Biography of the Human Torch, 1964

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The following is a biography of the Human Torch for the year of 1964, in which the Torch formed a regular duo with the Thing, a subset of the Fantastic Four. Johnny Storm also briefly reunited with his father, Franklin Storm, before Franklin bravely gave his life to protect the team.

Biography

Under the thrall of the Puppet Master

While flying over the city, Torch was suddenly overcome with the urge to visit Alicia Masters, the Thing's girlfriend, and make a pass at her. This was secretly due to the Puppet Master (incidentally, Alicia's stepfather), who had narrowly escaped death by giant squid in his last encounter with the Fantastic Four, and was now controlling Johnny from afar. Torch flew to Alicia's apartment and hit on her just as Thing was walking in. The two began fighting, Torch influenced by Puppet Master's control and Thing blinded by jealous rage. The fight was intense, but their friendship subconsciously prevented each of them from doing serious damage to the other. As the two fought through the city, Puppet Master himself made his presence felt, though Alicia also soon arrived. Alicia and her stepfather repeatedly traded mental influence over the Torch, and eventually he burned the puppet in the villain's hand, burning and injuring him. Realizing the true culprit, Thing went to beat up the Puppet Master, but Alicia pleaded with him to show mercy. Thing released him, allowing the Puppet Master to escape, and the two heroes made up once more.[1] Shortly afterward, Johnny held a party at his girlfriend Doris' home, which was crashed by Spider-Man. The two fought until the rest of the Fantastic Four appeared to break it up.[2]

Return of the Eel

Torch soon heard a news report on the Eel leaving prison: he misinterpreted it to mean that the criminal had escaped, when in fact he had been released after having served his sentence. Torch embarrassed himself trying to turn in the Eel after he had done nothing wrong. Nonetheless, Johnny was convinced that the Eel would soon be back to his old ways, and a report on the robbery of a stamp shop nearby seemed to suggest Eel's involvement. Torch put a fake piece in the newspaper mentioning a priceless gem, baiting Eel into a penthouse apartment where he caught him in the act. The slippery Eel was able to escape, but Torch felt vindicated in his suspicions. Johnny went to the aquarium to track down the Eel, and was quickly ambushed by his foe. The two did battle, and the Eel got an upper hand by employing "asbestos grease" against Torch's fiery powers. Nonetheless, Storm outsmarted the Eel once more, and the criminal was again brought to justice.[3]

The Wizard's disguise

The Wizard was able to escape from prison yet again by disguising himself as a guard. He escaped with an anti-gravity device that he developed in the prison workshop, allowing him to fly in short bursts. Realizing that any hideout he could establish would only be found out, and decided instead to disguise himself as his foe, the Human Torch. He baited Torch with a letter posing as a TV producer, trapping and binding him in his makeshift studio and assuming his identity. He used his anti-gravity device and a "cold-flame unit" to complete the effect. He made his way to Torch's home and incapacitated his sister Sue Storm with sleeping gas. Wizard stored the Storm siblings inside a large three-dimensional advertisement for matches in Times Square: effectively a giant matchbox. He believed that there was no escape from the structure, and casually hid out in the Storm household. The Torch was able to escape however, and chased Wizard down until the villain was forced to turn his anti-gravity device into overdrive, sending himself flying off into the stratosphere to an unknown fate.[4] Around this time, the Fantastic Four defeated the returning Mole Man,[5] Doctor Doom,[6] and the Infant Terrible.[7]

The communist Rabble Rouser

Torch soon suffered a series of indignities: Doris Evans left him for another boy; he wasn't picked for the football team; and the rest of the Fantastic Four left on vacation without him so that he could focus on school. On top of that, he was being run down in public by a man known as the Rabble Rouser, who declared Torch a menace to society. The Rouser's influence, secretly heightened by a will-sapping wand, resulted in an ordinance being passed that outlawed Torch's flame. The frustrated Torch brazenly flamed on in front of a police officer, but fled to New Jersey before any action could be taken. Upset with himself, Torch returned to New York and decided to lay low. He observed the arrival of a visiting foreign dignitary, which was dramatically kidnapped by a large burrowing vehicle piloted by the Rabble Rouser. Torch was given permission by the mayor to flame on, and gave chase through the underground of New York. He soon caught up with the Rouser, learning that he was a communist agent sent in to undermine America's foreign relations. Torch got a hold of the Rouser's wand, using it on him to make him loyal to the United States instead. Torch destroyed the wand, releasing the hypnotic hold that the Rouser had on the citizens. Doris returned to Johnny, saying that she only left to make him jealous.[8]

