Tales of Suspense

Tales of Suspense comics initially focused on the sci-fi/monster genre before Marvel redefined the superhero genre, propelling it to new heights.

For its first 38 issues, Tales of Suspense thrived as a monster/sci-fi series. However, in 1961, Marvel shifted focus to superhero titles like Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, leading to the transformation of existing books. The pivotal change occurred in issue #39 with the debut of Iron Man.

Tony Stark, a playboy genius weapons engineer, builds a suit of armor to save his life after being kidnapped. The armor not only keeps him alive but also enables him to escape and become Iron Man. Stark maintains his secret identity by claiming Iron Man is his bodyguard.

Iron Man’s success introduced iconic villains such as The Mandarin, The Melter, and Crimson Dynamo. As Iron Man became the lead feature, Marvel phased out the monster stories and introduced Captain America as a co-feature in 1964.

Captain America, found frozen since the late ’40s, joined the Avengers and quickly got his own spot in Tales of Suspense. These stories featured Steve Rogers grappling with the modern world and flashbacks to WWII with his partner Bucky Barnes, fighting against the Nazis and the Red Skull.

Most of Cap’s Tales of Suspense stories were drawn by Jack Kirby, adding to their appeal. In 1968, both Iron Man and Captain America graduated to their own full-length comic books.

The pre-hero issues of Tales of Suspense remain highly collectible, with early Iron Man and Captain America issues being particularly sought after.