Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #54
Published June 1964
Frequency monthly
Cover Price 0.12 USD
Pages 36
Editing Stan Lee
Notes Distributed to newstands in March 1964. This issue includes 10 pages of paid advertisements. Distribution date from Joseph Marek's Marvel Comics Group history website.

Cover Details - "The Mandarin's Revenge!"

Characters Iron Man [Tony Stark]; Mandarin
Genre superhero
Pencils Jack Kirby
Inks Chic Stone
Letters Artie Simek
Notes Letters credits from George Olshevsky's Marvel Comics Index.
Reprinted in Essential Iron Man (Marvel, 2000 series) #1 (2000) [black and white]; in Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man (Marvel, 2003 series) #2 (2004); in Iron Man Omnibus (Marvel, 2008 series) #1 (2008)

13 page Iron Man story "The Mandarin's Revenge!"

Characters Iron Man [Tony Stark]; Mandarin; Pepper Potts; Happy Hogan
Synopsis Tony's observer missiles have failed in Viet Nam. So, he goes to investigate, wich leads him to the Mandarin. He attacks the Mandarin's castle, but he is captured.
Genre superhero
Script Stan Lee
Pencils Don Heck
Inks Don Heck
Letters Artie Simek
Notes The Mandarin last appears in issue #50 (February 1964). This story continues next issue.
Reprinted in Essential Iron Man (Marvel, 2000 series) #1 (2000) [black and white]; in Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man (Marvel, 2003 series) #2 (2004); in Iron Man Omnibus (Marvel, 2008 series) #1 (2008)

1 page text story "Secret Mission"

Characters Ezra Bolton; Prof. Carmichael; Prof. Greever
Synopsis A bookkeeper dreams that he is a government agent hunting a mad scientist with a destructive sound device.
Genre spy
Letters typeset
Notes Sequence inclusion due to David Postle via the GCD Error List (27 February 2007). The first page is printed between the pages of the Iron Man story, while the second page is printed between the back-up story and Tales of the Watcher story. The last page is split with a promo.
Reprinted from Mystic (Marvel, 1951 series) #43 (January 1956)

5 page story "Skrang Strikes Tonight!"

Characters Skrang; Miss Hotchkiss
Synopsis An invincible alien invader has weapons that can disable all Earth's armed forces, but he is frightened off when he see's an old lady's fox-fur collar, since his people have never been able to beat a fox-like alien race, and he thinks that the humans have beat and skinned them.
Genre science fiction
Script Stan Lee (plot), Larry Lieber (script)
Pencils Larry Lieber
Inks Dick Ayers
Letters Artie Simek

Half page promo (ad from the publisher) "Now on Sale!"

Notes Advertises Avengers (Marvel, 1963 series) #5 (May 1964). This shares the last page of "Secret Mission".

5 page Tales of the Watcher story "Hands Off!"

Characters Watcher [Uatu]
Synopsis The Watcher is tempted to break his vow of non-interference, but sees that it is for the best to obey.
Genre science fiction
Script Stan Lee (plot), Larry Lieber (script)
Pencils Larry Lieber
Inks Chic Stone
Letters Artie Simek
Reprinted in Marvel Collectors' Item Classics (Marvel, 1965 series) #10 (August 1967); in Fantastici Quattro, I (Editoriale Corno, 1971 series) #59 (July 10, 1973) [as "GiĆ¹ le mani!", Italian translation]