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Cover: Gil Kane & Frank Giacoia

Iron Man #52

Name: Iron Man #52
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Nov 1972 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“Raga: Son of Fire”

About this Issue

Iron Man #52 marks the first appearance of Raga, Son of Fire — a fire-channeling cult leader who operates in the Santa Monica Mountains and serves as the opening chapter of a two-part story that feeds directly into the Black Lama arc, one of writer Mike Friedrich's most ambitious Bronze Age narratives for the title. The issue also advances the ongoing subplot of Marianne Rodgers and her destabilizing ESP, a storyline that reflects the early-1970s Marvel interest in psychic phenomena as a metaphor for personal unraveling. Though Raga himself did not become a recurring threat, this issue functions as a bridge between Iron Man's grounded superhero adventures and the increasingly cosmic direction the series would take in the issues immediately following. It also features a striking bondage-style cover by Gil Kane, a hallmark of Bronze Age cover design that collectors have long associated with the era's distinctive visual identity.

In "Raga: Son of Fire," Iron Man faces a terrifying adversary whose very form defies physics—Raga, a being of molten fury whose power turns armor to slag and steel to liquid. Written by Mike Friedrich and brought to life with dynamic art by George Tuska and Vince Colletta, this 1972 classic sees Tony Stark pushed to his limits in a battle where fire itself is the enemy. The cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia captures the intensity of the clash in striking detail.

writer Mike Friedrich · artist George Tuska · inker Vince Colletta · letterer John Costanza · cover Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $21

CGC 9.8 · 6 in census $2,185

CGC 9.6 · 16 in census $310*

CGC 9.4 · 24 in census $179

CGC 9.2 · 12 in census $126*

CGC 9.0 · 9 in census $103*

CGC 8.5 · 12 in census $76

Show all 19 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $76*

CGC 7.5 · 7 in census $68*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $53

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $52*

CGC 6.0 · 5 in census $45

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $39*

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $37*

CGC 4.5 · 2 in census $34*

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $32*

CGC 3.5 none in existence

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $24*

CGC 2.5 none in existence

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

Raw — NM ▾ $5.19–$24 2 listings

NM $5.19 NM $24

Raw — VF $1.99 1 listing

Raw — VERY FINE ▾ $24.99–$29.99 2 listings

VERY FINE $24.99 VERY FINE $29.99

Raw — FN+ $19.86 1 listing

Raw — FN ▾ $8.99–$27 5 listings

FN $8.99 FN $9.99 FN $10 FN $12 FN $27

Raw — FINE ▾ $7.99–$19.99 2 listings

FINE $7.99 FINE $19.99

Raw — VG+ ▾ $14.99–$24 2 listings

VG+ $14.99 VG+ $24

Raw — VG $19 1 listing Raw — VERY GOOD $10 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $4.2–$30 20 listings

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History

The issue was written by Mike Friedrich, who was steering the Iron Man title through its early Bronze Age phase under editor-in-chief Roy Thomas. Interior art was penciled by George Tuska and inked by Vince Colletta, the regular creative team on the book at the time, while the cover was penciled by Gil Kane and inked by Frank Giacoia — a split between cover and interior artists common at Marvel in this period. Friedrich's run on the title is notable for weaving together socially resonant villains and personal drama for Tony Stark, and the Raga two-parter sits at the midpoint of that run before Jim Starlin's arrival on the cosmic storylines beginning with issue #55.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Raga, Son of Fire (villain), a charismatic cult leader who can channel his rage into intense heat and pyrokinetic power, making his debut in the California Redwoods.
First appearance of Sister Cynthia (Cynthia Chong), a member of Raga's commune whose forbidden romance with an outsider triggers the issue's central conflict.
Written by Mike Friedrich with interior pencils by George Tuska, inks by Vince Colletta, and lettering by John Costanza.
Cover penciled by Gil Kane and inked by Frank Giacoia; the composition is a classic Bronze Age bondage-style image of Iron Man restrained.
Edited by Roy Thomas, then Marvel's editor-in-chief, who oversaw the title's transition into its cosmic period.
The issue also advances the Marianne Rodgers subplot: she experiences a violent ESP episode at her new job, damaging a computer lab and being presumed mentally unstable.
This issue introduces a new upgrade to the Iron Man armor: solar-charged integrated circuits installed via steel-mesh fabric into what the Marvel Database identifies as the Model 3 / Mk IV armor.
The story continues directly into Iron Man #53 (December 1972), which resolves the Raga conflict and introduces the Black Lama, launching a longer story arc that would eventually connect to Jim Starlin's Thanos saga beginning in issue #55.