Strange Tales #103 - Flamin' 'Eck 5

Plot: Stan Lee

Script: Larry Lieber

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

It turns out I got the job. And I started the job. Which has meant no posting for a little while. But now I know what my work schedule will be like, I'm hoping to use the wonders of scheduling posts to keep the blog on track.Regular readers and listeners to the show will know by now that one of my least favourite aspects of early Fantastic Four comics is the way that Johnny's flame appears to be fairly nebulous in its properties. Sometimes it manages to burn things without being hot. Sometimes it burns through asbestos. Most common of all, however, is the way that the flame adopts unusual physical properties and an everlasting burning capacity despite the lack of fuel.

Today's panel is a perfect example of this. Johnny constructs a flame cage to keep the dictator of the Dimension, Zemu, imprisoned. The flame cage burns through numerous panels, without Johnny doing anything to maintain it or there being a fuel base. The flame has a physical property that prevents Zemu from running through it with minimal injury. And the flame burns cool enough to not cause burn damage to Zemu, who is mere inches away from the flames.

It's all a little bit too unbelievable for me...

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #103 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Strange Tales #103: Flamin' 'Eck 4

Plot: Stan Lee

Script: Larry Lieber

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

After a short break to allow for preparation for a job interview, we're back, with gusto. And awful puns.

So, today's panels see Johnny perform a trick more suited to The Flash or Superman. He flies in a concentrated circle, causing a destructive tornado to form.

Now, Superman and The Flash, I can buy. They have speed on their side, making it at least feasible that they could achieve the speeds necessary to generate the tornado without getting dizzy. But Johnny only has flight and heat working for him. He isn't physically capable of flying fast enough to drag the air around with him and create a localised and forceful weather system.

Thankfully, Johnny won't pull this particular stunt very often.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #103 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

P.S. I got the job :)

Strange Tales #103: Flame On 15

Plot: Stan Lee

Script: Larry Lieber

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today's post sees the Flame On count surpass Reed's Stretchy Body. I'd celebrate with champagne and oysters, but that seems a little extravagant for catchphrase counting...

After wandering into a Scooby Doo plot involving disappearing houses at the swamp and an old hermit, Johnny finds himself involved in a civil war in the 5th dimension. I barely remember the plot of this issue from recording over a year ago, and if the situation and characters hadn't resurfaced in the mid-1970s, then this story could easily be consigned to obscurity without people really missing it...

Anyway, Johnny here flames on to assault the central armoury and defeat the invading forces.

'Nuff said.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #103 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Strange Tales #103: Flame On 14

Plot: Stan Lee

Script: Larry Lieber

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

It's a teeny-tiny Flame On for today's hastily-written post!

For the first time, a story opens with Johnny flaming on. The reason for this? A re-appearance from the Mole Man? Namor trying to kidnap Sue again? No, he's late for school and he's got a history test!

Yeah, it's short one today. Not even very much snark.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #103 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: The Humanity Of Benjamin J. Grimm 4

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Please forgive my poor attempts at collage today - this sequence spread over two pages and I couldn't think of a better way to get the the whole progression onto the page.Ben and Namor slugging it out on the beaches of Los Angeles is one of the best fight sequences from the early issues of the book. Kirby really depicts the struggle, and there's a superb splash panel of Ben dragging Namor across the sand as the storm gathers.

It's the storm that triggers the latest transformation back to humanity. A lightning bolt strikes Ben, rendering him immobile and transforming him. Namor, realising that the previously even match has become one-sided, fells him with a punch.

This change lasts for just over two pages, although the reversion to The Thing occurs off-panel, and Ben's briefly-regained humanity is not mentioned again in the issue.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: Flamin' 'Eck 3

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today, we return to the category that covers Johnny's unlikely use of his flame powers. If you've listened to the show, you'll have an idea of where this post is going...

I am not a fan of the idea that Johnny can use his flames to create an accurate duplicate of himself that can fool pretty much anybody. It stems from the idea of a heat mirage, but there's a difference between a mirage and, as we see here, the best part of a dozen duplicates all acting independently, confusing multiple tribesmen each of who has a different viewpoint.

And if he's actually doing this, then Johnny gives himself away by being the only one monologuing. The tribe is fireproof, not deaf...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: Flame On 13

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

It's been a while since we've had a nice big Kirby panel to drool over, so I'm very happy to be able to post this one today. Grab a napkin and join me after the break!

Namor's grand plan to humiliate and defeat the Fantastic Four is to use the ruse of filming a movie starring the four heroes as an excuse to split them up and take them down one by one. Here, Namor has flown Johnny all the way to the heart of deepest Africa to face off against a tribe who have a potion that makes them immune to fire. If only it was liquid asbestos that they were drinking...

Deepest Africa and the tribe is, of course, playing off popular pulp tropes rather than anything approaching reality. Which is why we get the strange visual of a man wearing a crocodile head over his own head. And, later on, there are totemic dances and giant cauldrons, and when Johnny escapes he explodes a volcano all over them.