Iceman and the Barracuda

Torch soon began to hear of Iceman, a cocky teenage mutant hero and member of the X-Men whom the media repeatedly compared to the Torch. Johnny was expectedly frustrated with this, but decided to take his mind off of it by taking Doris out on a cruise down the river that many other teenagers would be attending. On the cruise, Johnny met a teenage boy who was attempting to hit on Doris: unbeknownst to him, this was Bobby Drake, secretly Iceman. Johnny, whose heroic alterego was public knowledge, demonstrated his powers to Bobby, who couldn't reciprocate in kind for fear of exposing his mutanthood. Before long, the ship was besieged by pirates led by the Barracuda. Barracuda's savvy battle tactics proved a formidable match for the teenage heroes, but their combined efforts were enough to incapacitate the pirate leader long enough for the police to arrive.[9]

The Plantman returns

Soon after, Torch was suddenly awoken from his bed by a splash of water: it was an animated plant courtesy of the Plantman, who had built a new plant ray and resumed his life of crime. Plantman arrogantly declared his next crime to the Torch, who was unable to flame on, and by the time he was dry had just missed Plantman robbing a hotel safe. Planning for their next confrontation, Torch asked Thing to watch over Doris, realizing the perilous connection she had with Plantman. Torch soon received a letter challenging him to a fight at the botanical gardens and eagerly accepted. Their fight was evenly matched until Torch sent a signal into the air calling for the police. Plantman attempted to blackmail the hero with the fact that he'd sent a plant to attack Doris, but Thing's protection caused Plantman's backup plan to backfire. The police overwhelmed Plantman and he was finally brought into justice, but continued to vow revenge.[10]

Doctor Doom's trio of henchmen

Relaxing at home one day, Torch was approached at the door by a journalist from an automobile-enthusiast magazine asking for an interview. The man was in fact Harry Phillips in disguise, a former henchman of Doctor Doom and enemy of the Fantastic Four. When Torch had been lulled into a false sense of security, Phillips was joined by Yogi Dakor and Bull Brogin, and the three were able to abduct Torch in an asbestos blanket. They left him in a trailer far away, which was also lined with asbestos, and declared their intentions to take the rest of the Fantastic Four in Doom's honor. With that, the three left for the Storm home to kidnap Invisible Girl. Realizing he couldn't burn the trailer itself, Torch created a large amount of smoke that seeped outside, catching the attention of the local fire department, who arrived and freed him. Johnny knew that Sue was out at the movies with Reed, luckily giving him some time to fight off Phillips and the others. He returned home and handily defeated the criminals.[11] Around this time, the Fantastic Four teamed up with the Avengers to defeat the Hulk;[12][13] utilized the services of Doctor Strange to rescue Invisible Girl from Namor;[14] and fought the usually heroic team of mutants known as the X-Men, who were being manipulated by the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master.[15]

Johnny and Ben unite

While on a double date with Alicia and Doris at a drive-in restaurant, Torch and Thing witnessed a costumed villain calling himself the Beetle robbing the register. Though they were able to get the register back, the Beetle fled, flying off into the sky. Torch chased after him, but was repelled by the Beetle's steel, asbestos-coated wings. The next day, the Beetle attempted to rob the world's fair in town, but was this time stopped by the heroes and brought to justice. He vowed revenge as he was dragged away by police.[16] Some time later, Thing went to Torch's home in Glenville to inform him that his old foe Paste-Pot Pete had been paroled. Torch already knew this however, and didn't consider it his concern, leaving to go on a date with Doris. As Thing left in his segment of the Fantasticar, he was attacked by Pete himself, who had been watching from the shrubs nearby. Pete eventually took control of the vehicle, trailing Thing behind him on a strand of paste. While out bowling with Doris, Torch received a signal that the Fantasticar was being used by an intruder. He flamed on and flew off, much to Doris's dismay. Pete took Thing to his rented glue factory, securing him to the wall with ultra-strong paste. Torch soon arrived, and the two managed to beat Pete into submission and leave him for the police. Torch returned to Doris, who forgived him upon understanding the situation.[17]

