Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: June 9, 1964
Cover: September 1964
12 cents
Written by: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Darlin’ Dick Ayers
Inked by: Peerless P. Reinman
Lettered by: Adorable Art Simek
14 pages
Starting with last issue, Thing and Human Torch are costars in this space, though last issue still described Thing as a guest star. Now Thing goes right in the title: “The Human Torch and The Thing Team Up to Battle The Menace of… Paste-Pot Pete.” Of course, Human Torch still gets top billing. This was his title first after all.
Paste-Pot Pete gets a new look this issue, a step toward becoming a more serious foe. He’s clean-shaven. He’s got on a real battle suit, almost like armor, from which he… well, from which he still just shoots paste.
But they play up how his paste abilities make him similar to Spider-Man. He can walk up walls with his sticky boots. He can shoot a line of paste like Spider-Man does his web, and then pull himself up by the paste.
Paste-Pot Pete is out on parole, thanks to the assistance he rendered in Avengers #6 (yes, against an entirely different paste-themed villain). He immediately rents a glue factory, which must be a parole violation.
This marks the third battle of Human Torch and Paste-Pot Pete. Pete is vying with the Wizard for the title of Human Torch’s archnemesis.
What happens to the fish in the fish bowl in this scene? Is there any way it survives? Does Thing kill the fish? Like, there’s a fish in the bowl and then Thing dumps the bowl on Johnny’s head. No good can come of that.
Perhaps this is the same fish they got after the last battle with the Eel. If so, it’s survived longer than any fish I ever got. I can suspend a lot of disbelief in these comics, but have trouble accepting that Johnny’s cat has not yet killed the fish. More likely, it’s a new fish and the cat killed the last one. Indeed, Johnny refers to this fish and Sue’s, and the other had been a gift from Sue to Johnny. I could also believe that each sibling thinks the other loves the fish, so one or the other secretly replaces it every time the cat kills one.
Rating: ★★½, 41/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Human Torch vol. 2. You can also find it in The Human Torch & The Thing: Strange Tales – The Complete Collection. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Human Torch
- Thing
- Paste-Pot Pete
- Doris Evans
Story notes:
- Pete’s new weapons: lighter paste jet gun with adjustable intensity nozzle; bullet-proof paste-filled vest with outlets for plugging in paste gun; boots and gloves with paste holes allow him to cling to any surface.
- Pete shaved goatee beard.
- Adhesive pulls him to whatever object he strikes.
- Johnny and Doris go bowling.
- Johnny wears emergency call ring; it glows bright red, indicating someone has stolen a Fantasticar unit. Patterned after WWII IFF (Identification Friend or Foe).
- Note from editor that Thing will be in every issue now.
#231 story in reading order
Next: Strange Tales #124, Story B
Previous: Tales of Suspense #57, Story B
