Today I sit down to read and review Tales Of Suspsnse #47,  where we have the tale of “Iron Man Battles The Melter!“.   In this story, we have Iron Man facing a menace that seems to be able to defeat Iron Man, with the ease of just quickly melting away his armor.

But does the Melter make a compelling super Villain? Is Iron Men doomed to go down the drain? or can our hero save the day, even against a foe who can turn his iron armor into nothing but liquid and scrap?

Story

While the motives for our antagonist seem all to familiar for super-villains for the day, for the Melter it does seem to work well while fitting in with his character.  leaving us a foe worthy of Iron-Man’s time, and energy and even worth Tony Stark’s fear of defeat, for if he looses his iron chest-plate, he will die.

the story, and momentum builds right to the climax, leaving you wondering if the fight may take a serious toll on iron man, or even end up revealing his identity to Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan. It is an issue where the writers create the illusion of everything being at stake.

Artwork

I feel that Steve Ditko  and Don Heck did an OK job with this issue, however I do not feel it was there best work.  The Melters suit almost looks laughable,  and aside from  a few good panels, most of the issues art and details fell a bit lacking.

Originality & Continuity

of the iron man foes so far,  the Melter and The Crimson Dynamo from last issue have seemed the most natural fits for our hero.  so much so I would be quite confident in saying the stories from Tales Of Suspense #44 and before, Iron Man could be replaced by another hero and it would have read just about as naturally. These last two, however really felt like they were created to face off against Iron Man, and as such made everything feel much more original.

The stories are also doing a good job to build up Tony Stark’s support cast, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, giving them regular dialog, although with each other more so than their boss Tony.  This as much of anything I feel is to prove just how much of a loner Tony Stark is, likely due to being Iron Man.

Character & Development

Iron man has often found his life on the line in his adventures, but this is the first time we got to see him think about it, having the option not to take on his foe, and avoid the danger is clearly present here.  But is it one a hero can take, and is he willing to pay the financial price of financial ruin by taking it? Characters grow though the choices they make, and the way they confront challenges, tony stark is no different, even if much of the way he handles this is not seen directly in the pages of this issue.