toro – Coke ⊕ Comics

PRELUDE: Human Torch #38, Story D

Flame On!

Featuring: The Human Torch
Release: June 2, 1954
Cover: August 1954
10 cents
Dick Ayers
6 pages

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Young Men #24	PRELUDE
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

What you need is confidence in yourself and your abilities, Captain! From now on, I’m going to be right behind you to help you thru the rough spots until you gain that confidence!

After his triumphant return in September 1953, we come to June 1954, when it was decided Human Torch stories still weren’t selling enough. We’d read his return in Young Men. About 6 months later, they tried bringing back Human Torch’s old series.

They started with Human Torch #36, as the last one from 1949 had been #35. Never mind that they had already given the numbering to Love Tales.

Human Torch #38 is the final issue again.

There are three Human Torch stories and a Namor story. In the first Torch story, a mad scientist is tricked by Reds into sucking all the air out of the world in order to make his crippled daughter queen of the new world. In the second, the Torch and Toro rescue a general and his daughter from Korea.

Let’s read the final story from the final Human Torch comic.

All the Human Torch stories in his self-titled comic’s return have been by Dick Ayers, who we know well from our Marvel Age reading, particularly for his work on Sgt. Fury.

Ayers’ signature appears. The GCD credits Hank Chapman with the script and Ernie Bache with inks.

All the stories in this issue are narrated by Toro, and presented as though he is telling us of a past Human Torch adventure.

The title of the story is “Flame On!”, which is plainly the Human Torch’s catchphrase now. Johnny Storm will steal that catchphrase, along with the name and visage of the Human Torch.

PRELUDE: Young Men #24

The Return of… The Human Torch

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: September 11, 1953
Cover: December 1953
10 cents
9 pages

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Marvel Mystery Comics #92	PRELUDE	Human Torch #38, Story D
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

…And that’s why I came here… from my grave!

The Human Torch returns!

Carl Burgos is on hand for the cover and draws the figure of the Human Torch on the opening page, but Russ Heath does most of the art for the issue. Notice Heath gives the Torch eyes and a mouth. Roy Thomas speculates that Heath had drawn the Torch on the first page, but an editor, perhaps Stan Lee, wasn’t happy and covered it with a Burgos drawing.

You can definitely see the difference as Heath gives the Human Torch weird eyes and a creepy smile instead of the blank face.

Burgos will return for the next 3 appearances of Human Torch in the pages of Young Men.

Young Men, there’s no need to feel down…

The GCD credits the script to Hank Chapman.

PRELUDE: All-Winners Comics #19

The Crime of the Ages!

Featuring: All Winners Squad
Release: July 24, 1946
Cover: Fall 1946
10 cents
43 pages

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Human Torch #8	PRELUDE	Marvel Mystery Comics #92
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

Dictators! We’ve had enough of them! Atomic power must be used for peace, not war! It must be used to make life better for all people! The coming Atomic Age is not for one man– it is for the common man– for all mankind!

No credits are given. The GCD credits the writing to Batman/Green Lantern co-creator Bill Finger and some of the pencilling to Syd Shores. The Bill Finger credit comes from the writer’s own recollections in the 1960s, related to historian and “father of comic book fandom” Jerry Bails.

I’d been debating when to read this. We’ve done some overview read-throughs of Captain America and Sub-Mariner, and are in the middle of one for the Human Torch. The other main characters to appear in this issue are Miss America and the Whizzer, whom we haven’t met yet. And I don’t have a good reason to introduce them anytime soon. The best excuse will probably be their return in Giant-Size Avengers #1 from 1974, but this blog won’t be getting there anytime soon at the rate I’m going.

This would also pair well with the introduction of the Invaders, but that’s not until 1975.

So let’s read this now along with our Human Torch read-through. It’s an important comic in Marvel history. We’ll just try to figure out who Miss America and the Whizzer are as we go. Something something mongoose something.

Roy Thomas described this comic as “a great idea whose time had gone.”

PRELUDE: Human Torch #8

Human Torch vs. Sub-Mariner

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: June 26, 1942
Cover: Summer 1942
10 cents
52 pages

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Marvel Mystery Comics #31	PRELUDE	All-Winners Comics #19
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

You two big lugs oughta be ashamed of yourselves! Spies are all around, threatening our country! The Python is on the loose! Democracy is in danger– and you fight each other instead of fighting the common enemy!

No credits are given. The GCD discusses the research into who is behind this based on later interviews, recollections, art analysis, etc. They credit the writing to Mickey Spillane and Ray Gill. They credit the art to Allen Simon, Harry Sahle, Al Gabriele, and possibly Eddie Robinson, Carl Pfeufer, and others.

Mickey Spillane is best known for his graphicless novels featuring Mike Hammer.

Notably, Torch creator Carl Burgos, who told the first few years of Torch stories is not involved, because he’s off fighting in World War II.

