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Appearing in "Disaster!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #56

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Vehicles:

  • Doc Ock's "Power Maintenance" truck
  • Police cars

Synopsis for "Disaster!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #56

Struck with amnesia from his exposure to a Nullifier device, Spider-Man is convinced by Doctor Octopus that he is one of his henchmen. Spider-Man then assists them to commit crimes, which make headlines. Spider-Man however, doesn't feel right about what he's doing. Meanwhile, Peter Parker's absence has gotten all his friends and family worried as they have no clue where he could have gone.

Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus tries to get Spider-Man to unmask, but Spider-Man realizes that if they were really partners, Octopus would already know his secret identity. Spider-Man realizes that he's been tricked and battles Doctor Octopus. Meanwhile, the military has been tracking Spider-Man since his last theft netted Doctor Octopus' secret missile plans.

During the fight, John Jameson manages to immobilize Doctor Octopus with the nullifier. When Dr. Octopus tries to talk Spider-Man into helping him get free, Spider-Man declines. He tells Jameson that he doesn't remember who he is, but he knows for sure that he's no partner of Octopus. When Octopus is taken into custody, Jameson asks Spider-Man to come with them as well. Spider-Man refuses and flees. Later, Spider-Man takes a look his reflection in the window hoping that it will remind him of who he is, but only sees a stranger looking back at him.

Appearing in "While a Universe Trembles!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #123

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Synopsis for "While a Universe Trembles!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #123

Thor and Harris Hobbs travel to Asgard, as per Thor's promise to allow Hobbs to accompany him so that he might write a story about Asgard in exchange for destroying evidence of Thor's secret identity of Donald Blake. Crossing the Bifrost Bridge, they are shocked to find a number of Asgardian warriors who are tending to their wounded following their defeat at the hands of the Absorbing Man. Thor learns that the Absorbing Man has attacked Asgard after being brought to the sacret realm by Loki.

Inside the Palace, the Absorbing Man has taken on the properties of the energy unleashed from Odin's Sceptre of Supremacy, and has rechanneled the energies back at the All-Father. This has no effect on Odin, who simply absorbs the attack back into his Sceptre. Abandoning this form, Absorbing Man in turn attempts to attack Odin straight on. Odin attempts to attack Creel with a whirl wind, however this causes the Absorbing Man to change into a human cyclone instead.

Meanwhile on Earth, in a remote Asian jungle, soldiers are searching for a local Witch Doctor whom they hope to kill in order to subjugate his people. This Witch Doctor comes across one of the Norn Stones that was dropped by Thor when he was in the region collecting the stones in a previous quest. This stone gives the Witch Doctor enhanced strength that allows him to fight off his pursuers. He ultimately sends them fleeing when he is able to catch their bullets in mid air and throw them back at the army sending the soldiers fleeing.

Back on Asgard, the Absorbing Man gets a new idea: Absorb all the properties of Asgard itself. In doing so, Creel begins to grow in size and power that dwarfs even the might of Odin. Loki then appears explaining he was the mastermind of the plot, and that because he control the Absorbing Man, he has proven that he is mightier than Odin himself and by Asgardian Law, is entitled to carry the Sceptre of Supremacy. Odin, realizing that he has no other choice hands the Sceptre to Loki, who basks in his victory. However, this proves to be short lived when the Absorbing Man believes that he should be entitled to the Sceptre as he had done all the dirty work.

However, this was all a trick orchestrated by Odin, who as Loki and the Absorbing Man fight over possession of the sceptre, explains that the Sceptre merely channels his vast powers and that in another's hands it is useless. Odin then uses his powers to send both Loki and the Absorbing Man into space where they freeze up in the vacuum and left orbiting the void.

With the battle over, all the Asgardians hail Odin for his victory over Loki. Thor then remembers that Harris Hobbs was with him, and finds the reporter among the wreckage, thankfully unharmed. Odin is furious that Thor brought a mortal to Asgard and demands that he return him. When Hobbs learns of the battle he missed he is equally upset, things fare worse for the reporter when he attempts to take photographs of Asgard but finds that his camera has also been destroyed. With no other choice, and accepting his failure, Hobbs agrees to return to Earth with Thor.

While back on Earth in a remote region of Mongola, the Norn Stone empowered Witch Doctor attacks an opposing village. He is called a demon by the villages and decides to take the name for his own. With the village under his control the Demon then vows to take over the entire world.

As this is happening, Thor and Hobbs returns to Earth where Hobbs realizes that even his memories of Asgard are now gone, and wonders if he has been tricked by Thor. Thor explains that although his waking days he will not remember his experience among the Gods, but he will remember them in his dreams.

