Iron Man and Sub-Mariner
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Iron Man and Sub-Mariner is a one-shot comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1968. It is notable for being the first Marvel title to be intentionally published for only one issue, as it existed to use up two half-length stories left over after Marvel began its expansion and the characters were to be given their own solo titles.
Iron Man and Sub-Mariner does not feature a team-up of the title characters, nor a complete story for either. The Iron Man tale is continued from Tales of Suspense #99 (March 1968) and continues in Iron Man #1 (May 1968). The Sub-Mariner story continues from Tales to Astonish #101 (March 1968), and continues in Sub-Mariner #1 (May 1968).
The stories were: an 11-page Iron Man tale, "The Torrent Without, The Tumult Within", credited to Stan Lee and Archie Goodwin as writers, with art by penciler Gene Colan and inker Johnny Craig, a former EC Comics great; and an 11-page Sub-Mariner story, "Call Him Destiny, or Call Him Death", credited to Lee and Roy Thomas as writers, with art by Colan and inker Frank Giacoia. The latter tale retold the Sub-Mariner's origin and introduced the supervillain Destiny.
At least one previous Marvel title had lasted only one issue, though unintentionally: the predecessor company Timely Comics' August 1940 title Red Raven Comics, which because of low sales became Human Torch Comics with #2, dropping all features from the debut issue.
[edit] Homage
Amalgam Comics, a 1996-1997 Marvel and DC Comics intercompany crossover of 24 one-shot titles featuring combined versions of the two companies' characters, included Iron Lantern #1 (June 1997), with the star an amalgam of Marvel's Iron Man and DC's Green Lantern. That story references the faux one-shot Iron Lantern vs. Mariner (never published in real life). The character Mariner is an amalgam of Marvel's Sub-Mariner and DC's Aquaman.
