TALES OF SUSPENSE - #59 (1964 - CONDITION FN)

 They're suspicious! They know I'm keeping something from them! What will happen next--when Tony Stark does not return?  - IRON MAN

• Iron Man and Captain America double-feature begins. 

• First solo Captain America story since the 1950's. 

• First appearance of Edwin Jarvis. 

Black Knight's flying horse tracks down his owner to the state penitentiary and gets close to the window of Black Knight's cell. Black Knight extends his hand out of the window into the horse's saddle bag and retrieves a disolvo-ray, which he uses to dissolve the window bars and escape on his steed. He swears to take revenge on the Avengers.

Meanwhile, in Avengers Mansion, all members are waiting for Wasp to finish getting ready to attend a charity benefit. With Iron Man remaining in the mansion in case of emergency, the other Avengers leave. The alarm of Stark's factory goes off, and he's forced to drive there. When Tony arrives, he collapses in front of Happy and Pepper because his chest device is running out of power. He tries to convince his friends to let him stand up and reach his office, but they're too worried to let him move, and they call a doctor.

Seconds later, the lights go out. The Black Knight is assaulting Stark Industries in an effort to draw the Avengers' attention. Tony sneaks past Pepper and Happy while they're distracted by the Black Knight, and shuts himself in his office to recharge his chestplate. After a brief recharge, Tony suits up as Iron Man to battle the Black Knight. Pepper and Happy desperately knock on the door to Stark's office, concerned for his health.

Iron Man breaks through the wall of his office and confronts Black Knight, easily fending off the villain's micro-missiles and flexible steel coils. He dodges an energy blast that hits a storage tower, and the debris threatens the lives of civilians, but Iron Man quickly grabs the falling structure. Back at Stark's office, Happy tries to chop down the door with an axe, to no avail, because he soon discovers the door and even the wall are made of solid steel. Happy climbs out the window and gingerly crosses the building ledge, in order to reach Stark's office from outside. However, the Black Knight suddenly realizes Happy could work as a hostage, and captures him with a lasso.

When Iron Man tries to rescue Happy, Black Knight throws miniature power drainers at Iron Man, and they cling to his armor. In an attempt to get rid of the drainers, Iron Man dives at top speed, shaking off the disks. The Black Knight believes Iron Man has just plummeted to his death, and seeing no use for a hostage, drops Happy. Iron Man catches him and flies him back to the building.

Iron Man takes the Black Knight by surprise, and flips his horse by the hooves, causing the villain to fall off. As he starts to fall to his death, Iron Man convinces him to surrender his power lance in exchange for being saved. The Black Knight gives Iron Man his lance, and the Golen Avenger catches him at the last moment and leaves him with the police.

The victorious hero returns to his office to change back to his civilian identity, but he realizes he can't take his armor off. If he does, he'll black out, and he needs the extra power to stay alive. Iron Man's lament is soon interrupted by Pepper and Happy knocking at the door, after hearing noise from inside the office. Tony receives them as Iron Man, and claims that Stark had to leave through a secret entrance for an emergency that would take him a while to solve. Both Pepper and Happy doubt Iron Man's claims, and while he knows they are suspicious, Tony can't tell them the truth.

💥 CONDITION: FN

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