Strange Tales #111

 "Bah, you are a weakling! Why would you help men when you can rule them?"

A rather odd issue this time round. The Doctor Strange story is a rather perfunctory introduction for Baron Mordo while the Human Torch story, despite its silly premise ( I mean, Asbestos Man? Come on! It's heath and safety gone mad.) is... actually rather good.

Yes, this week's baddy is yet another embittered scientific genius who craves worldly riches and is thus tempted by crime... albeit after some almost Marxist muses on how his employer, and not he, profits from his genius labours. And so he goads the Torch into battle from an "old castle", for such things apparently exist in the United States, which he can somehow afford on his meagre salary. And so he publicly disgraces the Torch, before impressing some gangsters (including a "king of the underworld" who will never be heard from again) into joining him in crime.

Wonderfully, it's Sue, armed with a truly magnificent beehive, who is the brains of the operation here, suggesting a successful strategy to her literally hot headed little brother- use flame not on Asbestos Man himself, but the environment outside him. Brilliant.

Meanwhile... well, Baron Mordo comes across in his first appearance as just a generic former pupil of the "Master", as he's still known, who now uses magic for greed and power, ending up in a bizarre astral fight with Dr, Strange. It's a very early story, and not many pages, but Strange wins with a trick and... is that it? Hopefully, things will get more substantial in time. 

Strange Tales #110

The Human Torch vs. The Wizard and Paste Pot Pete

"Wait a minute! I'm a partner- not a servant, you know!"

The team-up we were all waiting for, right? I mean, the Wizard is sort of ok, a generic super genius undone by his own arrogance... but Paste Pot Pete, with his literal paste pot? How on Earth did he get to be more than a one-off baddie?

I like how the story leans into his rubbishness, though. He's the supplicant, the one who springs the Wizard from prison and asks to join forces, something the Wizard would certainly never have reciprocated. And, naturally, Pete spends pretty much the whole story resenting the fact that he's being bossed around.

The actual plot is very perfunctory, though, not helped by the fact it doesn't actually start until page five of thirteen, with loads of space taken up with flashbacks of previous stories and the Torch training and, er, doing homework.

Oh, and the Wizard announcing that he and Pete will just operate from his massive house because "The police would never dream I'd go there"? I think you'll find that's "always", not "never", 

Dr. Strange, Master of Black Magic

"I am the symbol of evil! The evil he has done!"

For a very brief five page story introducing Doctor Strange (at last), this is both very good and utterly fascinating. We're introduced to Doctor Strange, with as yet no origin, but just told that he practises what is rather interestingly called "black" magic. We see an unnamed Wong in one panel and briefly meet the Ancient One, here called the "Master". We learn that the "Master" doesn't expect to live long, and that Strange is his successor. We briefly meet Nightmare, and see the Nightmare Dimension. And, as far as lore goes, that's pretty much it. Strange is an alluringly mysterious figure who keeps his magical cards to his chest.

Indeed, with the excellent, creepy art of Steve Ditko, Strange has the touch of the sinister about him. This looks and feels as close to a horror comic as the Comics Code will allow in 1963, a refreshing change. The writing, too, is a huge step up from the Human Torch stuff, with cool concepts and a twist at the end, even if the client being bad is already becoming a bit of a Marvel trope.

But a Nightmare Dimension! Strange entering another person's dreams! This is awesome stuff. 

Strange Tales #109

 "Are you mad, Sorcerer? The box is only a Greek myth!"

It's amusingly ironic to see Johnny Storm muse about quitting school here, as he gave a speech to the students of Peter Parker's school in Amazing Spider-Man #3, the last issue in the order, to stay in school and never give up. It's only a small inconsistency, but perhaps it can also be seen as a sign of how inferior this issue is to that one.

There's no need to say much about this issue's one-off, one note villain, the Sorcerer, who lives in a mansion and so surely must have wealth, yet is basically treated by a tramp by all and sundry. He finds Pandora's Box, and uses this legendary artifact to... rob banks. Is that all? Let us move swiftly on.

