Tales of Suspense #88
Beyond All Rescue!
Iron Man was present when the entire Stark Industries facility was pulled into the domain of the Mole Man. After surviving a tunnel cave-in, Iron Man is upset to discover that Pepper Potts disobeyed Tony Stark’s orders to clear out and is trapped down here with him. As Iron Man scolds Pepper, the Mole Man’s Moloids dig through the cave-in and attack on behalf of their master. As Iron Man struggles with the creatures, the Mole Man explains that he has stolen the Stark Industries facility to steal Tony Stark’s inventions to use in part of an invasion of the surface world.[1]
Iron Man quickly realizes that an army of Moloids armed with Starktech would be unstoppable. The stakes have never been higher and Iron Man finds himself hampered because on top of trying to stop the Mole Man, he also has to keep Pepper safe. When the Mole Man begins shooting at Iron Man with his concussion blaster, the Avenger realizes that he outnumbered. Triggering another cave-in, Iron Man grabs Pepper and runs for it. Once they are safe, Iron Man fears that the Pentagon might send an expedition team down to find out what happened to Stark Industries and be ambushed by the Mole Man. Using his radio transmitter, Iron Man sends a message asking the military to leave him to resolve the issue and hopes they were able to receive it.
Meanwhile, the Mole Man activates a robotic dragon and sends it into the tunnels after Iron Man. Although the creature is powerful and breaths fire, Iron Man manages to destroy the creature by tossing a miniature bomb down its throat. Unfortunately, Pepper was nabbed by the Moloids while he was dealing with this threat and she is now a prisoner of the Mole Man. With no other choice, Iron Man surrenders and promises to ally himself with the Mole Man by showing how the atomic drill in Stark Industries works. Pepper can’t believe Iron Man would do this, unaware that this was all a deception. When the Mole Man activates the drill per Iron Man’s instructions the device — which was not fully tested — begins to overload. Quickly, Iron Man grabs Pepper and flies her out of Subterranea just moments before the entire building explodes.[2]
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Mole Man, Pepper Potts, Moloids
Continuity Notes
During the battle with the Moloids, Iron Man reminds himself that he faced the Mole Man before with the Avengers. That happened in Avengers #12.
Although it appears that the Mole Man perishes here. He survives and will be seen again in X-Men #34
If Bucky Lives…!
At Avengers Mansion, Captain America is shocked to receive a distress call from his old wartime partner, Bucky Barnes. This seems impossible since Bucky died during the war and the youth doesn’t appear to have aged in the decades since.[1] Still, Captain America wants to get to the bottom of it and agrees to take a ship to Sea Gull Island of the coast of Newfoundland to save the boy. On his way out, Captain America asks Jarvis to call in Hawkeye to fill in for his monitor duty while he investigates this call for help.
As Captain America is on his way, a strange plastic sphere brings the Swordsman and Power Man to Sea Gull Island where a fortress is hidden within the mountains. When they land inside the citadel the plastic sphere disappears. Their captor addresses them over the intercom and explains that he has brought them here to lay a trap for Captain America. Since both had been defeated by the Star-Spangled Avenger in the past, they are more than eager to have an opportunity for a rematch. So much so, that they aren’t really concerned about who they are working for.[2]
As Captain America’s ship arrives, it too is trapped in a plastic bubble and forced to land. As the bubble dissolves and Cap emerges from the craft he is ambushed by Power Man and Swordsman. Although the villains have the element of surprise, Captain America defeats Power Man by tossing him into a wall of machinery. He then tricks the Swordsman into stabbing another bank of machines, causing him to be electrocuted into unconsciousness.
However, these defeats are of no concern of the mastermind behind this plot. Over the intercom, the villain explains to Captain America how he intends to use the device to create plastic bubbles to imprison the entire island of Manhattan and hold it ransom. Cap is then snared in another bubble and brought before the man behind all of this. The identity of his captor comes as a shock to Captain America.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Swordsman, Power Man, Red Skull (unidentified), Edwin Jarvis
Continuity Notes
At the time of this story, Captain America believed that Bucky had died trying to disarm a bomb on a drone plane as detailed in Avengers #4. Years later, Cap learns that Bucky survived and was brainwashed into becoming a Russian assassin known as the Winter Soldier. See Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
It’s the Red Skull. See next issue. Captain America is shocked to see him because the Red Skull appeared to drown in Tales of Suspense #81.
Topical References
Captain America states here that Bucky has been dead for 2 decades. This should be considered a topical reference. The time between World War II and the Modern Age gets longer as the Sliding Timescale bumps it forward. I go into the math behind this here.