A misunderstanding with Namor

While relaxing at the Baxter Building, Torch and Thing heard a warning that Namor the Sub-Mariner had been spotted swimming towards New York harbor. Believing that he was attempting another invasion, the two heroes left to fight Namor, not bothering to contact Reed and Sue, who were out elsewhere. They met and fought Namor in the sea, and the Sub-Mariner put up a significant fight but eventually retreated. Reed and Sue got wind of the battle and arrived by Fantasticar. Mr. Fantastic scolded the two for running ahead without them: he had contacted Namor and convinced him to meet at the Baxter Building to discuss a plan for peace. But Thing and Torch's ambush had blown that plan, and likely any hope for another in the future. Torch and Thing regretted their potentially dire mistake, and the Four returned home.[18]

Puppet Master and Mad Thinker try again

While flying toward a weekend double date in the Fantasticar, Thing and Torch became the objects of the attention of the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker. Puppet Master made a radioactive puppet of the Thing, using him to punch Torch and knock his head against the side of the vehicle, sending him plummeting unconscious to the ground below. Though still under Puppet Master's control, Thing subconsciously realized that his best friend was in danger, and the inner stress caused him to morph into human form. This released the puppet's effect, and ace pilot Ben Grimm quickly flew the Fantasticar under Johnny's falling body, saving him in the nick of time. With Mr. Fantastic's help, the two figured out that Puppet Master was behind the intrusion into Ben's mind, and Reed thought up a way to fight back. He hooked Thing up to a machine that, within moments, received another attempt from the Puppet Master to control Thing's mind. The machine reverted Puppet Master's attack on himself, knocking him unconscious. Thing was unsatisfied with this roundabout way of fighting, but Reed assured him that this would make the Puppet Master think twice about challenging them again.[19]

Green Goblin and the Spider-Man fan club

Also around this time, Johnny went with Doris to a meeting of a new Spider-Man fan club run by Flash Thompson. Spider-Man himself appeared as entertainment, but was attacked by an enemy of his known as the Green Goblin. Most of the audience thought it was an act, but Johnny knew better. He jumped into action as the Torch and fought alongside Spider-Man, whose mind was preoccupied with various personal matters, forcing him to jump in and out of the fight multiple times. Eventually he fled altogether, drawing a great deal of ire from his fans. Goblin briefly incapacitated the Torch and fled the scene, declaring himself victorious for having ostensibly defeated two great heroes.[20]

Reed's lesson

Torch remained upset that Mr. Fantastic was the "leader" of the Fantastic Four, believing himself to be every bit as great a hero as anyone else in the group, and saying just the same for Thing. Reed resented Johnny's suggestion that there was no value to his leadership, and invited Johnny and Ben to leave the group if they so desired. One day, the two were sent a telegram inviting them to an auto race out in the desert, and they accepted. Upon arriving, they learned that the race was in fact just between them. Always eager to compete against each other, the two got into the cars assigned to them and took off, but soon found that the cars were acting on their own. Unable to control their vehicles, the two heroes went careening toward a rock wall, which suddenly opened up, causing them to go beneath the mountain. There, the cars stopped, and they were confronted by a confrontational man in a mysterious green outfit who seemed to have a perfect counter to everything they could do. As Torch and Thing began to gave up hope, the man revealed himself to be Mr. Fantastic, having taught a lesson to his frustrated partners.[21]

