Tales of Suspense Vol 1 44

File:Tales of Suspense 44.jpg

Tales of Suspense #44, August 1963

Volume: 1
Issue: 44
Month: August
Year: 1963

Credits

1st Story:

Editor: Stan Lee
Writer: Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein
Pencils: Don Heck
Inker Don Heck
Colourist: Not Credited
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Cover Art: Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

Synopsis

1st Story:

"Iron Man Faces the Menace of the Mad Pharaoh!"
Anthony Stark boards a plane to fly to Egypt, where he is to join an old friend of his who is excavating King Hatap's Tomb. He endures some good-natured ribbing from reporters about what he thinks his chances would be to romance a lady like Cleopatra. By the time he gets to the dig site, his archaeologist friend Paul worries that it will take months of aimless digging to find the tomb. Stark offers the services of his "friend" Iron Man, who can use his electronic probes to see through the pyramid walls and locate the tomb. Tony enjoys an evening watching belly-dancers in Cairo before he is taken ill and has to retire to his room and "recharge" his chest plate.

The next morning, Iron Man arrives at the dig site and uses a powerful transistorized fluoroscope to quickly locate the tomb. He then uses his armor’s diamond tipped drills to bore his way into the tomb, doing in only minutes what would have taken the diggers months to accomplish. Inside the tomb, Paul and Iron Man find King Hatap's mummy, which is shrouded in strange wrappings the archaeologist has never seen before (an oddity entirely befitting the man whom Paul calls "The Mad Pharaoh"). Iron Man leaves, only to reappear shortly as Tony Stark. When Stark arrives at the excavation site, Paul informs him that the mummy appears to have been stolen. While Paul is out searching the area, a mystery man approaches Stark in his tent and declares himself to be none other than King Hatap, the Mad Pharaoh. Stark believes the man is telling the truth because of the Sacred Asp ring he wears, which Hatap was depicted wearing in the tomb’s hieroglyphics. Demanding to know more, Hatap tells Stark that he was never dead; in fact, he has just awoken from 2,000 years of suspended animation, initiated when took a magical potion to make him appear dead in order to evade his enemies.

Hatap's plan is to return to his own time and replace his enemy, Cleopatra, as the ruler of Egypt. He conjures a magical plaque and demands that Stark travel back in time with him to aid him in his battle against Cleopatra, or he will allow Paul and his workers to die. After Stark agrees, Hatap disperses the plaque, and rubs a magical golden charm twice, summoning the Chariot of Time, in which they travel back to ancient Egypt.

Once they arrive in Ancient Egypt, Stark rolls down a sand dune out of sight of Hatap and dons his Iron Man armor. As Iron Man, he rises into the sky, causing Hatap to believe he is a monster that has killed Stark. As Hatap flees, Iron Man decides to locate and meet Cleopatra. Along the way, he sees a Roman Legion laying siege to an Egyptian palace and decides to enter the battle on the side of the Egyptians. He manages to topple the marauding legion and send them into a hasty retreat. Once the battle has subsided, Iron Man asks for an audience with Cleopatra, but the thankful Egyptians tell him that she has fled in a barge only minutes earlier. Iron Man chases down the barge and blasts through the hull of a Roman galley which had nearly overtaken the it, causing the galley to sink.

Later, Iron Man is brought into the chambers of the beautiful Cleopatra. He informs her that Hatap has returned from the dead and plans to take over her throne. Cleopatra begs Iron Man to help her rid Egypt of his menace, which he agrees to do. Soon afterwards, Iron Man leads an army of Egyptian soldiers into battle against Hatap and his army. Iron Man attaches caster wheels and a jet engine to his armor, turning himself into a jet-powered human battering ram that quickly demolishes Hatap’s forces, sending them flying. One –on-one, Hatap is no match for Iron Man and attempts to make a quick getaway using his magical golden charm. Iron Man uses a squirt of oil from his armor’s lubrication system to cause Hatap to loose his grip on the charm. As he attempts to catch the falling charm, Hatap trips and falls onto an upturned sword, killing him. Iron Man grabs the charm, and despite an offer from Cleopatra to stay and rule her kingdom with her, uses it to return to 1963.

Back in the future, Paul shows Stark a strange hieroglyphic, which features a character resembling Iron Man seen with Cleopatra.

---

FEATURED CHARACTER(S):

• Iron Man (Tony Stark)

VILLIANS:

• The Mad Pharaoh (First appearance)

OTHER CHARACTERS:

• Cleopatra (First appearance)
• Paul (Archeologist)
• The Roman Legions

LOCATIONS:

• Cairo, Egypt
• Hatap's Tomb, Egypt

ITEMS:

• Iron Man Armor MK II
• Iron Man's Briefcase
• The Chariot of Time

Notes

• This story could not have taken place in 1 AD, as Cleopatra only ruled Egypt from 51 BC - 30 BC; She killed herself in 30 BC when the Romans conquered Egpyt. The presence of a Roman Legion pursuing her indicates this story took place sometime around 30 BC.
• This story features the first time Iron Man utilized his armor's minaiture tear gas bombs, propeller attachment and and jet-caster attachments (a precursor to his boot skates).

Trivia

• Cleopatra would also appear in a Doctor Strange story in Strange Tales 124.

Recommended Readings:

• Iron Man last appeared in Tales of Suspense #43; He appears next as a founding member of the Avengers in Avengers #1.
• Cleopatra appears next in Doctor Strange (Vol 3) #33.

---