Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written by the Overlord of Originality… Stan Lee
Illustrated by the Archduke of Action… Dick Ayers
Inked by the High Priest of Highlights… Paul Reinman
Lettered by the Lama of Lexicography… Art Simek
12 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #126, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #127, Story B |
| Strange Tales #126, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #127, Story B |
Recall from Strange Tales #126 that Dr. Strange was about to battle the Dread Dormammu. And Human Torch and Thing had just defeated Puppet Master for the 7th time or so. Let’s follow up on Human Torch and Thing first. After all, they get most of the cover space, while one of Marvel’s single greatest stories ever is fit into a tiny little box on the cover.
This story is titled, “The Mystery Villain!” Mystery villains always give me a crisis of conscience. The format I use for these posts necessarily spoils such things. And I wouldn’t want to take away the joy of reading this “excellent” Human Torch adventure fresh.
Maybe this time, if I’m careful, I can avoid explicitly revealing the identity of the mystery villain. Mind you, I can’t actually avoid revealing the identity of the mystery villain (given that I want to stick to my standard format), but I can leave it a little bit subtle, make you have to think if you want the spoiler.
Here’s the mystery villain battling Thing and Human Torch.
Johnny is tired of Reed being the leader; he and Ben try to handle a case by themselves to prove a point. Human Torch references past victories to prove his prowess: against the Wizard, Paste-Pot Pete, and Sub-Mariner. The battle against Sub-Mariner was actually a mistake on their part, so maybe not the best example to bring up. And the reference to the Wizard battle as being “last year” is going to create quite the continuity headache later.
Ben and Johnny get invited to big auto race at Bonneville Salt Flats for charity. Sigh. They receive a lot of invites, often to events for “charity”. And guess what?
It’s a trap! It’s always a trap!
I will go ahead and explicitly spoil one mystery. Last month’s letters pages asked us what we thought M.M.M.S. might stand for. Now, we learn the answer: a new club Marvel is organizing called the Merry Marvel Marching Society.
Rating: ★★½, 46/100
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:
- Mr. Fantastic
- Human Torch
- Thing
Story notes:
- Airborne drag race between male members of FF; Johnny flying under own power.
- Sue is on vacation.
- Mailman bears some resemblance to Willie Lumpkin, but this is the mailman for Johnny’s Long Island neighborhood.
- Ben and Johnny’s racecars can’t be controlled by the driver, they learn the hard way.
- Perils of Pauline reference.
| Previous | #262 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #126, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #127, Story B |
| Strange Tales #126, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #127, Story B |
