In every installment of I Love Ya But You’re Strange I spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories. Feel free to e-mail me at brianc@cbr.com if you have a suggestion for a future installment!

Today, we look at Iron Man's visit to the nascent Comic-Con International in San Diego back in 1974, only four years after the convention debuted (it went by different names early on). This visit is particularly funny for how fans react to Iron Man's recent costume change at the time.

As I've talked about in an old Comic Book Legends Revealed, either an errant comment from Stan Lee (or a misunderstood comment from Stan Lee) led to Iron Man getting a new face mask in Iron Man #68 (by Mike Friedrich, George Tuska and Mike Esposito)...

You have to love the absurd explanation that Friedrich gave for why the armor suddenly had a nose!

Now, naturally, everyone instantly thought it was a terrible idea, Friedrich included, but hey, as far as they knew, Stan Lee wanted it done, so what could anyone else do about it? He said Iron Man has a nose, Iron Man has a nose. That doesn't mean that Friedrich couldn't get in some good-natured ribbing over the situation, though.

In Iron Man #72 (by Friedrich, Tuska and Vince Colleta, with a plot idea by Barry Alfonso, the very young publicist for the con back in those days), Iron Man is visiting the San Diego offices of Stark International and he keeps getting attacked by bad guys. You see, a mysterious villain known as the Black Lama had created this big contest where supervillains competed for ultimate power by doing challenges arranged by the Black Lama, and attacking Iron Man certainly fell into that category.

Anyhow, after Iron Man dealt with some problems at Stark International's San Diego factory, he tried to figure out what to do next. Tony Stark was so bored by the night life that he decided to attend the local comic book convention, which had gained some notoriety even back then...

Since he has been attacked a couple of times, he figures it would be a good idea to go somewhere where he can dress in his costume at all times.

I'm sure there are some notable people in these panels, but I don't recognize anyone. Iron Man, of course, is going with the whole "My name IS Iron Man" bit...

Now here, we get some notable people that I do recognize. There is then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas, who is joking with Mike Friedrich, the writer of the comic book (the "pink slip" bit is especially funny considering Friedrich was off the book 10 issues later). Tom Orzechowski is also there, as is Frank Brunner. Basically the names we saw at the start of the issue on the convention ad.

Why George Tuska is not there is beyond me. Maybe he just never actually attended and they wanted to be realistic and stick with people who actually went to the con? BJO is a reference to Betty JoAnne "BJO" Trimble, the famous Star Trek fan who organized the fan protest that got NBC to give Star Trek a third season. Note that a Star Trek movie was just a few years away!

The fan who is taking issue with Iron Man's nose is, of course, Friedrich himself, who got in a good self-deprecating bit about his own writing.

On the next page, Iron Man visits a masquerade party...

Cap had recently quit being Cap in Steve Englehart's Captain America run.

Then the villains show up!

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Iron Man runs into another Iron Man cosplayer, who is pissed that Iron Man is going with the stupid new nose design...

However, Iron Man is correct - that actually IS the real Melter. He is there to steal the rare comic book on the direction of the Black Lama.

When Iron Man reveals that he is the real Iron Man, the Black Lama then sets a bunch of villains against Iron Man.

In the ensuing fight, the Iron Man cosplayer ends up saving the day!

What an awesome bit. I liked it when the Melter was a legitimate threat.

Anyhow, this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first mainstream comic book ever set at the comic convention in San Diego. Crazy, right?

If anyone has a future idea for I Love Ya But You're Strange, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!