TALES OF SUSPENSE #47 (1963)

This issue has the origin and first appearance of  The Melter.  How’d he get started?  He was a really, really bad inventor.  He was trying to make an “inspection beam” (is that a flashlight?) but it turned out it could melt iron.  So he strapped it to his chest and attacked Iron Man.

He melts off Iron Man’s arm-armor, and Iron Man beats him by busting a steam pip with magnets.

And for the rematch…

Aluminum.

And then Pepper takes dictation.

Nobody says “we’ve a lot of dictation to catch up on.” I get the sense Stan Lee just had no idea what an exec does during work hours.

These stories are just not good.  The elements of a good hero and villains are there, but it’s just not working.  And what is with all the chest-beams?  Why did Stan Lee think that people would want to wear a weapon on their chest?

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