Featuring: Human Torch
Release: November 12, 1964
Cover: February, 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: Art Simek
14 pages
Hey, look. Dr. Strange has become popular enough that the cover mentions his name in a little text box.
The Eel was released from prison having served his sentence. Let’s think that through. He stole Project X. I’m certain that would qualify as felony theft. Even with good behavior, that should carry a minimum 10 months in prison. That is to say, Johnny should have been able to finish a school year in the time the Eel should have been in prison. It’s not exactly clear how old Johnny is, but I’d taken him to be 17 and a senior in high school. Too much younger and you really have to wonder what Reed was doing taking him into space in a stolen experimental spacecraft. They were explicit that one new school year had begun between the start of the Fantastic Four series and the start of this series. And we know he has a driver’s license. I also take Spider-Man to be a senior in high school, though they’re not explicit about that either.
The Eel’s crime in this issue was stealing stamps. Johnny noted he couldn’t take him down without proof. It’s not obvious to me they ever solved that dilemma. It looks like Human Torch again just attacked the Eel, won the fight, and the cops arrested him. Nobody even mentions the stamps or the need for “evidence” again.
Shark.
A bit of a personal milestone with this issue. I don’t own the originals for these old stories, so I’ve been reading them in collections from various collection series Marvel has put out. I’ve been reading the Thor, Human Torch, and Giant-Man stories in the “Marvel Masterworks” collections. With the latest posts on each, I finally finished the first volume of their respective masterworks. It’s a bit frustrating that I’ve been at this for over a year and then see that still I’m on Book 1 for many of these series. It was satisfying to finally put these three books back on the shelf.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆, 38/100
Significance: ★★☆☆☆
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: The Human Torch vol. 1. You can also find it in The Human Torch & The Thing: Strange Tales – The Complete Collection. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- The Eel/Leopold Stryke
- Human Torch
- Invisible Girl
- Mr. Fantastic
Story notes:
- Stryke hired back as aquarium caretaker; aquarium remains his secret base of operations, including hidden helicopter.
- Johnny gets pet fish. He and Sue already have a pet cat.
#144 story in reading order
Next: Strange Tales #117, Story B
Previous: Fantastic Four #23
