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This is Denny O’Neil’s first issue, but he’s not joined by artist Luke McDonnell until #161 so it’s not truly the beginning of what will become a very important, excellent run on Iron Man. This is a one-off about a fat kid with powers who is cruel to his mommy. It’s weird and creepy. And the creepiest part is how he eats his breakfast. I remember when I first read this. I was twelve. Those eggs looked absolutely disgusting, and who drinks milk with eggs?!?
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Iron Man gets in the mix because the kid has the power to affect machines, so Tony traces him to his farmhouse and takes him down. After getting stuck in a water tower.
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“I’m more than a tin suit.” It’s a little strange to see Tony denigrate his own tech like that—his armor is clearly not made of tin—especially since all he really did here is beat up a fat kid. But that last panel, where the mom says “hit him again,” caps off the story in as creepy and gross a place where it started.
This is a very different, very icky issue. But it has stuck with me for decades. Especially the eggs.
Also, I like the development of the “villain” in this—it’s rare to see a comic spend so much time on a character who is basically disposable. He’ll never appear again after this.
For those reasons, I’m rating it highly.