PRELUDE: Marvel Mystery Comics #31

Scuttle the Japs

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: March 17, 1942
Cover: May 1942
10 cents
By Carl Burgos
12 pages

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Marvel Mystery Comics #17	PRELUDE	Human Torch #8
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

That was for Pearl Harbor!

The heroes have been defending America from German and Japanese spies, saboteurs, and invasions for a couple years now. But now America is at war, and the heroes are ready to take the fight to them.

This comic was released about 3 months after Pearl Harbor, about as soon as a story could react to it and get to print.

“Remember Pearl Harbor” reads the cover.

I will note that Burgos’ art isn’t especially racist. The script refers to the Japanese as “Japs” or “Jap-rats”, but that is probably an accurate capturing of how American soldiers referred to them at the time. What’s inexcusable and dehumanizing is the Al Gabriele art on the cover, with Japanese people depicted with yellow skin and sharp teeth.

Writing a letter to Marvel could win you a defense bond. These comics will start promoting defense bonds heavily as a way ordinary people can help with the war effort and show their patriotism.

PRELUDE: Human Torch #2

Introducing Toro, the Flaming Kid

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: September 25, 1940
Cover: Fall 1940
10 cents
By Carl Burgos
19 pages

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Marvel Mystery Comics #4	PRELUDE	Marvel Mystery Comics #17
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4

Looks like I’ve found a miniature Human Torch!

After appearing in 13 issues of Marvel Mystery Comics, Human Torch gets his own self-titled magazine.

This is the first issue. Except that it’s Human Torch #2.

The numbering seems to continue from the otherwise unrelated Red Raven Comics #1.

I’m not an expert on why comics were so against first issues back in the day. I’ve heard it was a way of dodging some postal fees for starting a new periodical to distributed. I’ve also heard marketing at the time thought people wouldn’t buy first issues of titles because they were “unproven”. Marvel marketing in the 2000s would feel the opposite, and started restarting titles with a new #1 every year or so, feeling that first issues sell better than later issues.

Maybe market comics based on their content and just number things sensibly.

Some modern online sources refer to this issue as Human Torch #1, so it gets a bit confusing. Some online sources call the series Human Torch Comics. aligning the GCD, which says it’s titled simply The Human Torch.

The numbering of this series only gets more confusing from here. We’ll discuss the numbering and title confusion in more detail in a later post.

Let’s talk Batman for a moment. One of the most enduringly popular superheroes of all time. (After Spider-Man, of course.) But what made Batman so popular? In concept, he wasn’t that different from the Shadow or the Phantom or characters going back to Zorro. In fact, he was rather similar to the Black Bat. What did Batman have that these characters didn’t that gave him such staying power?

Perhaps it’s aspects of his look designed by Bill Finger, the cool gloves or cowl, the cape that flowed in the wind to look like wings. But that’s not my theory.

The thing that made Batman unique? The thing that made Batman great? The thing that made Batman endure?

I claim it’s Robin. Introduced a year into Batman’s adventures, Batman gained a kid sidekick. And it’s Batman and Robin that was the unique concept, that was popular and enduring.

Robin would be well-imitated.

Toro is the first significant imitation of Robin, introduced about 6 months after. A few months later, Marvel would introduce Captain America and Bucky. Some months later, DC would introduce Green Arrow and Speedy, and Sandman would get his partner Sandy.

PRELUDE: Young Allies #4

The Most Amazing Story of All Time…

Featuring: Young Allies
Release: June 17, 1942
Cover: Summer 1942
10 cents
Script and editorial: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Al Gabriele
45 pages

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Captain America Comics #16, Story D	Prelude	Captain America Comics #37, Story C
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

Let’s begin by noting this is not the most amazing story of all time. This is an awful series and nobody should read it. Least of all me.

This story drags on for 45 bloody pages. At least it’s not as bad as the last one we read. And it’s actually a much faster and smoother read than the first issue. Perhaps that’s Stan Lee’s scripting at work.

We noted last time how awful all the characters are, so we’ll just try to skip to the Red Skull stuff this time.

I’m including this story only because the continuity remains pretty tight, and I do want us to be able to untangle Red Skull’s contradictory appearances intelligently.

PRELUDE: Young Allies #1

The Coming of Agent Zero/The Red Skull and the Graveyeard of Doom!/Voyage to No-Man’s Land/Trapped in Nazi-Land!/Outwitting the Bloodthirsty Tyrants!/Captain America and the Human Torch to the Rescue!!

Featuring: Young Allies
Release: July 23, 1941
Cover: Summer 1941
10 cents
57 pages

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Captain America Comics #3	Prelude	Captain America Comics #7
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

The table of contents lists Joe Simon as “Art editor” and Jack Kirby as “Art director”, while recognizing Carl Burgos as the creator of Toro. No hints as to who actually wrote or drew the comic are given. The GCD credits Otto Binder, Charles Nicholas, and Syd Shores, noting Jack Kirby supplied art for some of the chapter-opening splash pages. The cover is by Jack Kirby and Syd Shores.

