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Iron Man #2

Jun 1968

Archie Goodwin, Johnny Craig

Story Name:

The Day of the Demolisher

Synopsis

Iron Man #2 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Industrialist Drexel Cord is obsessed with destroying Tony Stark, his more successful rival. While his concerned daughter Janice tries to calm him, Cord reveals his scheme to overcome his enemy by vanquishing his celebrated bodyguard Iron Man. To this end he has created a massive robot called the Demolisher, which has been specially programmed to combat and annihilate the Armored Avenger. Cord activates his creation and watches via viewscreen as the robot tracks Tony to his yacht where he is on a pleasure cruise. The Demolisher swoops down out of the sky at Tony who ducks then dashes below to change into Iron Man. Suited up he meets his opponent in the air….
Meanwhile, Janice Cord has gone to Stark Enterprises and explained the situation to SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell. Jasper swings into action, driving her back to her father’s lab….
As the two antagonists clash in mid-air, Iron Man quickly discovers that the Demolisher is much stronger and more agile than he had expected and is armed with deadly lasers. The hero flies straight down into the ocean to try to knock his foe out of the death grip but it fails. Iron Man then plays dead and, following its orders, the Demolisher takes him back to its creator for the coup-de-grace. Meanwhile, Jasper and Janice have arrived at Cord’s medieval castle (!) and the intrepid agent confronts the mad scientist. Cord destroys the Demolisher’s controls leaving it to follow its original programming. The fiendish robot arrives with its victim and slams Iron Man around. Janice rushes to his aid—and that’s when Cord discovers that destroying the robot’s controls damaged its programming: the monster is now attacking everyone in its way. Jasper’s SHIELD-supplied explosives are useless. While Iron Man shields Janice with his body, Cord attacks the creature to draw it away from his daughter. The robot turns on its creator, blasting him with a force beam, giving Iron Man the opportunity to rip the control panel from its back and fire his repulsor rays at point-blank range, causing it to implode. The dying Drexel Cord expresses regret for his obsession and thanks Iron Man for his compassion and courage. Jasper escorts Janice home, while Tony can’t help but feel guilty over driving his rival to such an end….

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #2 Review by T Vernon (August 28, 2012)

Review: What a major comedown! First there’s the terrible story straight out of a stock 1950s monster movie: a clichéd mad scientist, ranting and raving, his generic robot soon turning against him, and his one-dimensional daughter shrieking and disapproving. Something’s wrong when Jasper Sitwell is the most interesting character in the issue. The real shocker is the art. Johnny Craig was one of EC’s leading lights but here his cartoonish style matches the silly story, with the clunky misshapen robot (see that cover? It doesn’t get any better inside) an embarrassment. This is the same guy who did the classic “Touch and Go” for EC (CRIME SUSPENSTORIES #17, 1953)? We can only hope he was expressing his true opinion of the script.

Comments: First appearance of Janice Cord. Only appearance of Drexel Cord and the Demolisher. Jasper Sitwell is just returning from the events of AVENGERS #52. And a footnote claims Iron Man appeared in TALES OF SUSPENSE #100, which does not exist—IRON MAN AND SUB-MARINER #1 was meant.

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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

Johnny Craig

Unknown

Johnny Craig (Cover Penciler)
Johnny Craig (Cover Inker)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Gaspar Saladino.
Editor: Stan Lee.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Iron Man
(Anthony Stark)

Jasper Sitwell

Plus: Janice Cord, Demolisher, Drexel Cord.

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