Tony has a problem: women betray him. They betray him often enough that it legitimately qualifies as a pattern. Here, we see the first such incident. Later, we will see others.

But lest you think this is all that Tales of Suspense #70 has to offer...




... this issue also continues the Titanium Man plot, which is actually pretty outstanding.

Tony, old boy, I hear ya!

This is a common trope - the bad guy faking an injury and tricking the good guy - but it gets used for a reason: it quickly establishes that your hero lives by principles other than winning.

And, of course, no 1960's Iron Man comic is complete without at least a few panels in which Tony mentions the strain on his injured heart. As I've mentioned in my YouTube videos, this is the main thing that sold me on this character: he "represents" disability and chronic illness without being annoyingly on the nose about it. I think Current Year writers could learn a lot if they were humble enough to follow Stan's example. Sorry, dears, but "representation" isn't anything new; your attempts are simply inferior.  

 

So this is where Happy goes off to retrieve the critical component Stephanie stole. And as you can see, he's finally figured out who Iron Man is. Given Tony's strange behavior and lame excuses, it certainly took Happy long enough!

The scene that starts with this moment, however, is what really makes the issue.

Tony and Happy have been romantic rivals for quite a while -- something I've been giggling about in recent posts. But when all is said and done, they're also best buddies who will do anything for each other. I love that. Indeed, I love all the deep male friendships Tony forms with other characters. (As you may have noticed already, Tony's bond with Steve Rogers/Captain America is a particular fave.)

The emotional resonance of this entire thing is just -- *chef's kiss*. And the thing is, in these early comics, a sequence like this wasn't all that unusual. That's what happens when creators actually care.