(Cover Date: January, 1970)

Summary: Iron Man finds a new Crimson Dynamo frightening Janice Cord at Cord Industries. After a brief fight, the Crimson Dynamo runs away & is revealed to be Cord head scientist, Alex Niven. Tony decides to retire as Iron Man due to the strain it is putting on his synthetic heart tissue, which could prove fatal. Tony recruits Eddie March, a retired boxer, who is a big fan of Iron Man. Eddie, as Iron Man, is confronted by the Crimson Dynamo while checking out a smuggling operation. The Crimson Dynamo fights against Iron Man to prove he is superior. A doctor tells Tony that Eddie retired due to a blood clot in his brain. Tony flies toward the scene in his own suit of Iron Man armor. Refusing to be beaten, Eddie tries to rise after being battered to the ground by the Crimson Dynamo. more

Unfortunately, one of those issues that focus only on fighting

(Cover Date: December, 1969)

Summary: Lucifer gives discontented SI security guard, Charlie Gray, his ionic power to bring Tony Stark to him so that he can build a receiver that will allow him to escape the dimension that he is trapped within. After finding Charlie causing a disturbance, his wife crashes the gate at SI to warn Tony that Charlie is coming for him. IM fights Charlie after he crashes into Tony's lab. After knocking IM out to take him to Lucifer, Charlie's wife talks Charlie into quitting this life. Lucifer's power fades due to the fighting, & Charlie returns to normal, regretting what he's done. more

3 years for this story to continue... And a total change of a course. I dunno, it's still okay, but weird as hell...

Interesting beginning.

(Cover Date: November, 1969)

Summary: At Avengers Mansion, Cap announces to the reporters that Tony's heart operation was a success. Later, back at his lab, Tony is abducted by Madame Masque & taken to Midas. Midas threatens to kill Tony unless he signs over his wealth. Madame Masque releases Tony from his cell. Tony recognizes her as Whitney Frost when she takes off her mask. After being trapped in a laser beam cage by Midas, Tony dons his Iron Man armor from his attache case & escapes from it with Madame Masque. Tony fights against Midas, who uses the weaponry built into his mobile throne. Tony damages the throne, knocking Midas off. Midas is unable to move due to his great weight. As Tony & Madame Masque escape on a hydrofoil, there is an explosion on the island. While Tony is passed out, Madame Masque decides to leave him & dives into the water. more

Losing the Light

This is a fitting conclusion to this adventure. As The feud between Batman and Joker was already long lived in those days it wasn't too surprising The Joker came to realize this wasn't the one he's always known and been beaten the crap out of by for all those years. After that he really loses it. He doesn't seem to care how it's done, just that he kills the imposter. One irony is Joker's Siskel and Ebert impersonators finally agree on something and he blows them away for it (In #671 he asks if it would kill them to agree on something). Azrael proves he's too unstable once more when he prepares to execute Joker just before the police show up to stop him. Meanwhile Bullock, who knows the Joker too well orders him cuffed, no matter if he is unconscious (Bullock: "I don't care if he's wearing a toe tag. CUFF HIM!" Great line). And what more exciting way to end it than Joker still getting away? more

Smash Cut

Dealing with Azrael as Batman wasn't always easy. But the combined talent of Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan sure helped. As the story continues, Joker plans to offer a big reward to whoever finishes Batman off, and meanwhile sets a trap for the cops. Meanwhile Azrael/Batman finds himself facing one cinematic threat after another from a trap door with prop aligators below to a '20s comedy pie fight. This proves to the temporary Batman that the Joker is no ordinary opponent.
This was the best storyline in Knightquest and is still one of my favorite works by Dixon and Nolan. Geeze, I sure miss their Batman work. more