himself imitating Kirby (which reportedly secured him the job as well as further work for the company)--a style he would continue soon after in a three-part Avengers tale scripted by Thomas (with Sal Buscema taking over in Part 3).

One more piece of trivia is added nearly twenty years later, when this issue would be recycled as part of a grab bag of comics intended to be distributed as Halloween treats:

(With a nod to @Benkeisermusic for showing us the size of this "mini-comic"--6.25" x 4.25")

The mini-version also featured a Thing-themed maze, as well as a team pin-up by Jim Steranko from issue #49.

As the cover of the story makes obvious, the team is fated to go up against Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst, who has found himself unceremoniously returned to the Negative Zone after a failed attempt to enforce his will on our world. As you might imagine, Blastaar is not at all happy to have been deprived of a target like Earth.

Meanwhile, the X-Men's remaining member with mental powers, Marvel Girl, is about to conduct an experiment designed by Professor X to transmute matter into radio waves which could be sent into space. Good grief, Xavier, so this is what you did in your spare time?

So what have we got: A power-mad alien bent on finding a way to transmute his matter in order to safely return himself to Earth... and an untried experiment where nobody in the X-Men can predict what will happen when Jean Grey flips the "on" switch. What could go wrong??

 

Beware The Power Of... The Ultimate Ultron!

THE STORY SO FAR:

• The Vision goes missing (apparently)!
• A cylinder of the new, impenetrable metal called adamantium has been stolen (definitely)!
• Iron Man is injured when an Avengers training session is sabotaged (shockingly)!
• The Vision returns and admits to the theft, the sabotage, and attacking the Wasp (collectively)!
• Ultron-6, returned to inhuman life by the Vision, crashes into Avengers Mansion and attacks (destructively)!
• Because Ultron is now made of adamantium, the Avengers are helpless to stop him (regrettably)!
• The Vision discovers his actions are the result of a mental command infused by Ultron at the time of his creation (surprisingly)!
• At his former base on the lower east side of Manhattan, Ultron prepares to detonate nuclear devices which will destroy New York City (horrifically)!

But now, as the power of the metal monster's equipment builds to deadly release, there is one Avenger who may yet turn the tide against him--his own creation, who seeks to atone for the horror he has unleashed this day.

Yet as we wrap up Part 2 of this story and segue to Part 3, it's fair to wonder: Will the Vision and the rest of the Avengers, not to mention the population of an entire city, survive the mad revenge of Ultron-6?

By The Vision Betrayed!

OR: "Mr. Smith Goes To Outer Space!"


Sandwiched between the new Goliath's conflict with the Swordsman and a looming threat from Kang the Conqueror was a three-part Avengers tale from 1969 which would bring two of Marvel's newest pencillers to the pages of the book--UK artist Barry Smith and Sal Buscema, each of whom would make their mark on The Avengers and would go on to establish distinguished careers for themselves. The story by Roy Thomas would also feature the first appearance of the impenetrable metal named adamantium, as well as the reappearance of a mad automaton that would be one's worst nightmare as far as being cast in such a metal--Ultron-6, who becomes so invincible from this point on that he decides to discard his numerical designation (at least this time around).

And as for proof of the potential threat of adamantium as a weapon, we need only step aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, where the most powerful Avengers have been requested to test its resistance.

Strange words coming from Henry Pym, who was one of the Vision's most vocal advocates when the android petitioned to join the Avengers; in addition to that offhand comment, we'd see in later scenes that he now feels the Vision was accepted into the team too quickly, even going so far as to worry about the threat he would pose should he turn against them. It's all presumably Thomas's way of setting the stage for what's to come, though it seems an odd leap for Pym not to give the Vision the benefit of the doubt. (You can be concerned about the behavior of someone without suspecting the worst of them.) Also seemingly intentional was Thor's throwaway remark here that the adamantium cylinder would never be anything but a cylinder--even when we're presented with a device which is capable of altering its shape and form, a statement which would otherwise prompt a concern of that device becoming an invaluable piece of equipment in the wrong hands.

On another note, Smith's first job on The Avengers (inked by Syd Shores) looks to be first-rate thus far, and there's more to come--but it's artist John Buscema's dramatic cover for this issue which lets us know that, where the Vision is concerned, the situation concerning his behavior, and perhaps his loyalty, is about to escalate.

(So one of the floors of Avengers Mansion stops short and looks out over--what, a pit? And deep enough to hold Goliath? What kind of parties did the Starks throw in this place before the Avengers moved in?)

