Marvel Database
Register
Advertisement

Quote1 Never has Ka-Zar fought more valiant a foe! I could not bring myself to allow you to perish! Quote2
Ka-Zar

Appearing in "To Kill A Spider-Man!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #58

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • NYPD Cars
  • Green Bus. Inc.
  • Professor Smythe's car

Synopsis for "To Kill A Spider-Man!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #58

Continued from last issue..

Having defeated Spider-Man in battle, Ka-Zar takes Spider-Man to the rooftops to learn the truth about why Jameson hired him to capture the wall-crawler. When Spider-Man revives, he finds that his memory has been restored, and so he tells the whole story. Ka-Zar believes Spider-Man but soon departs when Zabu is threatened by police officers in the area, Spider-Man slinks away during this altercation between the police and Ka-Zar.

Meanwhile, Spencer Smythe has contacted J. Jonah Jameson because he has created a new Spider-Slayer robot for Jameson to use in his quest to capture Spider-Man. They send the robot out, which tracks Spider-Man down to his apartment where he is about to change back into Peter Parker. When he notices the robot, he battles it across the city. When Jameson proves unable to capture Spider-Man, Smythe takes control and sends the robot after Spider-Man determined to kill the wall-crawler. This is more than what Jameson wanted and calls Smythe on the fact that he intends to kill Spider-Man for his own revenge, instead of turning him over to the police. However, Spider-Man manages to defeat the robot by luring it to a spider exhibit where it's spider-detecting device overloads and causes the robot to explode. With yet another failure with one of his Spider-Slayer robots, Smythe is thrown out of Jameson's office.

Spider-Man returns to his apartment where he changes back to Peter Parker, on his way out to find out what happened to Aunt May in his absence. On his way out the door he bumps into Ka-Zar and Zabu, Ka-Zar tells the young man not to be afraid that they are only on an evening stroll.

Appearing in "When Meet the Immortals!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #125

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "When Meet the Immortals!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #125

Thor is in Asia trying to stop the conquest of the Demon, an Asian witch doctor who's strength has been enhanced by a Norn Stone. As the two battle, it becomes clear that their strength is evenly matched, and wanting to avoid defeat, the Demon demands that his soldiers attack Thor with a captured cannon. Thor, noticing that their weapon is more powerful than they suspect, prepares to stop it before they can unleash it's power.

Meanwhile in the United States, Hercules has awoken from his first evening on Earth to the sound of a train that cannot progress further down the line due to a fallen tree on the tracks. Hercules decides to use his great strength to toss the tree aside, and asks that the engineer take him to the city that the train is destined to. While back in Asia, Thor plugs the enemy cannon with his hammer, causing it to backfire, causing an explosion powerful enough to knock everyone but Thor unconscious. Using this opportunity, Thor reclaims the Norn Stone from the Demon, stripping him of his enhanced powers and his army soon flees.

Thor transports himself to Asgard to turn the Norn Stone over to Odin. Thor soon realizes that Odin is furious at him for breaking his decree when he revealed his identity to Jane Foster. The angry Odin refuses to allow Thor to return to Earth unless he passes the Ritual of Steel where he must fight not only against his best friend Balder, but an army of Asgardians all ordered to slay him.

Back on Earth, Hercules has been taking in all that New York has to offer, eating a grand meal in a dinner club and attracting the attention of beautiful women. He has been spotted by a talent scout for for a movie studio who wants Hercules to take part in a movie being filmed in California. He takes up playing the guitar for all present when the club is suddenly attacked by masked robbers hoping to loot the place. However, all present -- who figured Hercules for an actor playing the role of the famous Demigod -- soon realize that they are dealing with the genuine article when Hercules fights off the robbers and sends them packing. Their getaway is short lived however, when Hercules immobilizes their vehicle by throwing a lamp post at it.

Hearing the commotion from her hospital room just as she is being discharged, Jane Foster believes that it's coming from Thor who has kept his promise to return to her the next day. However, when she goes to the streets she finds that it is Hercules, who is taking the glory and praise for stopping the crooks. Finding Jane to be very striking, Hercules leaves with the girl, and when the talent scout tries to stop him to meet his contractual obligations, Hercules simply stuffs the man in a garbage can and leaves.

