{"product_id":"tales-of-suspense-57-september-1964","title":"Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe First Appearance \u0026amp; Origin of Hawkeye (Clint Barton)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Note from the Shop Keeper (Or: Why We Are Here)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is something inherently absurd about the fact that an adult human being—presumably with bills, a tax footprint, and dentist appointments—will willingly part with hard-earned legal tender to own thirty-two pages of sixty-year-old newsprint depicting a man in a violet leather cowl shooting suction-cup arrows at a walking iron radiator. And yet, here we are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are reading this, you already know that \u003ci\u003eTales of Suspense #57\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the pillars of Silver Age Marvel history. You also know that you want it. Let us get through the details together so you can return to pretending you bought this as an \"investment.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Story Recap (In Which Bad Decisions Are Made)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStan Lee and Don Heck bring us the maiden voyage of Clint Barton, a carnival archer known as \"The Marksman\" who possesses world-class precision and remarkable lapses in judgment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter witnessing Iron Man rescue a crowd, Clint concludes that the logical response to seeing a high-tech armored superhero is to craft a purple outfit, make a quiver of trick arrows, and patrol the streets himself. Naturally, on his very first night out, a burglar flees the scene, leaving a sack of stolen jewels at Clint’s feet. When the police arrive, they make the reasonable assumption that the grown man lurking in the dark wearing a mask and holding stolen diamonds is, in fact, the thief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile fleeing the authorities, Clint runs into the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), who is lounging in the back of a chauffeur-driven limousine like a glamorous Soviet headache. Clint falls hopelessly in love within four seconds. Natasha—recognizing a useful idiot when she sees one—convinces him that if he really loves her, he will murder Iron Man for her. What follows is a romantic tragicomedy of trick arrows, high-voltage armor, Soviet espionage, and severe career miscalculations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollector Significance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKey Silver Age Debut:\u003c\/b\u003e First appearance and origin of \u003cb\u003eHawkeye (Clint Barton)\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEssential Character Arc:\u003c\/b\u003e Features early appearances of the \u003cb\u003eBlack Widow\u003c\/b\u003e before her hero redemption arc, establishing the iconic Hawkeye\/Black Widow partnership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSilver Age Marvel Holy Grail:\u003c\/b\u003e An essential key issue for any serious Iron Man, Avengers, or 1960s Marvel collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eExhaustively Honest Condition Report\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEstimated Grade:\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003e1.5 (Fair\/Good) to 2.0 (Good)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e(Approx. 1.8 GD-)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI believe in brutal honesty, because nothing ruins a afternoon quite like opening a cardboard mailer to discover a comic book that looks worse than described. This copy has lived a full, somewhat chaotic life since 1964:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFront Cover:\u003c\/b\u003e Shows heavy, honest wear. There is a pencil\/ink notation reading \u003ci\u003e\"2 for 54\"\u003c\/i\u003e near the top-right green box—placed there decades ago by a newsstand clerk who had no idea this paper would outlive his store. The top right corner and top edge exhibit paper loss and chipping that look suspiciously like someone got impatient opening a box in 1965. Expect color-breaking creases, surface scuffing, and general age soiling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpine \u0026amp; Binding:\u003c\/b\u003e Moderate spine stress with color-breaking ticks and a mild spine roll. Both staples remain firmly attached to the cover and centerfold, holding the book together with admirable mid-century resolve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBack Cover:\u003c\/b\u003e Features significant foxing, age-toning, and surface dirt. There is a noticeable brown moisture stain hugging the bottom corner\/edge—a artifact, no doubt, from someone’s ring of iced tea during the Johnson administration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eInterior:\u003c\/b\u003e Complete and fully readable. Pages have aged to a mellow cream\/off-white tone. The panels remain vibrant, and Don Heck’s artwork is entirely intact without missing cutouts or coupon clippings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"The Grumpy Apothecary","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55880323530825,"sku":null,"price":245.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/grumpycomics.com\/products\/tales-of-suspense-57-september-1964","provider":"The Grumpy Apothecary","version":"1.0","type":"link"}