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Tales of Suspense

Tales of Suspense #52

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The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!
When Natasha met Tony: the first appearance of the Black Widow! Iron Man vs. the Crimson Dynamo with Marvel's original spider woman in the middle!

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1964

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About the author

Stan Lee

7,562 books2,344 followers
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Jon Nakapalau.
6,522 reviews1,027 followers
December 29, 2025
Cold War tensions heat up as Iron Man (IM) takes on the Crimson Dynamo (CD)...then - out of the shadows - the Black Widow (BW) strikes! Check out her costume (a la Vampira) - Ed Wood would LOVE it! This is a great example of how characters evolve; the BW we know today is so different than this version!
Profile Image for Anthony.
60 reviews2 followers
November 10, 2018
Read TOS 52 and 53 if ya know what's what, ya big gorilla! The pair are a Lee, Rico & Heck classic, packed with Cold War action, abrupt (and nonsensical) geographical scene shifts, nick-of-time saves, timeless NYC insult humor, multiple Nikita Khrushchev sightings, Natasha in perpetual furs and pearls, and loads of louche chauvinism. Heck's art for the Iron Man/Black Widow story in 52 is superior to 53, but the SF-gadget plot in 53 is so utterly preposterous it gives the second act of the tale a short leg up on the first. Plus, who knew that all it takes is a knotless garden hose to shut Iron Man down? Bonus: back-up stories "The Failure", "The Omen" (well illustrated by Stan Lee's brother), and "The Way It Began" (The Watcher's origin tale), all morality vignettes of a sort, ought not be overlooked.
Profile Image for Mars Fargo.
392 reviews12 followers
January 10, 2020
TALES OF SUSPENSE #52-53, 57 (Enter: Black Widow)

This serves as a compelling second chapter in Iron Man's character arc, continuing his struggle to become a better person. For although he largely overcame much of what made him so unlikeable in his first arc, being that he was literally dealing weapons of murder and death without question of intent, he still has many more personal character faults to overcome.

One such fault is his overactive appetite for superficial women; he would rather be with a woman he finds attractive, than be with a woman he loves. In fact, the main villain of this arc is able to use that fact to her advantage... the Black Widow. She can use her looks to manipulate Stark into doing what she wants, even though everything her intent is obviously evil to everyone else. Stark is able to overlook this fact, simply because he's physically attracted to her.

It's quite an astounding metaphor for his quest to overcome the superficial aspects of his personal life. It ties directly into his secondary ongoing conflict: the love triangle between him, Pepper Potts, and Happy Hogan. He is torn between women he physically desires and the woman he actually LOVES, being Pepper. But his inability to overcome his desires pushes her further and further away, and closer and closer to Hogan.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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