Tales of Suspense #43
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTales of Suspense #43 occupies a dual place in early Marvel history: it marks the first appearance of Kala, Queen of the Netherworld — a subterranean ruler descended from the lost civilization of Atlantis who would go on to menace the Fantastic Four and entangle herself with both the Mole Man and Tyrannus across decades of stories — and it also represents the earliest visual depiction of what will become Stark Industries, Tony Stark's corporation, even though the company is not yet named in these pages. As only the fifth Iron Man story ever published, it belongs to the founding sprint of Marvel's Silver Age superhero line, appearing less than four months after Iron Man's debut in #39 (March 1963), when Stan Lee and his collaborators were still rapidly building the vocabulary of characters, locations, and mythology that would define the Marvel Universe. The issue also showcases a storytelling structure — Tony Stark using his wits inside a hostile lab to covertly rebuild his armor — that foreshadows the resourceful, tech-driven heroism that became central to the character's enduring appeal.
In "Kala, Queen of the Netherworld!", a scientist's theoretical time machine becomes a trap when his envious assistant steals it, only to be stranded in the past as a powerless ghost—unable to change anything, yet forced to witness events unfold. Written by Stan Lee and illustrated with eerie precision by Steve Ditko, this 1963 tale blends scientific ambition with cosmic dread, all framed by Jack Kirby’s dynamic cover and Dick Ayers’ sharp inks.
In "Kala, Queen of the Netherworld!", Iron Man is taken captive by Kala, the enigmatic ruler of an underground realm, who seeks his help to launch an invasion of the surface world. With the help of a young man named Jim and a reluctant ally in General Baxu, Stark must convince Kala that life above ground would be fatal to her—before her ambition leads to disaster.
In "You Can't Change the Past!" from Tales of Suspense #43, scientist Simon Stanley builds a time machine purely to prove it’s possible—never intending to use it, knowing the risks of altering history. His assistant, Jukes, driven by envy and ambition, knocks him unconscious and hijacks the device, only to find himself trapped in the past as a ghostly presence, unable to touch or change anything.
Dirk Morgan, a desperate man fleeing the consequences of a stolen diamond from Venus, finds himself gravely ill from its radiation. With only one doctor in the city who might save him, he’s forced to choose his next target at random—only to discover too late that his choice was fatal.
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The story was produced under the Marvel Method of the era: Stan Lee supplied the plot while Robert Bernstein scripted under the pseudonym 'R. Berns,' a pen name he used regularly at Marvel during this period. Jack Kirby handled pencils and Don Heck provided inks — a division of labor that appears across multiple issues of the early Iron Man run, with Kirby's dynamic page design anchoring the visual energy and Heck's finishes adding a sleeker texture. The issue shipped with a release date of April 9, 1963, and carried a July 1963 cover date, consistent with the roughly three-month lead time standard for the period. Tales of Suspense itself had only converted from a science-fiction/horror anthology to an Iron Man vehicle with #39, so by #43 the creative team was still establishing the character's rogues' gallery and supporting world almost from scratch.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Kala, Queen of the Netherworld (also identified as Queen of Netheria), a subterranean ruler whose people are descendants of the lost continent of Atlantis.
- First visual depiction of Stark Industries — shown as a functioning defense-research plant with security staff — though the company is not referred to by name until a later issue.
- Represents the fifth Iron Man appearance overall, published just four months after the character's debut in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963).
- Credits: plot by Stan Lee, script by Robert Bernstein (as 'R. Berns'), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Don Heck, lettering by Artie Simek.
- Released April 9, 1963; cover-dated July 1963; ran 13 pages for the Iron Man lead story, with additional anthology backup stories filling the rest of the issue.
- Kala's core character concept — beauty preserved only in her subterranean atmosphere, rapid aging upon reaching the surface — was established here and carried forward in all her subsequent appearances, including Fantastic Four #127–128.
- The issue has been reprinted in Essential Iron Man Vol. 1 (Tales of Suspense #39–72), Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1 (Tales of Suspense #39–50), and Iron Man Epic Collection Vol. 1: The Golden Avenger (Tales of Suspense #39–72), making it consistently accessible in collected editions.
- A German-language reprint edition (BSV-Williams, Der Eiserne) was published in 1976, documenting the early international reach of the Iron Man strip.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Journey into Mystery #24 (1955)
Reprinted in Creepy Worlds #36 (1964), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #6 (1966), Fantastic! #7 (1967), Spider-Man Comics Weekly #56 (1974), Spider-Man Comics Weekly #57 (1974), Uncanny Tales #112 (1975), Uncanny Tales #139 (1979), Titan Pocket Book #2 (1980), Amazing Stories of Suspense #203 (1983), Marvel Masterworks #20 (1992), Essential Iron Man #1 (2000), Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man #1 (2003), Biblioteca Marvel: Iron Man #1 (2005), The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus #1 (2008), Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man #1 (2010), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense #4 (2012), Marvel Famous Firsts: 75th Anniversary Masterworks Slipcase Set #8 (2014), Iron Man Epic Collection #1 (2014), Marvel Masters of Suspense: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Omnibus #2 (2019), Coleção Clássica Marvel #8 (2021), Biblioteca Marvel #6 (2023), Biblioteca Marvel: El Invencible Iron Man #1 (2023), The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus #1 [Second Edition] (2023), Marvel Origins #6 (2023) + 3 more
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