Tales of Suspense 82: Intermission

From Tales of Suspense #82: "Okay, big man... intermission's over! It's time for the main event to start!"

I'll give that smack-talk a 6 out of 10. Thor would have been more eloquent, and Hulk would have been more concise (two words). Iron Man's pre-fight banter needs work, but his strategy is solid: He's not running away, he's choosing the battleground.

The Soviets had launched Titanium Man into Washington D.C. to rampage, Iron Man was fortunately right there to stop him - and usually, that's when several city-blocks get wrecked in a superhuman battle. But the reason Stark was in D.C. was exactly to testify before the Senate on Iron Man's public accountability, so our hero did the RESPONSIBLE thing, and led the supervillain away from the Capitol before kicking his ass.

Gene Colan does a superb job, as usual - the first three-panel sequence is all from the same perspective, as the armored combatants fly towards us. The fourth panel is elongated and slightly tilted, to convey Iron Man's deceleration before landing. And the page closes with a wide shot from Titanium Man's perspective, his own shadow looming over the defiant Iron Man. Colan masterfully builds tension for the upcoming fight, and if this were a movie the dramatic music would rise on that last panel. Are you ready to ruuummble?

Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia.