The History Of Iron Man, Part 1: He Lives! He Walks! He Conquers!

It began in March of 1963. Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee was on a roll, having created Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and Thor in the preceding year, all of which would quickly become flagship characters for the label, and eventually star in TV shows, video games, and movies. His next major creation came in Tales of Suspense issue #39, titled Iron Man Is Born! The issue was scripted by Lee's brother Larry Lieber based on a story that Lee wrote himself, and was penciled by legendary artist Don Heck.

At the time, Vietnam was the most violent place in the world and the war itself was picking up faster and faster. Communism was public enemy number one and war profiteers were a close second. Perhaps the reason Iron Man has been so popular throughout his history was because of his constantly-updating relevance to current events, as was portrayed in his origin and, more recently, his movie. Since Iron Man's identity and powers are technology-driven and man-made, the character has been able to continue updating itself to keep up with the times, resulting in a lasting quality that a lack of has caused other heroes to fade into obscurity.

And so, in this time when weapons manufacturers, industrialists and many politicians were hated by the general public of the United States for their critical involvement in an increasingly unpopular war, Stan Lee had the idea to take one of these despised characters and make him one of the most admired and cherished fictional peronas in culture: a super hero. But how could he create a protagonist who exemplified this position but was still likeable and believeable as a hero?

The answer came in Anthony Edward Stark, a young, handsome, charming, wealthy, and intelligent playboy industrialist weapons designer who made millions selling his futuristic inventions to the United States government. He was exactly the kind of man America loved to hate. Tony was based on Howard Hughes - he was a test pilot for the future, strong-willed, genius, and a just a little bit insane.In Tales #39, we are introduced to the character as he demonstrates his new invention to the Army, deep in the heart of the Communist empire--Vietnam. After the demonstration, Tony and his military escort are walking through the jungle back to the base when the escort springs an explosive booby trap.

 Lying wounded on the jungle floor, Tony is discovered and captured by the red leader Wong-Chu, and when Tony awakens, he is informed of the grim truth: in the explosion, a piece of shrapnel was lodged in his chest and draws nearer to piercing his heart with every beat. They tell Tony that he is to make weapons for them, and if he does, they will save him. He knows they're lying. With the help of fellow prisoner and scientist Ho Yinsen, He constructs an invincible iron suit, the chestpiece of which will keep his heart beating as long as he is wearing it and it is charged. But as Tony finishes dressing himself in the armor, Wong-Chu's men become suspicious and come to investigate. In order to buy Tony more time, Yinsen selflessly uses himself as a distraction, and is murdered by the reds. Tony then blasts his way out of the compound, freeing himself and avenging his good friend's death.

The issue was a hit. Iron Man was becoming popular and it was still the beginning of a long and still-running reign for the righteous Golden Avenger.

To be continued...

Rrrrr...

Things always spin out of control.

I hate it and I'm being a control freak and I know it but come on, it's human nature to want to be in control of things. Especially the things I know are best. I know I have to choose what's right and do the right thing but I'm being tossed around by circumstances and life right now and it seems that nothing that happens is up to me. That I have no influence over what happens in my own life. In fact I know I don't. No one does. No one gets to decide one thing about what happens to them, only what we do about it.
It sucks, right?
Am I being teased or something? I know I have a great life. An amazing life, really, and I'm thankful for all of it, truly. But sometimes it seems like something so great is just out of my reach, and right when I'm getting close it turns to dust. Or spits in my face or something like that.
I want what's best for my loved ones, I really do. But how can I help that when they're doing what isn't necessarily best for themselves? I don't know. And they make up their minds. I try to help them acheive or do what's best but they want something else and now and they're not looking far enough ahead to see what I am. And I'm sure it goes the other way. I know there's people who just think, "Connor, come on. Help me out here, you're being stupid and you need to listen and realize sometimes your own perspective isn't enough." And I bet I'm the same way about it too. "Nope, I got this. I know what I'm doing, and I'll be fine."
You can never accept that the choices you make, we make I should say, that are what we want right now, down the road they can lead to a million terrible things.
You see, people start to miss something that may be gone for good reason, or want something, and they want or miss it so bad that they go looking for it, and they force themselves to find it, often in a place or person that isn't the best. We want it so bad we don't really think about where we get it from as long as we get it. And that's what goes down that road, where bad things happen. I've seen it countless times. And I have to admit, I haven't always handled my friends going down that path in the best way. It's been some dark stuff for me too. But it's so worth it to take your time, and think, and make sure that what you're getting is the real deal, the best there is. Sometimes you need to ask someone close to you who cares about you what that may or may not be. But nobody wants to. It's worth it to make sure that what you're getting isn't just a quick fix for this desire you have. Maybe the desire itself isn't even of any real inportance. It's ok to listen to your friends.
Maybe this thing you want isn't meant for you to worry about for a long time. Maybe it's been in front of you for a long time, hiding, or right in your face, and you haven't noticed it. Point is, we should be striving for what we know is best for us. Being a futurist, I try to look ahead as far as I can. But sometimes to get a better view you need another pair of eyes. If you cover up one of your own eyes, you lose depth perception and can't see how far away things are. But as soon as you bring in that other eye, which is looking from a different angle, things become clear. They become deep and the dimensions really come out. And you can see how far away these things really are. And how far they really go, and where.
Now hopefully my blog hasn't been compromised and only a few of my close friends are able to read this, so I can say things in such a way that I can make it be like me speaking to you, you few who I am comfortable expressing myself to. I want what's best for all of my loved ones. I wish they knew how serious I am about that. I wish you knew. If I mean anything by all of this that I'm writing, it's that I'm right here, guys. I've always been here and I always will be right here.



On another note, conference just ended. Gotta say I like it more every time. Monson is such a stud! Maybe I'm growing up. I'm growing closer to the gospel and it's good, I can feel it. Everything that happens now hits me harder and stronger. It's like my sensitivity to emotion and the Spirit are amplified. I feel stronger spiritually and more righteous. I feel like I stand tougher and it's easier to choose and stand for what's right. Feels great. I hope I can shed some of that off on others. IF they don't take me for granted.
It happens.

Oh well. That's all I got for now. Love and peace, adios

Skype

       Yeah, Skype. I'm on it right now, actually. With Stevie!  Look at those big blue eyes.

This thing's pretty cool. I recommend it to anyone with a computer and a webcam. It's super fun and...peachy.

All my roomates and I are sick *cough cough* it's the worst. Colten especially, I feel bad.

Big game tomorrow too. We're playing a team of seasoned athletes and I want to win but I don't know if we can.

I found a scripture that's really cool as well: 3 Nephi 16: 6-7. Goodnight friends and followers

It Never Ends

When I say that, I mean the chaos in my room never ends. I'm the only one with a keyboard in his room, so naturally everyone packs in who wants to mess with it. I don't mind as long as it doesn't get too late. T Brady's here too, which I appreciate. He's a great guy.
Jaron stops in for visits every few minutes but he won't sing with us. Maybe someday--Josh, Colten, Tyler and I just finished performing Can You Feel The Love Tonight and it was a blast.
We won our first game today too. Flag football, that is, 12-0. I really love coaching but the team has a way to go before we can be champions. I think I'm gonna start some laundry and get on my homework, which I've been putting off for over a week. I love my roommates. It's crazy here but it's fun. Much love to all one of my followers. Ciao for now!

The Invincible...

Oh, how I love Iron Man. So much. I love the movie, I love the character, I love the comics, everything. I love Iron Man things. I love things with Iron Man on them. I'm really passionate about this. It just fascinates me, the stories, the science, how interesting the character of Tony Stark is, just how awesome he is as a hero. And it all started here:
Iron Man Volume 3 #17. My dad bought it for me when I was about six years old, or something like that. I forget. If you look on the cover you can see that Iron Man is fighting a dragon on the Space Needle. At the time I lived in Seattle, so you can imagine the best thing imaginable for a kid like me was to see a golden robotic-looking superhero fighting a dragon in the city where I lived. And it was. I loved it. I read that one issue dozens of times, and eventually decided to track down the next one, then the next one, and then, well...the rest is history, I guess.

Second Post

Hi - I feel like I should give a shoutout to those special people I know. Let's start one at a time:

Brad and Sean (sorry, two at a time) - My boys. My brothers, my band. My go-to guys for anything I need. I've had more good times with these dudes in the last year than anyone else in my whole life. I live far away now, from Brad, and he is a bum and will not visit me often enough. But that won't come between us--we're too good of a team, he and I.
Sean is nearby though, as always, and one of my best buds here at college. He's a good guy, really human and really down to earth.
They're a talented couple of people, I admire them, I respect them, and I value our frienship greatly. Love you guys--now, I can't forget...

...Brandon! Brandon Allen, BA, Mack Manzanga - in actuality, he is every bit my brother as Sean and Brad, the crew, my entourage, etc. But he has a seperate picture. What a little stud. I hate him. This is a guy who could wash his body using attractive women as shower loofahs. Yet he doesn't.

I don't get it either.

But he's my pal, and the quadfectum is not the quadfectum without him. I love this guy! We're a dynamic duo, we are.

Patrick has been my good friend for a really, really long time. Dang. And it's been awesome, every minute of it. We got a lot in common. We get along well - he is a man of class and excellent taste. And he's been there through my good times and my bad, as I hope I have been for him. He's off away at college now but I can still skype his Peruvian behind whenever I want to discuss the finer things.
Patrick has a really sick longboard. Ask him about it.
I look at this guy and I see talent, potential, and that genuine goodness that is so rare these days--he is ever reliable and never less than a top-quality friend. Here's to a long future, brother.

Ah! Stevie!
The girl is a breath of fresh air, she really is. She's the only person who's a blond, black, brunette and burgandy bombshell. Ever. There's really something special about this one. As close as we've gotten, and as fast--I don't know. It's made an impact on me. A significant one.
Stevie's funnier than me. She's beautiful and clever and her family is an absolute blast - I have the most fun with her but also the most etifying experience getting to know her, and I feel really priveleged and blessed because of it.

Densleeeeyyyyyyyyyy. I promise I'm having a good time in that picture. She's really something else though. Rachel has the sense of humor of a boy. As in she likes dirty jokes, making fun of people and laughing at others' expense or when they become annoyed or upset.
I can relate to that.
She's a pretty good time, even if she is a little bit crazy. Deep down inside, I know there's a sweet girl with a wonderful heart.

Densley, don't correct me anymore. I don't like it.

I can't not write about Tabitha. We shared a strong like for a very long time. And even though I've been grumpy with her lately, I can't ingore how monumental those several months were. She's the closest thing to a High School sweetheart I have, and I will always love her. She changed my life drastically and taught me a lifetime's worth in the time we were together. I hope the best for you, Tab. And I hope we remain close for a very long time.

I'm out of pictures, but I'm not finished yet. Geoff, Gun, Nick, we've been friends for a long time and I value that, you're great guys. Lexi, you're very special to me as well, and you know it.

I am nothing without my family, I love them infinitely.

My home: Colbey, Jaron, Colten, Josh, Zach, you are my family as well and I love living with you. That's all I can do for now, farewell.

First Real Post

Hi. I wanna get this up. To be honest, I expect no one to be reading this, but I'm writing it anyway. Huh.
Maybe it'll be fun to read in a few years or something.

Anyway, my name is Martin. Connor Martin. I don't know how much I should put about myself on the internet because of the obvious safety risk. I will say, however, that I am poor and not worth robbing, I am unimportant and not worth murdering, and I am in no way cute or precious and therefore not worth raping. So all you creeps out there, look somewhere else.
I'm listening to Forty-Six & 2 as I write this.
Which brings me to what I want to say next, which is that I love music. If I had it my way, I would be a professional musician, but since I like to think realistically, I know not to take that goal too seriously. I play a few instruments--I am in no way a virtuoso at any of them, if that makes sense, but I love it. Love recording and writing. I know a lot of people frown upon it, but I love metal. I love classical, too, and rock, and folk. Real music. That's a big thing for me.
Next, art. I love it just as much. Music is art, but what I'm talking about is the visual bid'ness. I'm enchanted by the stuff, it's weird. I'm studying it in college right now, and it's great. Right now it looks as if that's what's gonna provide for me for the rest of my life. I love to paint and draw, and cut things, not in a violent way but woodcut and things like that. Sculpting is cool but I'm no good. I want to be great at this because it is gratifying. If you read my blog you'll hear a lot about this. Let's move on.
I love my church. I am an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I love that, too. It's the right thing for me and it's true and the most important thing in my life.
Iron Man! I love Iron man. He's the coolest. More on that later.
I have to stop typing now--come again soon.

Ma grumpiness

This is a test - go seahawks