Iron Man is flying around New York,
testing his new lighter helmet when he gets an urgent call from
Pepper Potts. Immediately he heads into the secret entrance to the
hidden tunnel and jet-skates his way back to the office, where he
changes into Tony Stark. Pepper tells him he is wanted at the
Pentagon at once, and he insists on going alone, and he sends Happy
Hogan on an inspection tour of his factories over the hulking
chauffeur’s objections. Tony then switches to Iron Man and flies
and skates his way to Washington. There, he meets with high-ranking
military officials as Tony and learns that his remote-controlled
missiles being used in Vietnam have all either crashed or
disappeared. He promises to investigate personally. Shortly
thereafter, an ICBM is launched with an unsuspected rider on the
outside and soon Tony is at a missile base in the East where he
discovers that all the downed rockets have been pulled to Earth by a
force beam coming from the vicinity of the Mandarin’s castle. As
Tony he drives out to meet with his old enemy and is captured by the
guards. Their attempt to open the briefcase containing his armor only
releases a knockout gas, so Iron Man is able to enter the castle to
face the villain. A duel breaks out as the Mandarin uses his power
rings, electrical charges, karate, a huge sword, and miniature
rockets against the Armored Avenger but Iron Man defends himself
against them easily. But the Mandarin’s next attack succeeds: a
black light ring beam plunges the hero into total darkness while
magnetized steel cables ensnare him and hold him fast. As he
discovers that his power is too low for him to snap the cables, Iron
Man realizes that this may be the end. He will never see Happy and
Pepper (surely he must know some other people…?) again and he is
determined to show the Mandarin how an American faces death….
“Secret Mission”
Writer: Unknown.
Synopsis: A
government agent tracks down and defeats a mad scientist threatening the world
with a sonic ray—but it’s all the dream of a meek (and bored) bookkeeper!
“Skrang Strikes
Tonight!”
Writer: Larry
Lieber. Plot: Stan Lee. Pencils: Larry Lieber. Inks: Dick Ayers. Colors: ?
Letters: Artie Simek.
Synopsis: An alien
invader lands on Earth with plans of conquest but the sight of an old lady
causes him to panic and flee for home. Skrang’s planet is dominated by the
Fox-People and the sight of the old lady’s fox collar convinced him that the
human race is much too powerful to challenge!
“Hands Off!”
Writer: Larry
Lieber. Plot: Stan Lee. Pencils: Larry Lieber. Inks: Chic Stone. Colors: ?
Letters: Artie Simek.
Synopsis: Uatu
observes a planet send a load of radioactive waste into space; as it drifts
toward a cluster of inhabited worlds, Uatu wonders whether he should interfere
to prevent the poison from reaching an inhabited planet. A nova hurls an
uninhabited planet into space where it collides with the waste cloud,
destroying them both. Uatu realizes that the planet was saved only because he
did not interfere!