Strange Tales #117

The Return of the Eel!

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.

Johnny plans to “streak to the prison”. That could easily be misinterpreted.

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.

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