"Your Serve... er, Move, Daredevil!"

Having put together a special series on symbolic splash pages featured in Marvel's major team books as well as in Amazing Spider-Man, the PPC now moves briefly to highlighting some noteworthy efforts made in a random sampling of other titles from over the years which came to mind, some of which may ring a bell for you.

Leading us off are a number of pages from Daredevil, which I lingered on for some time considering their diversity in both style and artists and spanned a range of years from 1964 to 1971. (Perhaps even longer, but DD is monopolizing this subject as it is!) Bill Everett Jack Kirby is who we have to thank for paving the way for us (correction courtesy of Dave Plunkert--thanks, Dave!):

Joe Orlando, whose work began appearing in the industry in 1949, would follow up on the title with the next three issues (though you'll find much of his work for Marvel appearing in titles published in the mid- to late-'50s, in categories ranging from westerns, romance, war stories, sci-fi and mystery). His final work was published in 1997, a year before his death at 71.

Wally Wood, whose work Stan Lee made efforts to spotlight, makes his own SSP contribution (working off artist Bob Powell's layout) in a story from 1965 which he also scripted:

Ross Andru and Herb Trimpe unintentionally provide dueling SSPs featuring Ant-Man, with Andru providing more variety in terms of what awaits us within the story:

While John Romita and Gene Colan line up their versions of face-offs between DD and Spider-Man.  Writer Gerry Conway's "sports fan" caption turns out to be appropriate, since Mr. Colan seems to have Spidey trying to capture DD with a tennis court net.

(Maybe that second title should start off with "...And So Re-enters"?)

The mask and form of Daredevil lend themselves nicely to the SSP format, as Colan demonstrates in his other efforts with the character.

Over in Amazing Adventures, where the Black Widow is splitting the mag with the Inhumans, John Buscema appeals to the action lover with imagery suggesting that the Widow's new series is the one to watch--while Colan takes a more intriguing approach.

Later in that same title, Craig Russell is well-suited to the characters and concepts we'll find in stories adapted from H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds.

While Colan, Gil Kane, and Jim Starlin show us what they bring to the table for Captain Marvel, old and new...

...as well as for Warlock (with Steve Leialoha working off of Starlin's layout).

Dr. Strange is also well-represented, both solo and as part of the Defenders. Here we see work by Andru, Colan, Barry Smith, and Sal Buscema.

Howard Purcell, whose work for Marvel was limited to backup stories featuring the Watcher and two Nick Fury stories in Strange Tales, turns in this splendid SSP for the Black Knight's appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes.

Finally, Andru takes us out with the opening page to Marvel Team-Up #1, which features the rare display of Spider-Man in battle while poised on his own spider's web.

(Frankly these two don't seem very interested in fighting the Sandman.)

COMING UP:

One more SSP for the road... to Transylvania, that is.

The Future Is Now: The Iron Man of 2020

Having seen a number of grim future scenarios portrayed in Marvel's line of comics, which we eventually caught up to in real time and passed without incident, it seems fitting to take a look at what the company once had to say about the year 2020, the year in which we now find ourselves. Such a story was published in mid-1994, nearly twenty-five years before the ball would drop on 2020--and once again, there wasn't really a silver lining to be found in our future, no idealistic prognostication of mankind having finally gotten its act together and resolved to build a better world and a brighter future for itself. On the contrary, there was only the stark realism of the same-old same-old--while the only thing that had improved, for what it was worth, was our technology.

And speaking of "stark," we discover that a certain industrial conglomerate has survived to claim a place in that world--but neither the company nor its chief executive is thriving.

Meet Arno Stark, who in taking on the mantle of Iron Man has tarnished the golden Avenger's legacy. Instead of living an altruistic life, Stark instead uses the armor as a mercenary, hiring out his services as Iron Man to equally ruthless business leaders like Sunset Bain (CEO of Baintronics) while having established for himself a reputation as someone who has no compunction against committing corporate espionage in order to cripple his competitors for his own company's gain.

When we first meet Stark, a character who appears in the 1984 Machine Man limited series based in 2020, that amoral man fits all too well in the corporate cutthroat environment where Bain et al. are looking for any edge to prevail against their competitors. The plot revolves around Machine Man, whose remains have been found and reassembled by a group of technology raiders calling themselves the Wreckers--whom he then joins forces with against Bain (who subsequently hires Iron Man to take out Machine Man).

Stark of course believes what he's saying about the fate of Iron Man, though the truth would only be revealed to the reader in the later '94 story--but more on that in a moment.