Review: Iron Man #56
- Rick Moore
- May 22
- 7 min read
Jim Starlin...You're Fired!
"You're travelling through another dimension, whose boundaries are that of imagination. You've entered...
The Twilight Zone!
In this world, people are still talking about a movie called “The Infinity Endgame” which featured Darkseid’s attempt to take over the entire universe with the Infinity Lanterns, opposed by the Justice League and their remarkable allies, Gamora and her rather unsavory, but ultimately affable colleague Pip the Troll. This movie, having out grossed any before or since its release, has made both Gamora and Pip keystones of pop culture.
It was in this universe that, in 1972, Marvel Comics Publisher Stan Lee fired Jim Starlin because he hated the artist’s work in Iron Man #56, sending him to rival publisher, DC Comics where his ideas immediately caught fire with editors and, more importantly, with the reading public where they eventually became movies of immense acclaim and popularity.”
Actually, that first part of the previous paragraph is true. Stan Lee disliked Iron Man #56 so much that he had both writer Steve Gerber and Jim Starlin immediately fired from the series. Fortunately, Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas found work for both in other titles.
Which makes no sense to me. Iron Man #56 is a lightweight, fun story. Probably appropriate after our hero spent an issue hanging out with Drax and Thanos.
At least that’s my opinion. You can decide after you’ve experienced “Rasputin’s Revenge!”
Credits
Writer: Steve Gerber
Pencils: Jim Starlin (and co-plotter)
Inks: Mike Esposito
Letterer: Charlotte Jetter
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover Art: Jim Starlin & Joe Sinnott
Release Date: November 28, 1972
Synopsis
The splash page pretty much establishes not too take this comic too seriously. Goofy as it looks for our guy to be cruising with the traffic on his roller skates, it does provide a novel way to recap the previous issue. It's the first of several references to the denizens of Titan, telling us that we’re far from done with them.
While a disappointed Iron Man finds no other capes hanging out in the Avengers Mansion, we turn out attention to a bald geezer in Central Park, ranting to anyone within ear shot about Tavi and burning in Heck and all that. This is our introduction to Rasputin.
For whatever reason, he's there as an artist is about to unveil some huge statue named Fangor to a growing crowd and a TV crew. Somewhere in the midst of all this, a ranting Rasputin topples a not-inexpensive TV camera - soaking said staff in all kinds of energy that will soon allow our story to move forward.
Channeling his inner Steve Ditko, Starlin has Rasputin uses the magic powered by the Tavistick to bring the stone monstrosity to life - proving that our cover did not lie!
Fortunately, our guy who has changed back into Tony Stark, just happens to be in Central Park, carrying that all-important attache case!
That means we now have a Bonafide Avenger on the case!
Unfortunately, Fangor swats Iron Man into a brick wall, sending debris that conveniently breaks Rasputin’s dreaded Tavistick, destroying any chance the old guy had of controlling the walking mountain of granite.
But after facing Thanos in the previous issue, our hero isn't about to embarass himself! If a full dose of repulsor rays fails do the trick, then he takes to attempting to drown his stone nemesis by knocking him into the river.
As luck would have it, not more than a few panels later, Iron Man and the rest of us learn that Fangor can indeed breath underwater as he awards Jim Starlin the opportunity to dazzle us with an impressive full-page shot of our guy seized by those stone hands!
Actually recalling that his armor comes equipped with a multitude of weapons and devices, Iron Man reaches for his “Unstable-Freon Mini-Bomb” from way back in his Tales of Suspense days! Hurling that delightful plot device against Fangor unleashes a sheath of ice that quickly covers the top half of the stone monstrosity.
Now released, Iron Man builds up speed for a power dive that shatters his rocky sparring partner into so much gravel!
With only a page remaining, we just have enough time for Iron Man to wonder how Fangor came to life. He quickly dismisses any notion about that crazy old man having anything to do with it.
Speaking of that poor guy, we take our final look at Rasputin's ”Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” and see that he's lamenting what he sees as a wasted life, finally telling the other person in his conversation that this individual probably doesn’t even believe in magic. To our delight, that other party turns out to be none other than Dr. Stephen Strange who immediately informs his depressed companion that he does indeed believe in magic and to cheer up as “there’s always tomorrow.”