Still, this issue, skippable though it is, raises a few interesting points. For one, do I misremember or is this the first time the Torch says "flame off"? For another, five hours of homework at night? Really?!!! Oh, and "Holy heatwaves"? The Torch is using the adjective "holy" like this a lot, three years before the advent of a certain television programme relating to the Distinguished Competition.

Then we have Johnny ruefully describing himself as "Mr. Bookworm 1963" which opens the can of worms that is "Marvel Time"- these characters will persist for decades without aging, yet Marvel titles are tied to the early '60s, whether by explicit references to the year, Mr. Fantastic and the Thing being stated flat out to be veterans of the Second World War, or Thor fighting in the Sino-Indian War of 1962. The Torch will be in his 80s in 2026, the other characters older, in the case of Reed surely well over one hundred years old...

Then we have the first explicit reference to Greek mythology being true in the proto-Marvel Universe, beyond a brief reference to Medusa. And "Circe"... is this later to turn out to be Sersi, the Eternal...? And Pandora's Box, I note, is lying at the bottom of the sea, a dangling plot thread...

The story may be forgettable. But there's stuff here for the enquiring/nerdy mind. 

Strange Tales #108

 "Before I'm through crime, not justice, will prevail on Earth... and I'll be the king of crime!"

This is Saturday morning cartoon stuff even by the usual low standards of the Human Torch stories in Strange Tales, from a writer unknown to me who is, on the evidence of this, even worse than Larry Lieber. And those are strong words.

We begin with a sort of montage of the Torch thwarting various crimes, often involving property damage on his part, despite which he seems to be very pally with the police. He even reminisces with a cop over the truly rubbish baddies he's recently face.

Cue a very silly villain with an absurd origin (this careless painter can tell from the "style" that some alien underground pictures are a million years old, and happens to be able to read hieroglyphics...!) who has some magic paint that allows his speed paintings to come to life. Yes, really. Come back, Paste Pot Pete, all is forgiven.

And this baddie actually has a few repeat appearances...

The whole thing is awful, with this ridiculously overpowered baddie ending up defeated because of his own carelessness. This is... wow. Just how many of these Torch stories are there to go...? 

Strange Tales #107

 "Oh well... boys will be boys!"

Two Strange Tales Human Torch stories in a row... sometimes that's just how it goes. As a reminder, I'm going by the Complete Marvel Reading Order. It's early days as yet, but I'm hoping to get at least as far as the early '90s.

Anyway, this issue is good fun. It's pretty much entirely the Torch challenging the Sub-Mariner to a fight, nothing too serious or acrimonious, and having fun with that while giving both of them bizarre one-off powers (Namor with, er, puffer fish powers?) just because Johnny wants to prove himself to the rest of the FF... but then proceeds not to tell anyone when he beats the Sub-Mariner. This is top japery, though.

And once again there are interesting points to note. Reed is still smoking that pipe. The FF are taking notes of their exploits to Stan and Jack... and Sue did the typing, naturally! The Torch doesn't know how long his flame will last until it goes out, so he'd better not be in the air at the time!

Oh, and you know how this issue acts as though the bends is not a thing? Don't try this at home, kids... 

Strange Tales #106

 "You landed your fish!"

So the story here is meh, and the forgettable baddie- the Acrobat- is barely a recurring villain. This is eminently skippable... almost.

Because there's one thing here that really is awfully clever in how it subverts the secret identity trope. I've commented before on how Johnny's secret identity is absurd and here we have confirmation, from the mouth of Sue, no less, that... yeah, everybody blatantly knows that he's the Torch, and he's the only one who didn't know that they knew. I love that.

Oh, and Johnny very briefly leaves the FF in order to very briefly join the, er, Torrid Twosome(!) because an arrogantly pipe-smoking Reed (wonder when he'll be last soon doing this? It's hard to notice when something is done for the last time.), who incidentally is a millionaire, refuses to allow Johnny a salary (from "reward money"- the early FF are still crime fighters as opposed to explorers) in favour of scientific research. Is it me, or is that totally unreasonable? Is being on the team not a commitment that would preclude a full time career?

