Iron-Man vs. Dr. Strange! No, the OTHER Dr. Strange.9

I've always been fascinated by the earliest stages of enduring comic book characters. Much like a long-running TV series, the beginning "baby steps" of now-familiar figures are often a period of growth and experimentation, before their signature cast, concepts and personalities were in full bloom. 

A good example of this awkward stage is Iron-Man's early appearances in Tales of Suspense.  While the core elements were in place from his debut in issue #39 (billionaire genius as armored adventurer), the next seven or eight issues featured fantastical settings and oddball villains that (in hindsight) seemed a poor fit for the character (click on the covers for a larger view).

It's during this period that you realize just how fluid and improvisational the nascent Marvel Universe was. The cover of Tales of Suspense #41 (May 1963) certainly drove that point home, as Iron-Man faced a supervillain named Doctor Strange...a mere two months before Strange Tales #110 hit the newsstands, featuring the debut of Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme: Doctor Strange!

On a completely unrelated note: For those of you who've already read this week's DC Universe #0, see me after the jump (MAJOR spoilers ahead)....

How about that insane final panel?

Combined with the complete spoiler picked up by the Associated Press, it appears (appears, mind you) that my old pal Barry Allen will once again be assuming room temperature.  As any long-time reader knows, I tend to blather on about Barry Allen and DC's shabby mid-80's assassination of the character, so you can imagine how happy this news makes me.  Sure...like Doubting Thomas, I still need to see more proof and where this is all going before I get too carried away (please...no "Bad Guy Barry"...they already did that with the Hal Jordan Green Lantern)...but for now, All Is Right With the World (at least until I read The Drudge Report).

Way to (literally) steal a little thunder from Marvel's Iron-Man movie, DC!

Comments

[Brian]

ll Is Right With the World (at least until I read The Drudge Report).

Mark,
Couldn't this problem be solved by not reading the Drudge Report at all? And isn't that just a good health tip more generally? (:

[Mark Engblom]

You're probably right, Brian....but Drudge has been my one-stop shop for at-a-glance news for over a decade, so I might as well keep at it. Plus, he covers the stuff the former Gatekeepers (the New York Times/TV news conglomerate) still can't quite bring themselves to cover with much gusto (or at all).

[Joe Lewallen]

I'm all for a Barry Allen Flash as long as Wally doesn't get a crappy send off like Bart Allen did. If DC can bring back Hawkman and Hal Jordan after the mess they made of both characters, they can bring back Barry. DC can bring back Barry (Yea!) on the other hand; they can kill off the New Gods in a way that makes it look like they are taking a leak on Kirby's grave. I think Jim Stalin is a pretty good writer/artist but "Death of the New Gods" smacks of the shabby treatment the JSA got in the early 90's (Zero Hour). "We don't know what to do with these characters, so lets just kill 'em off".

But DC is still ahead of the curve when it comes to respecting the characters and the stories that came before. Right now, I don't see me buying any Marvel product (except maybe World War Hulk) until they can put the whole Civil War mess behind them.

DC brought back Hal Jordan and Hawkman with class and style. I think (hope) they will do the same for Barry Allen.

[Pat Curley]

That's one significant advantage I have covering the Silver Age; for me Barry Allen is forever the Flash, late for his next date with Iris, Robin is still Dick Grayson, and Batman is not some unshaved psychopath.

[George C]

Had to love that Strange Tales cover. Where else would you find the words "invincible" and "paste-pot gun" in the same breath? (snickers at Paste-Pot Pete.) Now that I think of it, those early Iron Man and Human Torch stories both were crippled by the same malaise - LAME VILLAINS. And that's probably why Iron Man was never a first-string character. Of his earliest foes, only Crimson Dynamo and the Mandarin had any staying power.

[patrick]

Iron Man was practically flawless as a super hero flick; it drops pretty obvious hints that would indicate a sequel as well... i'm thinking the next one should be equally great