Tales of Suspense #96: Review

Dec 1967

Stan Lee, Gene Colan

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Story Name:

The Deadly Victory!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Tales of Suspense #96 Review by Peter Silvestro (February 15, 2010)

Conclusion of a two-part story.

Tales of Suspense #96 Review by T Vernon (July 31, 2012)

Review (Iron Man): Another action-filled episode marred by a multitude of plot holes: Iron Man says Japer has been turned to stone again when it was the first (and only) time in the story. And that last battle took an hour, since Jasper is normal again after the end? Didn’t seem that long. Anyway, GG was always a cool villain with his one simple but devastating super-power; he goes on from here to several appearances opposite Captain America, so check out Peter’s stuff at the Cap Library!

From Our Blog:

Gwen Stacy, beauty queen of Standard High School, was Peter Parker's (alias Spider-Man) first great love.

Gwen Stacy: Classic Beauty

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Tales of Suspense #96 Synopsis by T Vernon

The Grey Gargoyle has hurled the petrified Iron Man from the roof of the Stark building, expecting him to smash to pieces when he hits the concrete below. Thinking quickly, SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell drives a truck full of sand and stops below the endangered hero, giving him a (semi-)soft landing. Meanwhile, the Gargoyle searches the plant for an hour before locating what he came for, Stark’s new cobalt weapon, which he is planning to use against Thor. But Iron Man arrives on the scene, the villain’s petrifying effect having won off and he confronts the Gargoyle in the lab. The enemies fight over the weapon, which falls to the floor but none of the participants can recover it safely. As the ceiling starts to collapse, Jasper Sitwell charges the villain and they are buried alive. When Iron Man clears the wreckage he discovers the method behind Sitwell’s madness: he wanted the Grey Gargoyle to turn him to stone; only then would he be safe from the falling debris. Meanwhile, the Gargoyle has recovered the cobalt device and is fighting the guards outside. Iron Man appears and throws a simple tarpaulin over his foe, which the Gargoyle reflexively touches enwrapping himself in a hardened covering. But he soon escapes (by crashing into a wall and shattering the stone tarp) and has a surprise for Iron Man—he can even petrify repulsor ray blasts! The hero uses his own chest transmitter to cause a short circuit in the device, feeding its energy back at the Grey Gargoyle who reverts to his normal form and is easily captured by the guards. Iron Man, drained of power, collapses. Sitwell, normal again, decides he must remove the Armored Avenger’s helmet to see if he needs help….

Story #2

To Be Reborn!

Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: Jack Kirby. Inker: Joe Sinnott. Colorist: ?.

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

By Peter Silvestro

Steve Rogers is called in to a police lineup to witness a trio of men injured while impersonating Captain America. The police are concerned that the underworld is gunning for Steve Rogers and worry that these hapless imitations are putting their lives in danger. In a secluded section of town, the killer-for-hire Sniper is demonstrating to a potential client his high-explosive gun and his expertise with the weapon. The client, impressed, hires Sniper to assassinate Captain America. A few days later another bogus Cap (this one advertising a judo studio) is being pursued across rooftops by hired gunmen. Injured, the phony Cap hangs by one arm from a window ledge. Spotting him from his own window, Steve Rogers leaps out, catches the unlucky man, and hooks his foot to an aerial wire to stop his fall. At this point Sniper fires an explosive bullet, snapping the wire and dropping the two toward the street. Steve manages to bounce from a flagpole and land with his impersonator on a rooftop, battered but alive. Sniper again takes aim but is shocked to see another Steve Rogers at a different window and fires in that one’s direction. Nick Fury and SHIELD agents burst in and capture the assassin, having placed the LMD (Life Model Decoy) of Steve as a trap. The original two goons catch up to Steve at this point and the former Cap easily takes them down. Fury arrives to arrest the thugs, and tells Steve he can’t give up being Captain America because he is Captain America. Steve realizes Fury is right, and thanks the SHIELD chief for straightening him out.

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