As he is entangled in magnetized steel
cables and at the mercy of his enemy, the Mandarin, Iron Man tries a
bluff, reminding the villain that Tony Stark is still at large in the
castle. The Mandarin goes off to organize a search, giving the armor
enough time to recharge itself. Iron Man easily snaps the cables then
and follows the Mandarin until he comes to the massive chamber where
the villain is keeping the captured American missiles. At this moment
the US is launching another rocket and the Mandarin powers up his
Interceptor Ray to snatch this one too; the Armored Avenger leaps out
and destroys the ray but the Mandarin informs him that once begun the
ray cannot be stopped. Iron Man flies out and pushes the missile out
of the path of the beam but is caught in the ray himself and drawn
back to the castle; as he is pulled through the window he tears loose
a large stone which he hurls into the ray’s power plant causing it
to explode. The enraged villain unleashes the full might of his power
rings as Iron Man beats a hasty retreat. He steps on a trap door and
is dropped down a chute….
Meanwhile, back at the Stark office,
Happy Hogan is miserable with all the decisions and headaches that
come with being an executive but Pepper Potts will not allow him to
leave….
As he sees he is heading down the chute
toward an acid pool, Iron Man takes advantage of the quick recharge
to smash through the wall and head back toward the enemy. A massive
weight on a spring suddenly drops from the ceiling and forces the
hero clean through the floor (leaving an outline!). Iron Man turns to
see the Mandarin one hundred feet high but he is not afraid to
attack—but the giant villain is merely an illusion created by
mirrors; luckily the hero’s armor saves him from injury. On another
side is an army of duplicate Mandarins but again, only one is real.
Using sonar, Iron Man locates the authentic villain and decks him
with a punch. Iron Man then races back to the missile room and sends
the stolen rockets back to the American base, leaving the Mandarin to
stew in a rage.
After assuring the Pentagon that the
threat has been neutralized, Tony heads back to the office where
Happy takes all the credit for keeping things running smoothly, to
Pepper’s annoyance. As she and Tony cuddle up in the back of the
limo, a jealous Happy takes a bumpy road but they end up with a flat
tire. And while Happy is fixing it, Tony and Pepper take advantage of
the lovely moonlit night.
“The Atomizer
[Part One]”
Writer: Unknown.
Artist: Joe Maneely.
Synopsis: Looking
for a gift for his mother’s birthday, Charlie discovers a strange-looking
perfume atomizer that disintegrates anything it sprays! Story continues next
issue.
“The Sun-Stealer!”
Writer: Larry
Lieber. Plot: Stan Lee. Art: Larry Lieber. Colors: ? Letters: Artie Simek.
Synopsis: An alien
scout lands on the moon, intending to steal the Sun to heat his dying world,
knowing that the Watcher will not interfere. But the Watcher keeps the alien
talking long enough for his ship to sink into the moondust, marooning him!