Comic Browser:

Iron Man #11

Mar 1969

Archie Goodwin, George Tuska

Story Name:

Unmasked

Synopsis

Iron Man #11 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Trapped beneath the neutralizer beam, Iron Man is at the mercy of the Mandarin! The villain blasts his helmet off to see—not Tony Stark but a rugged blond-haired man! This stranger mocks the Mandarin’s assumption that a seriously ill man like Tony Stark could be Iron Man, and tells the villain to turn on the television. There Tony Stark is at his cabin in the Adirondack Mountains telling reporters he will conduct a full press conference about the allegations of treason made against him when the rest of the media reps arrive. Mandarin teleports to the mountains to further his scheme of revenge, leaving the hero in the custody of his servitor Mei Ling. Iron Man plays on her psychology when he learns that she is betrothed to the villain, ridiculing him until in anger she storms out, slamming the door behind her. This causes a lamp to topple into the path of the rays, short-circuiting them. Tony removes his disguise and jets as fast as he can to the mountains, helpfully filling us in that the other Tony Stark is a Life Model Decoy (LMD) which he assembled while hiding at the Cord lab (last issue). Now he must remove the android before its power runs out….
At the cabin, the Mandarin captures “Tony,” unaware that it is a machine, and attempts to hypnotize it to do his bidding. Iron Man arrives to distract the villain from the malfunctioning LMD and a battle breaks out. Mandarin summons a trio of fighting robots but the hero makes short work of them in a battle that attracts the attention of the reporters waiting outside, who see the villain and realize that Tony Stark is the victim of a comic book scheme. Janice Cord rushes in to see if Tony is all right and is taken hostage by the Mandarin who jets upward to his escape craft which is piloted by Mei Ling. Iron Man crashes though the craft’s floor and the villain threatens to kill Janice, mocking her affection for Tony. At this, Mei Ling realizes what a monster her betrothed master is and throws herself in front to the deadly beam. Iron Man beats up his enemy but in the process wrecks the control panel. Shellhead escapes with Janice and the ship crashes into a mountain. They return to the cabin and Iron Man gets a shock: the powerless Tony Stark LMD was found in the house and, without a heartbeat, is assumed to be near death. Iron Man can only watch helplessly while “Stark” is rushed to the hospital, where his secret will be discovered.

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #11 Review by T Vernon (October 30, 2012)

Review: “If everyone knows [his secret identity], for Tony Stark and Iron Man, it may well mean…THE END!” A bit melodramatic in light of what would happen a few decades later—and in the movies—but a worrisome note to end on. One thing that struck me as I was reading this issue: Iron Man does not have a mission. Captain America is the nation’s guardian, carrying out military and spy missions for the government and battling ex-Nazis. Thor is humanity’s protector, facing supernatural and mythic threats to Earth. Iron Man…just sits in Tony’s briefcase, waiting for bad guys to threaten him or Tony Stark or Stark Enterprises. He is a reactive hero rather than a proactive one. This makes his comic a bit monotonous so far; here’s hoping things will take off soon (it’s been a few years since I read these). If it wasn’t for the Avengers, he wouldn’t seem to be much of a hero.

Comments: Part three of a three-part story.

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This comic is in the following collection:

Collecting IRON MAN (1968) #1-25, and material from TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #84-99 and IRON MAN AND THE SUB-MARINER #1.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Archie Goodwin

George Tuska

Johnny Craig

Unknown

George Tuska (Cover Penciler)
Frank Giacoia (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Art Simek.
Editor: Stan Lee.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

Mandarin

Plus: Janice Cord, Tony Stark LMD, Mei Ling.

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