What's happening? A running theme is developing here. The first few pages of Iron Man-centric issues of Tales of Suspense involve building up Tony Stark in three ways. 1. He's awesome at inventing things. Like mortar shells shrunk to the size of regular bullets that can be fired super fast. I assume this is done with transistors. 2. He's really, really good looking. I mean, women basically beg him to marry them. Constantly. 3. He's Iron Man, fighter of evil.After that obligatory (usually two-page) intro, we get into the meat and bones of the story, which pits Tony against none other than Dr. Strange. This is not the Sorcerer Supreme, but rather some run-of-the-mill, 1960s villain. Strange is pretty clever and uses common electronics to create an electric device that can control Iron Man. He uses Tony to break his ass out of jail and then sets about threatening the world so he can create a utopia for his daughter, in an effort to make up for being a bad dad. Tony saves the day, but Strange escapes, leaving his daughter in the arms of Iron Man.
ETC: In the early pages, Iron Man shows off his skills at being a transistor-powered, invincible badass by doing a presentation for the sick and dying kids of some random hospital. He uses magnets to spin seven cars in a circle (real safe around a bunch of kids, but eh.... they're dying anyway, right?). He also catches a cannonball shot directly at his chest, crushes it and then hands the crushed bits to the sick kids for keepsakes. You know what would be a better keepsake, Iron Man? The cure for my disease. Thanks.
MVP: Dr. Strange's daughter, Carla, who not only overcomes her father's obvious sexism (he brags at one point that should he take over the world, Carla would have her pick of all the kings and billionaires in the world, because that's just what a woman would do with the keys to the kingdom: force a rich man to settle down with her), but she actually saves the day. When Strange manages to drain all the electricity from Iron Man's suit, only a simple spark could save Tony, but there is no more energy on the island! Luckily, Carla tosses Tony a flashlight with a pair of D batteries and the world is saved.
MIA: The ACTUAL Dr. Strange. When I saw the splash page with the title "In the Stronghold of Dr. Strange" I thought I was in for a sweet Science vs. Magic battle and then the pair of mustached, rich guys could go out for a drink. But no, instead, I get stuck with an inmate with poor parenting skills, a sense of fashion like the Vanisher and a penchant for flinging his cape around like Vlad Dracul.
WTF: I wrote earlier than Dr. Strange used some shit he tossed together to control Iron Man to engineer his escape. He did this NOT by controlling the suit Tony was in, but the electric impulses in his brain. I am no genius in any of the fields featured in this book (particularly, transistors) but couldn't you have controlled the brain waves of the guard in charge of your cell? And then maybe controlled the brains of rich people to give you money? Instead, Strange sets up some elaborate ransom scheme with S-bombs and ... I dunno. Look, HE HAD A MIND CONTROL DEVICE, don't over-think this shit, Strange.
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