Comic Browser:

Iron Man #8

Dec 1968

Archie Goodwin, George Tuska

Story Name:

A Duel Must End

Synopsis

Iron Man #8 synopsis by T Vernon

Rating:

Iron Man, hands injured by falling machinery and his repulsor rays useless, is locked in combat with the Gladiator who is not giving the hero any quarter….
As the Maggia strike force raids Stark Enterprises to loot it of its valuable weapons, the Big M, Whitney Frost, muses on her past: raised (as she thought) the spoiled daughter of financier Byron Frost, she discovered when Frost died that her real father was crimelord Count Nefaria, who wanted her to join the family business. She refused but her staid and respectable fiancé abandoned her when he learned of her true parentage. So she resigned herself to a life of crime and returned to her father where she was trained to be a ruthless criminal—a ruthlessness that is melting in view of her attraction to Jasper Sitwell….
Back at the hideout, Iron Man uses his flying jets to smash the Gladiator around and through a brick wall. The hero quickly frees Janice Cord and Vincent Sandhurst and carries them to safety. Meanwhile, the villain has recovered and flies the Maggia aircraft to join his comrades at the Stark plant; damage to his armor slows down Iron Man’s pursuit and he arrives just as the criminals blow open the vault door to the weapons room. But the Maggia gets a surprise: they are met by a team of SHIELD agents led by Jasper Sitwell, who knew about the plot and set a trap. Gladiator arrives to join in the ensuing battle and at a crucial moment Whitney shoots at the armored villain to save Jasper. Iron Man then show ups to take on the Gladiator. During the melee, Gladiator seizes on a hyper-volt charger to hurl at the hero but Iron Man turns the device on and the ensuing electrical discharge destroys his power gauntlets and wrist blades. SHIELD rounds up the gang but the Big M runs for the Maggia skycraft. Jasper finds he can’t bring himself to shoot her and she escapes. Tony broods over Janice Cord thinking he is a coward.

Review / Commentaries

Iron Man #8 Review by T Vernon (October 12, 2012)

Review: Another fast-paced and exciting issue from the days when comics were fun. One word of advice: if you want your daughter to join you in the family crime syndicate, start training her early, instead of having her raised as a socialite and then springing the idea on her as an adult. Less fuss that way.

Comments: Part two of a two-part story. Origin of Whitney Frost, who is not related to Emma Frost, Deacon Frost, or Frosty the Snowman. Tony is a music fan, as he quotes both “A Cockeyed Optimist” from SOUTH PACIFIC and “Break on Through” by The Doors.

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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.

Excelsioring your collection:

Marvel Iron Man MARK7 Statue ARTFX 1/6 Statue

Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

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)

Jasper Sitwell

Gladiator
(Melvin Potter)

Plus: Janice Cord, Vincent Sandhurst, Maggia, Whitney Frost.

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