The issue ends with text beneath him telling us that an old enemy returns in the next issue in a “startling new way.” Now, in my fantasy mind, I so want to believe that instead of the Mandarin who does pop up in Issue #58, this was meant to be The Controller who showed up in Captain Marvel as one of Thanos’s thralls. Or perhaps Madame McEvil who became Moondragon.
But yeah, we have the return of the Mandarin along with…well, that will have to wait.
Story
Where are my manners? I’ve spent all this time making such a fuss over Jim Starlin’s pencils, that I’ve failed to mention Steve Gerber’s role as the writer. And he's is bit a of big deal - or soon will be. Gerber's part of the wave of new hires (along with Mike Friedrich, Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart and so on) who were hired to pick up titles that Stan Lee and Roy Thomas no longer had time to write. Although he would soon go on to much greater acclaim at Marvel with Howard the Duck, the Defenders and Man-Thing, at this time, the guy had to earn his chops with secondary titles like Sub-Mariner, Daredevil and this one.
Steve Gerber’s strengths lied in the quirkiness he could bring to a series such as the ones I’ve listed. (Hey, the Defenders spent several issues with one of their member’s brains literally sitting in a bowl while they dealt with a mind-controlled fawn while an elf was shooting innocent people for no apparent reason.) Books like Iron Man really didn’t provide him the ability to flex those exercise those peculiar talents, but nonetheless, Gerber did a solid job with what was only a two-issue stint here (not including a nifty annual a couple years later.)
None of us will ever know the reasons that Stan Lee so hated this issue, but if it was bad comics that offended him, where was he at during issues Conway and Allyn Brodsky’s run on this series? Good heavens, I’ve had to put those issues into plastic collectors' bags just to keep the flies away!
But back to this issue. Just those delightful lines, “Air fills my lungs and rage, my heart! I am Fangor. I am evil And, I destroy!” adds another point to the total! 7/10.
Art
Less than a year from now, we’ll look back at Starlin’s art on this issue as rather quaint as he will go full “cosmic” with imaginative layouts and eye-popping designs on Captain Marvel - to say nothing of the creative heights he’ll scale in Strange Tales/Warlock. That said, I believe his pencils still deliver the goods on “Rasputin’s Revenge.” (Another unstated factor is that both Captain Marvel and Warlock had bi-monthly schedules, allowing more time than Iron Man's monthly one.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the creative panels and intriguing angles he uses to amplify what could easily be looked down upon as a meaningless issue. Have to say that I also love that “black triangles” he added to Iron Man’s chest plate. Both thumbs up as well for those creepy Ditko-inspired panels of Rasputin. Or were they inspired by EC comics?
If I’m being honest, I also have to add that I’m not overly enthusiastic about Mike Esposito’s inks on Starlin’s pencils. But I’d best get used to those inks because Mike Esposito’s gonna be with this book for quite a while.
Shame we never got to see the even cooler-looking Iron Man that Starlin later drew for Captain Marvel, but I’m not complaining about this one. 7/10
Wimp Factor
Drop the balloons and let the celebrations commence! We’re not only months from Iron Man bemoaning his bum ticker and/or experiencing his version of wardrobe malfunctions. We’re also into the second issue in a row where he uses a weapon this isn’t named “repulsor rays!” Sure, you may gripe about it taking him most of an issue to smash Fangor, but I’ll counter your living statue and raise it by calling out that it was “magic!” So there! Also, for the second issue in a row, I’m rating the Wimp Factor at 0/10!
Villain Rating
I know we’re talking about a statute. But Fangor was animated by magic which makes him as powerful as…the story needs him to be! 5/10. As for our main villain, poor Rasputin couldn’t buy a break with a winning lottery ticket. However, knowing Stephen Strange - my second favorite superhero of all! - moves him clear up to a 2/10!
Overall Rating
If we’re going to have a rather frivolous issue that kills time between the heavy-duty stuff, this is how it’s done. 7/10.
Additional Nuts & Bolts
Rest assured, we don’t see either Rasputin or Fangor appear anywhere after this issue. Nor are we meant to. I
If anyone’s keeping score, Jim Starlin did manage this bit of revenge against Stan Lee in Strange Tales #181. I won’t divulge too much other than to see that Marvel’s main guy is portrayed as a rather sinister clown. (And that is a truly remarkable series. If you haven’t read it or it’s been a while, check it out!)
Needless to say, thanks to Roy Thomas, Jim Starlin took all his “Titans Toys” over to a struggling Captain Marvel series which was, to be honest, probably a better fit for the “Thanos War.”
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