Not a particularly great issue, then, but this certainly raises some questions about the FF. Oh, and another baddie with a beret? Is it open season on Bohemian existentialists? Will Johnny be battling Jean-Paul Sartre next?

Strange Tales #105

 "A trick? The Wizard needs no tricks!"

We seem to be getting quite the spate of return appearances by villains at this point, showing that Marvel has been around for a good year or so and is no longer quite so new. But still, this is very early days by any standards, as illustrated by the fact that we still have these Torch stories in Strange Tales.

To be fair, though, this is fairly decent stuff, and even fun. We get to see the Wizard in the Order's first prison break. And the rest of the issue is a fun little duel between the Wizard and the Torch, with Sue joining in for good measure. it's essentially set piece after set piece until it's time for the story to end, but all good fun. It is, of course, absolutely bonkers, and everything tends to rely on the Torch demonstrating some highly convenient one-off powers, but I'm sort of used to that by now.

But... well, not much more to say. At least Larry Lieber managed to entertain me this time. 

Strange Tales #104

 "Paste is the supreme weapon!"

Er... what did I just read? 

Paste-Pot Pete is easily the most bonkers and rubbish returning villain Marvel have given us so far and, incredibly, he's going to be sticking around for decades... albeit with a rather less bonkers relaunch in the near future.

Still, let's summarise... his modus operandi is to shoot a special sticky paste from a paste gun. He has a purple beret. Oh, and the paste? He literally carries it around with him in an open bucket. Surely the bonkersness of this cannot be topped. Oh, and the name? Words quite fail me. And he uses said, er, powers to not only rob a bank but to steal a missile in order to sell it to "any red nation".

And, well... what else is there to say? It's a Strange Tales Human Torch story. The Torch still has his secret identity for some reason. There's a fun little predicament with an ICBM. And Pete, joy of joys, escapes in the end.

I think I've seen enough to conclude that Larry Leiber, as a writer, just isn't very good. 

Strange Tales #103

 "Guess again, Zemu! I have a lot of powers you don't know about..."

These Human Torch stories seem to be very simple, formulaic and reek of Saturday morning cartoons... and this is no exception. Interesting that the Torch still seems to be of school age, but otherwise there's little of wider relevance here. Oh, and it is, of course, utterly bonkers.

A load of new houses are sinking, but not from something like running sand. Indeed, there seem to be rumours of "swamp demons". Johnny investigates... and, yep, it's aliens from the Fifth Dimension, no less, whose generic dictator Zemu wants to invade the Earth, because that's what alien baddies do.

Not much really happens- the Torch is captured and placed in a liquid tank, but in a bloody jammy stroke of luck he's freed by rebels, and is able to take the fight to Zemu by using a series of obscure powers he has which are highly convenient to the plot. Oh, and he incites a rebellion by sky writing... they read English in the Fifth Dimension then? But let us not open the "how come these aliens all speak English" can of worms.

So... yeah, thirteen formulaic and eminently skippable pages that I'm blogging only for the sake of completeness.

Strange Tales #102

 "I... I challenged the Human Torch and I lost! I am beaten!"

Oh dear. I know Marvel will get good fairly soon, but still... 

We get the introduction of long-running FF baddie the Wizard here but... he's rubbish. This is a genius, wealthy inventor, home full of his own futuristic inventions, chess champion, escape artist, celebrity... yet he can't even work out the Torch's blatantly obvious secret identity, what with his sister Sue openly being the Invisible Girl...?

The opening immediately dates this, with cinema newsreel footage(!) recounting the events of last issue. But we then devolve into the Wizard's rather dull attempt to frame the Torch (why?) in a typically lacklustre script from Larry "Nepotism" Lieber. I did chuckle, though, at the fake Torch writing "Down with law and order" in the sky.

But... well, not much else to say about this throwaway bit of rubbish which, despite all else, at least introduces a baddie with staying power. And (not for the first time) featuring a disturbing quantity of asbestos.