We also take the on-sale date from the GCD, which disagrees with the July 10 date given in Mike’s Amazing World, but also offers an explanation for the discrepancy.

An ad shows an earlier version of the cover (and gives the July 10 release date). Notice in the original cover, Stalin is one of the villains (along with Hitler, Tōjō, and Mussolini). This comic was released in July 1941. Between its original advertisement and publication, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, so Stalin was now a good guy, and couldn’t be depicted as evil in the comic. The USSR was now part of the Allied forces.

America remained neutral in the war, but you couldn’t tell by the comic books.

We read the introduction of the Young Allies, a painfully long 57-page adventure. Our motivation is that this is the third appearance of the Red Skull, who was presumed dead in an explosion in Captain America Comics #3.

This comic is pretty rough reading. The most infamous part of it is the character of Whitewash Jones, a painful stereotype of an African American child, whose portrayal somehow keeps getting worse as the issue progresses. Even leaving aside that racial sentiment has evolved in 80 years, the other kids are also pretty awful characters. Tubby, the obese child, is portrayed no better. Nor is Knuckles, the street-tough kid. Jefferson, the nerd, probably comes off the best.

The history of cartooning is built on caricature and exaggeration, but these four kids just push it into the absurd and unreadable.

POSTLUDE: Marvels #1

A Time of Marvels

Featuring: Marvels
Release: November 9, 1993
Cover: January 1994
$5.95
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Alex Ross
Letters: Starkings w\ John Gauhsell
Editor: Marcus McLaurin
Assistant editor: Spencer Lamm
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover design & logo: Joe Kaufman
Interior Design: Comicraft
45 pages

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Human Torch #5	PRELUDE
Fantastic Four #27	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #8
Marvels #0	Marvels	Marvels #2

When this is over, I’d said. When would that be? It would blow over. The world wouldn’t stay like this. It couldn’t. Could it?

The 4 (or so) issues comprising this series are pretty close to being the best comics I have ever read. They inspire the journey we are taking here, where we read through the entire Marvel Universe starting in 1961, and I want them to frame the journey we are taking.

Through a man named Phil Sheldon, an “ordinary” photojournalist, we see a holistic view of all these many interconnected stories of Marvels, cohesing into a single narrative, leading us to understand that this world is not our own, and helping us imagine what it might be like to live in that world.

The tagline reads: “Experience the Marvel Universe from a whole new perspective– yours.”

We read Marvels #0 pretty early in the project, right after meeting the original Human Torch, who we introduced after meeting the new Human Torch.

Marvels #1 deals with Marvel’s Golden Age, stories from the 1930s and 1940s. We are reading it now in our reading order because we have met enough Golden Age heroes to justify it. Really, it comes down to the big three: Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. But our reading about characters like Angel, Electro and Black Widow will also help us appreciate the details.

And if there’s one word that can describe this comic, it’s “detailed”. Sitting in a hotel room in Dresden with the intent of doing a deep dive into this issue, I have the original comic in my hand, but also the recent annotated edition which can serve as a guide. Plus some Golden Age and other reference material.

With all that in front of me, I would like to look very closely at this comic; consider those details, and try to do so without losing sight of the powerful emotional journey in front of us, one that will seem very familiar in the year 2020.

I think I’ve already gushed at sufficient length over the creators Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross in our recent Astro City discussion, so we’ll jump right into the story.

A Time of Marvels

The bystanders had seen the stories in the paper– seen them, chuckled and dismissed them. But it’s one thing to read about the impossible– and another to look it in the face.

The story opens in 1939 with reporters talking about the tensions in Europe. Phil Sheldon is an ambitious photojournalist looking for an assignment overseas. His fellow reporter–resembling a young J. Jonah Jameson down to a well-placed shadow beneath the nose where Jameson’s mustache will eventually be–muses that one day he will be the one running the Bugle. Phil is off to cover a press conference with a scientist who he expects to be a crackpot, one Phineas T. Horton.

PRELUDE: Human Torch #5

The Human Torch Battles the Sub-Mariner as the World Faces Destruction!

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: October 8, 1941
Cover: Fall 1941
10 cents
60 pages (!)

The comic gives no credits. I’ll point you to the GCD, which notes work from Carl Burgos, Bill Everett, Jack D’Arcy, Hank Chapman, Mike Roy, Harry Sahle and George Kapitan. That’s… a lot of names. I will make no attempt to untangle who did what.

Counting to 5

Let’s get the confusing part out of the way. We are looking at Human Torch #5, with a cover date of Fall 1941.

The previous issue of Human Torch was… Human Torch #5, with a cover date of Summer 1941. Why? I have no idea. I think somebody counted wrong.