Appearing in "Iron Man Versus Gargantus!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Tales of Suspense #40

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Supporting Characters:

  • Marion (First appearance) (Tony Stark's girlfriend)

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  • Unnamed gangsters
  • Professor Ford (First appearance)
  • Escaped circus felines
  • Gargantus (First appearance) (Destruction)
  • Unidentified alien race

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  • Unidentified Alien Saucer Ship

Synopsis for "Iron Man Versus Gargantus!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Tales of Suspense #40

Tony Stark travels the world, collecting awards for his scientific achievement, impressing military brass with his new inventions, and wowing the ladies with his wealth and good looks. However, he has to constantly remove himself from social situations in order to privately recharge his iron chest plate, which keeps the shrapnel lodged in his chest away from his heart. While taking Marion, one of his girlfriends, on a date to the circus, several big cats break loose and start terrorizing the crowd. Tony steals away into a private corner and changes into his Iron Man armor. Iron Man’s hulking, gray, armored figure saunters into the big top arena, corrals the cats into a group and shocks them into submission.

Iron Man quickly changes back into Tony Stark and returns to Marion, who tells him that Iron Man would be much less terrifying looking if he didn’t wear such dull, gray armor. She suggests he would look more like a "knight in shining armor" if he wore gold armor. This inspires Tony to change the color of Iron Man's armor from gray to shiny gold. While Marion leaves on a short trip to Granville, Tony takes the opportunity to change the color of his armor. The following Saturday night, when he goes to pick Marion up at the airport, he discovers that she is not on the airplane when it arrives. He's informed that the whole city of Granville is shut down and locked up tight, and that nobody knows why.

As Iron Man, Stark heads to Granville and learns that a wall has been built around the entire city limits and has armed guards posted on top. The local National Guard cannot bust in because "the town has the legal right to put up a wall." Iron Man decides to take matters into his own hands and tunnels underneath the wall. Inside the wall, he addresses some townspeople, who warn him that they cannot speak to him for fear of disobeying Gargantus! In fact, the people are in such fear that they throw cans and bottles at Iron Man to shoo him away from the city. Iron Man leaves the scene, and when he turns the corner he sees townspeople erecting a massive statue of what appears to be a large Neanderthal man. They are all bowing to him in prayer. The crowd sees Iron Man and begins to chase him again. Believing he needs to shock them from the spell they must be under, Iron Man pushes a ten-ton truck into the statue, busting it into pieces, yet the people continue to worship the rubble.

Iron Man flies away from the marauding townspeople and lands on the top of a tall building. He plays a challenge to Gargantus through the tiny public address speakers in his belt. Within seconds, the giant Neanderthal appears wielding a club. He stares down Iron Man with brightly glowing eyes that looked as if they were "mirrors reflecting the sun." Strangely, Iron Man notices there is a thick, dark cloud hovering nearby in the sky. He grabs a flag and holds it up in the air, watching it ripple in the breeze. Iron Man thinks to himself that he has finally solved the mystery of Gargantus, and instead of facing him directly in combat, lures him down to street level.

In the street, Iron Man spots his girlfriend Marion while moving towards the city square with Gargantus remaining in hot pursuit. Now, with plenty of room to move, Iron Man launches three transistor-powered magnets which surround Gargantus and begin to use their extraordinary power to pull him completely apart. Gargantus disintegrates into a pile of gears, tubes and motors, revealing that he was a robot! Iron Man shines a search light from his chest plate skyward, penetrating the dark cloud and revealing a hovering flying saucer. A citizen of Granville, now free from his hypnotic state, tells Iron Man that he remembers the flying saucer appearing over the city, and then Gargantus dropped from the saucer and began

Anthony Stark (Earth-616) from Tales of Suspense Vol 1 40 004

hypnotizing everyone. Iron Man reveals that he suspected things were not as they seemed when the monster's eyes appeared to be reflecting the sunlight, when there was no sun to reflect! Furthermore, a dark cloud overhead remained in place despite the blowing wind which would have blown any normal cloud out of the way!

Iron Man hurls his magnets towards the flying saucer, which retreats into space. The alien occupants are upset that the planet Earth has changed since their ancestors explored it 80,000 years ago, when it was inhabited by Neanderthal people like Gargantus! Their plan to dominate the Neanderthal men with a "super-Neanderthal" had been foiled. Back in New York, Tony Stark greets Marion at the airport and acts oblivious to the excitement that had occurred in Granville.

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