Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: August 11, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Stan Lee is our inspired writer
Dick Ayers is our admired penciller
Paul Reinman is our desired inker
S. Rosen is our tired letterer
13 pages
| Previous | #260 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Spider-Man #18 | Reading order | Strange Tales #126, Story B |
| Strange Tales #125, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #126, Story B |
Mad Thinker and Puppet Master team up to destroy the Fantastic Four; the plan is to use puppets to manipulate Thing and Human Torch into fighting.
I swear we’ve already read this story. Maybe I’m thinking of Strange Tales #116 where Puppet Master used puppets to manipulate Thing and Human Torch into fighting. Or Fantastic Four #28 where the Mad Thinker and Puppet Master teamed up to destroy the Fantastic Four.
Stan refers to the alliance of the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker as the “Deadly Duo”. That’s what Stan called the alliance of Dr. Doom and Namor in Fantastic Four #6. I guess there are so many alliterative appellations for abhorrent alliances.
Mr. Fantastic finds the attack too clever to be the work of the Puppet Master, and suspects the Mad Thinker is behind the plot. What was so clever about the plan? The Thinker suggested the Puppet Master make a puppet. He’s about as useful as any manager ever.
The most notable aspect of this story is that it’s the first time pictures have been used in word balloons in these stories; word balloons so far have included only actual words or some onomatopoeia. A sleeping Thing’s word balloon features a chainsaw cutting a log… I think it’s attempting to depict the sound of his snoring.
Also, we should point out that the comic gets a letters page starting with this issue: “Strange Mails”. A few of the letters actually praise the Human Torch stories, with one writer bafflingly suggesting the Dr. Strange stories should be dropped to make room for more Human Torch stories.
The note at the end tells us to turn the page to see what Dr. Strange is up to. Let’s do just that. It’s probably more interesting.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆, 38/100
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:
- Mad Thinker
- Puppet Master
- Human Torch
- Thing
- Mr. Fantastic
- Invisible Girl
Story notes:
- Title stars: “The Human Torch and the Ever-Lovin’ Thing”.
- Thinker calculates Human Torch and Thing will be picking up girlfriends for usual Saturday night double date.
- Mad Thinker has private isle which houses his vast complex of computers.
- Thinker’s screen shows the Thing as long as Puppet Master holds the puppet.
- Thing suddenly changes to Ben Grimm, which frees him from Puppet Master’s spell.
- Editor’s note reminds us Reed’s thought-projector was last used in Fantastic Four #27.
- “They’re no more unbeatable than the Mets.” At this point, the Mets had been a last place team a few years in a row. They wouldn’t turn that around until 1969.
- Reed invents device that redirects Puppet Master’s energies back at him.
| Previous | #260 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Spider-Man #18 | Reading order | Strange Tales #126, Story B |
| Strange Tales #125, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #126, Story B |
