Iron Man + Submariner

[DrNewGod]

I've been rereading a wide range of Marvel (DC) month by month and am currently up to 1973. It's struck me that Submariner appeared in Iron Man's book A Lot over the years. Anyone know why?

[SturdyMike89]

I've been rereading a wide range of Marvel (DC) month by month and am currently up to 1973. It's struck me that Submariner appeared in Iron Man's book A Lot over the years. Anyone know why?

It is probably a reference to the fact that they shared a book together called Tales to Astonish back in the late 1960s. Marvel was not allowed to give all their popular characters their own books back then, so they would have 10-page stories each in one book.

[MichaelC]

Namor was part of Iron Man's rogues-gallery for a long time. They share a lot in common that makes them good opponents: Namor is a king, Stark owns a company, Namor weakens because of lack of water, Iron Man weakens as his batteries run out, Stark is concerned with clean energy and avoiding pollution, Namor is violently obsessed with preventing ocean pollution. Namor is, in some ways, a caricature of Stark. So Namor used to show up so often that he almost rivaled The Mandarin for the position of Stark's arch-enemy.

[CaptCleghorn]

There was this single issue which was a one-shot while Marvel was giving each of their shared book heroes their own book. I am positive Marvel is going to come out with another Iron Man and Sub-Mariner book with a new issue one and a small LGY 2 note..

[Englehart Humperdinck]

It is probably a reference to the fact that they shared a book together called Tales to Astonish back in the late 1960s. Marvel was not allowed to give all their popular characters their own books back then, so they would have 10-page stories each in one book.

Tales To Astonish featured Subby and the Hulk. Iron Man appeared alongside Captain America in Tales of Suspense.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It is probably a reference to the fact that they shared a book together called Tales to Astonish back in the late 1960s. Marvel was not allowed to give all their popular characters their own books back then, so they would have 10-page stories each in one book.

Really? Why couldn't they?

Though that might have been a good idea. We all saw what happened with Wolverine...

[Dreaded Porcupine]

Really? Why couldn't they?

Though that might have been a good idea. We all saw what happened with Wolverine...

Because DC distributed these books for Marvel I believe. They only allowed Marvel 12 books to distribute so they had to share. Marvel was still doing Romance and Westerns back then so some of those took up the 12 allotted.

[DrNewGod]

Because DC distributed these books for Marvel I believe. They only allowed Marvel 12 books to distribute so they had to share. Marvel was still doing Romance and Westerns back then so some of those took up the 12 allotted.

Yeah, it was 1968 before the distribution deal changed and there was a sudden explosion of new Marvel titles. It somewhat interests me that Spider-Man, Daredevil and The X-Men all launched in titles of their own well before that. It speaks to the faith Marvel must have had in those characters.

[SturdyMike89]

Tales To Astonish featured Subby and the Hulk. Iron Man appeared alongside Captain America in Tales of Suspense.

Yep, that's absolutely correct. My dumb butt really shouldn't type things when I have been up 32 hours

[jackolover]

Because DC distributed these books for Marvel I believe. They only allowed Marvel 12 books to distribute so they had to share. Marvel was still doing Romance and Westerns back then so some of those took up the 12 allotted.

Maybe Marvel should return to that shared format to give more value to the books by getting two characters instead of one.

[DrNewGod]

Maybe Marvel should return to that shared format to give more value to the books by getting two characters instead of one.

Have anthology books done well since the mid-1970s? Personally, I love them, Avengers Spotlight especially.

[CaptCleghorn]

Have anthology books done well since the mid-1970s? Personally, I love them, Avengers Spotlight especially.

Marvel's made a few attempts. They restarted a Strange Tales series with Dr Strange and Cloak & Dagger which went I think 19 issues. There was also Marvel Comics Presents which was a biweekly with multiple stories which lasted well into three digits. More recently, both Marvel and DC have gotten mileage out of Black White, and other color type books with multiple stories in each issue with the same character, but different creative teams.

[K7P5V]

Maybe Marvel should return to that shared format to give more value to the books by getting two characters instead of one.

Have anthology books done well since the mid-1970s? Personally, I love them, Avengers Spotlight especially.

Marvel's made a few attempts. They restarted a Strange Tales series with Dr Strange and Cloak & Dagger which went I think 19 issues. There was also Marvel Comics Presents which was a biweekly with multiple stories which lasted well into three digits. More recently, both Marvel and DC have gotten mileage out of Black White, and other color type books with multiple stories in each issue with the same character, but different creative teams.

I know, right?! Hopefully not off-topic, but then there were those artistically-painted '90s one-shots of the BIG 3 Marvel anthologies of the '60s

[jackolover]

Have anthology books done well since the mid-1970s? Personally, I love them, Avengers Spotlight especially.

I remember the episodes of Hulk running during Giant Man and the Wasp stories and I looked forward to those long 20 issue serials. The same with Dr Strange serials alongside Human Torch and Thing one shots. They had me entranced.