Used as bait for Spider-Man

Flying home immediately after that embarrassing encounter, Torch found himself (literally) roped into another. The criminal known as Montana lassoed him to the ground, backed up by his partners in the criminal trio known as the Enforcers: Fancy Dan and the Ox. They were further supported by the Sandman, whose sandy form was able to staunch the Torch's flame and allowed the group to take him captive. They kept him in a tube with just enough air for him to breathe, preventing him from using his fire, using him as bait to lure Spider-Man to their warehouse hideout and defeat him. Spider-Man arrived as planned, fighting the criminals and freeing the Torch in from his oxygen-light tube encasement in the process. The two battled their enemies and managed to incapacitate the Enforcers, but they wound up getting in each other's way and allowed the Sandman to escape. He didn’t get far however, falling into police hands and deciding to take being incarcerated over going back to Spider-Man. Torch tried to ask his ally why he had run away before, but Spider-Man gave him no answers.[22]

In the latter part of the year, the Fantastic Four defeated foes such as the returning Red Ghost,[23] Diablo,[24] the ever-determined Doctor Doom,[25] and the Mole Man in his third attempt to conquer the surface world. Sue was critically injured fighting Mole Man, and her and Johnny's father Franklin Storm shockingly arrived at the hospital to operate on her. Franklin was still in prison for manslaughter, and was allowed a brief furlough to perform the operation due to his sterling reputation as a surgeon.[26] Later, the Super-Skrull returned and impersonated Franklin, leading to a confrontation in which the real Franklin sacrificed himself to save the Fantastic Four.[27] At the end of the year, the Atlantean Dorma asked the Four for help in repelling Attuma's attempted invasion of Atlantis, the city ruled by Namor. They did so, fighting alongside Namor's forces in such a way that the Sub-Mariner didn't even realize they were present.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Strange Tales #116a: "In the Clutches of the Puppet Master!" (January 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Bell, George (i), Holloway, Ray (let).
  2. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #8b: "Spider-Man Tackles the Torch!" (January 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ditko, Steve (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  3. ↑ Strange Tales #117a: "The Return of the Eel!" (February 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (art), Simek, Artie (let).
  4. ↑ Strange Tales #118a: "The Man Who Became the Torch!" (March 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
  5. ↑ Fantastic Four #22: "The Return of the Mole Man!" (January 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  6. ↑ Fantastic Four #23: "The Master Plan of Doctor Doom!" (February 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  7. ↑ Fantastic Four #24: "The Infant Terrible!" (March 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  8. ↑ Strange Tales #119a: "The Torch Goes Wild!" (April 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
  9. ↑ Strange Tales #120a: "The Torch Meets the Iceman!" (May 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  10. ↑ Strange Tales #121a: "Prisoner of the Plantman!" (June 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (art), Simek, Artie (let).
  11. ↑ Strange Tales #122a: "3 Against the Torch!" (July 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  12. ↑ Fantastic Four #25: "The Hulk vs. the Thing." (April 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  13. ↑ Fantastic Four #26: "The Avengers Take Over!" (May 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  14. ↑ Fantastic Four #27: "The Search for Sub-Mariner!" (June 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Bell, George (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  15. ↑ Fantastic Four #28: "We Have to Fight the X-Men!" (July 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  16. ↑ Strange Tales #123a: "The Birth of the Beetle!" (August 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Burgos, Carl (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  17. ↑ Strange Tales #124a: "Paste-Pot Pete." (September 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  18. ↑ Strange Tales #125a: "The Sub-Mariner Must Be Stopped!" (October 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  19. ↑ Strange Tales #126a: "Pawns of the Deadly Duo!" (November 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  20. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #17: "The Return of the Green Goblin!" (October 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
  21. ↑ Strange Tales #127a: "The Mystery Villain!" (December 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  22. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #19: "Spidey Strikes Back!" (December 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
  23. ↑ Fantastic Four #29: "It Started on Yancy Street!" (August 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  24. ↑ Fantastic Four #30: "The Dreaded Diablo!" (September 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  25. ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #2c: "The Final Victory of Dr. Doom!" (November 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  26. ↑ Fantastic Four #31: "The Mad Menace of the Macabre Mole Man!" (October 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  27. ↑ Fantastic Four #32: "Death of a Hero!" (November 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  28. ↑ Fantastic Four #33: "Side-by-Side with Sub-Mariner!" (December 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).
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