Tales of Suspense, #53 British
Published: May 1964
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Issue Contents:
The Black Widow Strikes Again!
Characters
- Black Widow (mainstream Universe)
- Iron Man (mainstream Universe)
- Natasha Romanoff (mainstream Universe)
- Tony Stark (mainstream Universe)
Credits
- Script: Stan Lee
- Pencils: Jack Kirby
- Inks: Sol Brodsky
- Colors: Stan Goldberg
- Letters: Sam Rosen
- Letters: Artie Simek
Story Notes
Simek lettering credit from George Olshevsky's Marvel Comics Index, although Nick Caputo suspects Simek only lettered the new logo design and Rosen the cover copy. A new logo begins this issue, minimizing "Tales of Suspense" and emphasizing "The Power of Iron-Man".
The Black Widow Strikes Again!
"One evening, in the private laboratory of handsome Tony Stark, an..."
Storyline
To redeem herself in the eyes of the communist leader, Black Widow steals the new anti-grav ray device developed by Tony Stark and attacks Fort Knox. Iron Man destroys the ray device, but the Black Widow escapes.
Characters
- Black Widow (mainstream Universe)
- Crimson Dynamo (mainstream Universe) [Flashback]
- Happy Hogan (mainstream Universe)
- Iron Man (mainstream Universe)
- Nikita Khruschev (mainstream Universe)
- Pepper Potts (mainstream Universe)
- Natasha Romanoff (mainstream Universe)
- Tony Stark (mainstream Universe)
- Boris Turgenev (mainstream Universe) [Flashback]
- Igor
- Stansky
Credits
- Script: Stan Lee
- Script: Michael Ring
- Pencils: Don Heck
- Inks: Don Heck
- Letters: Xenia Pamfil
Story Notes
Job number revealed on original art. Info per Nick Caputo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6a/TalesOfSuspense53splash.jpg/220px-TalesOfSuspense53splash.jpg Black Widow next appears in issue #57 (September 1964).
The Magician
Storyline
A TV studio page and aspiring magician gets a lucky break when he meets a real sorcerer time traveling from the past.
Characters
- Howard
- Uncle Bart
Credits
- Editing: Stan Lee
Story Notes
Text story with illustration. Continues from last issue.
The Omen
"Are you superstitious?"
Storyline
A superstitious warlord thinks a flare of light is a good omen for an invasion, but when it is discovered to be a meteor his entire world must evacuate in order to survive.
Characters
- Lokar
Credits
- Script: Stan Lee
- Script: Larry Lieber
- Pencils: Larry Lieber
- Inks: Jamie Chase
- Letters: Xenia Pamfil
Story Notes
Job number revealed on original art. The splash page title of this feature utilizes the same design as the more modern appearance of the X-men logo, first appearing in X-men #50 (1963) and matching the color scheme in #51 (1963).
Two More Triumphs for Marvel..!
Credits
- Pencils: Jack Kirby
- Pencils: Steve Ditko
- Inks: George Roussos
- Inks: Steve Ditko
Story Notes
Advertises Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel, 1963 series) #12 (May 1964) and Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series) #26 (May 1964)
The Way It Began...
"In a tension-filled operating room, grim-faced doctors labor valiantly to..."
Storyline
The Watcher comes from a super-advanced race that decides to share its technology with others. When their first attempt ends in tragedy they vow never to interfere with the affairs of less advanced species.
Characters
- Emnu (mainstream Universe)
- Ikor (mainstream Universe)
- Uatu (mainstream Universe)
- The Watcher (mainstream Universe)
- Prosilicans
Credits
- Script: Stan Lee
- Script: Larry Lieber
- Pencils: Larry Lieber
- Inks: Paul Reinman
- Letters: Blake Seals
Story Notes
From here on, the Tales of the Watcher stories in Tales of Suspense are about the Watcher and his people.