Back on Asgard, Thor has managed to fight off his fellows, even fighting past Heimdall and escaping across the Bifrost Bridge to Earth. When Balder throws himself at the mercy of Odin for failing to slay Thor, Odin forgives him and decides instead to watch what his son intends to do on Earth. There, Thor finds Jane in a restaurant with Hercules and finds that Jane is upset at Thor for once again abandoning her. When Thor tries to explain himself he sees who she is out with and becomes jealous.

When Hercules tries to greet his old ally, Thor insults him which leads to the Prince of Power striking the Thunder God, and thus the first blow in a battle between Thor and Hercules is struck.

Appearing in "Trapped by the Mad Barbarian"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Tales of Suspense #42
(originally printed as Trapped by the Red Barbarian)

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "Trapped by the Mad Barbarian"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Tales of Suspense #42
(originally printed as Trapped by the Red Barbarian)

Communist agents think they've stolen an atom bomb from the United States government, but as they prepare to load their cargo on a ship, Iron Man bursts out of the container! The agents pull their guns and fire at Iron Man, who uses his transistors to magnetize a crane, attracting the guns and pulling the agents high into the air. Iron Man then helps a pair of FBI agents arrest the spies.

Iron Man heads home to recharge his chest plate. Later that day, Anthony Stark demonstrates his new disintegrator ray to a group of military officers by vaporizing a tank, then a section of thick concrete wall. Elsewhere, in the Soviet Union, an overbearingly large man called the Red Barbarian feasts on a leg of lamb. He abuses his soldiers who make vague reports about Tony Stark and the new weapon he is working on. The Red Barbarian demands better information! After he chases them away with shots from his pistol, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev enters the room! For a moment, the Red Barbarian is shaken, but “Khrushchev‿ removes his disguise, revealing himself to be the Actor, a master of make-up and impersonation. The pair devises a plan to infiltrate Stark's laboratories, with the Actor disguised as Anthony Stark.

The Actor arrives in the United States, disguised as a famous actor returning from a trip to Italy. He passes himself off in Washington DC as a Senator and sends a telegram to Tony Stark requesting an audience with him. The Actor then meets with a group of communist double-agents, all disguised as military officers and, disguised as Tony Stark, sets off for Stark's secret labs. While Stark is off on a wild-goose chase to attend the non-existent meeting with the US Senator, the Actor rummages through his private files, where he finds spare components of Iron Man's armor and deduces that Iron Man and Tony Stark must be one and the same! His Communist partners soon discover the plans for the disintegrator ray. The Actor soon departs for Russia with the plans, while his double agents remain behind to assassinate Tony Stark.

As Tony Stark returns from the phony meeting, the double agents lay in wait. They ambush him, but his metal chest plate acts like a bullet-proof vest, causing their bullets to bounce off. Stark turns the lights out and quickly changes into his Iron Man armor, then easily dispatches his assailants. The agents squeal on the Actor’s plan, including the Red Barbarian’s involvement, telling Iron Man everything they know. Iron Man sets out to recover the disintegrator ray plans. He travels to the Soviet Union using an experimental rocket, arriving ahead of the Actor. Iron Man then ambushes the Actor outside of the airport, upturning his car and recovering the stolen disintegrator plans. He gags the Actor and leaves him behind.

Iron Man arrives at the Red Barbarian's compound, walking proudly in with a briefcase and telling the Red Barbarian that he is really the Actor posing as Iron Man, and that the briefcase contains Stark’s plans for the disintegrator ray. However, he explains, the case has a four-hour time lock on it that cannot be opened setting off a mini A-bomb booby trap. Iron Man then excuses himself and says he will return in four hours to open the case. The Red Barbarian, excited about having the disintegrator plans delivered to him, lets him go.

Iron Man returns to the site where he left the Actor and releases him, then flies to the nearest European country on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The Actor returns to the Red Barbarian’s headquarters and apologizes for letting Iron Man outwit him, and tells the Red Barbarian that he has learned some very valuable information for him (the identity of Iron Man!) The Red Barbarian, having no idea what the Actor is talking about, assumes he is trying to deceive him with his impersonations. He orders his men to shoot and kill the Actor, who is gunned down before he can reveal Iron Man's secret identity.

Notes

  • Cover art: J. Jonah Jameson head by Romita.[1]

See Also

Links and References

References

Advertisement