But the best thing about today's panel is that, because the panel takes up two thirds of the page, the FLAME ON balloon is allowed plenty of space to breathe, and is a great focal point for this panel.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: Reed's Stretchy Body 14

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today's post highlights one of the classic moves for a character with a stretchy body - The Human Catapult!It's a shame that Kirby's working in his early FF art style, with many panels crammed onto the page. The clarity and detail that would become a signature of his artwork just doesn't get the space it deserves here. The first panel of Reed stretching out suffers particularly. One can imagine how Kirby might have depicted this five years down the road, with a lovely close-up of Reed's tortured face as he pushes his elastic powers to the absolute limit, his rubbery limbs straining and stretching behind him. Here, you can barely make out his arms wrapping around one of the trees.

Still, it's a nice move, and the smaller scale of Reed in these panels helps sell the giant Colossus that he is fighting here (believing it initially to be a robot constructed by Namor for the film that he is directing. And that has to be one of sillier sentences I've ever written!). Not sure how Reed managed to keep the rock in the air whilst he was stretching backwards, though...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: It's A Marvel Comic 4

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today's panel is probably the first ever swipe at DC by Marvel Comics! A glorious, illustrious tradition begins here!

Yesterday, we saw how high-profile financial troubles, stemming from Reed's poor financial investments, were crippling the team's activities. Today, we can see that Reed's looking for a bit of escapism by reading comic books, and bemoaning the lack of realism in the four-coloured fantasy.

Now, bearing in mind that we're still a few months away from the debut of one of the richest men in the Marvel Universe - Tony Stark - then this has to be a swipe at other comic book companies. Well, just the one. It's feasible that Reed is feeling bitter towards Richie Rich. But it's far more likely that it's a shot at DC billionaires Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen.

It starts here...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: Property Damage 10

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

With all the credits in bold, we hit the age of proper credits in Marvel Comics. Well, unless you were a colourer. Join me after the break to take a look at why Ben has created this intricate taxi-on-lamppost sculpture.

We open Fantastic Four #9 with a plot that has rather a lot of relevance today: Financial worries. Reed has mismanaged the finances of the group, losing pretty much all their money. He's selling off parts of the empire - including the Pogo Plane - to keep the team together. Because there are hardly any heroes in the world at this point - and, let's face it, one of the most popular papers in New York is edited by J. Jonah Jameson - their financial troubles are front page news.

Thus, when Ben tries to get a taxi to go and call on Alicia, the driver refuses to take his business. Which is why Ben whirls the cab over his head and plants it atop the street light. As opposed to, say, just hailing another one.

Ben then follows this up with one of our favourite moments from the early issues: Firing the Fantastic 4 flare (used to gather the team with the utmost urgency to respond to a threat) to summon Johnny to give him a lift in the Fantasticar.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Strange Tales #102: Atomic Power! 5

Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber

Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I'll never understand why The Wizard eschewed a career as a noted nuclear engineer and settled on a life of crime and attempting to humiliate a teenage boy.

Seriously.

Yesterday, we had a miniaturised nuclear-powered buzzsaw contained in a ring. Today, we have a nuclear-powered drilling machine. Bearing in mind the things that could go wrong with a drilling machine (beyond what The Wizard fakes going wrong with it), having it powered by an atomic reactor isn't the smartest thing that you could do. The last thing you want is a nuclear explosion somewhere underground, with a handy exhaust funnel to vent all that nasty radiation into the atmosphere.

But clearly, The Wizard has made the most stable form of nuclear power ever seen, capable of withstanding pressure, vibrations, cave-ins, etc. This guy should be awarded the Nobel prize for his discoveries. Instead, he grew some dodgy chin fuzz and bore a grudge against a young boy.

And that is the timeless tragedy of The Wizard.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Strange Tales #102: Atomic Power! 4

Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber

Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I'm not sure we've come across anything as crazy as today's example of Atomic Power. It's a real favourite of mine.

When the Wizard first appears, there is almost no hint of the deadly menace he would later become. For a start, he's completely obsessed with defeating the Human Torch, rather than Reed Richards. Then, he gets lumbered with the worst facial hair ever seen in comics. In short, he's a one-shot throwaway villain who somehow completely shakes off his origins and becomes one of the key Fantastic Four villains.

Here, he relates the story of one of his latest tricks, involving being chained up in a safe, which is dunked into the ocean. He escapes from the chains, not through contortionism or by swallowing the key, but by having a miniature buzzsaw powered by a nuclear reactor secreted in his ring.

I'm sure today's scientists would love to know how the Wizard managed to create a nuclear power source that fits into a signet ring. If I was the Wizard, I'd patent my ring and go and make a bucketload of cash.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Reed's Stretchy Body 13

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I've been reading far ahead in the Fantastic Four (in fact, I've just started the first issue of John Byrne's run), and today's panel is an example of something that you pretty much assume happens a lot in the book. And yet in 230-odd issues, I'm struggling to remember another instance of when it happened.

So, today's panel is the first definite example of Reed being bulletproof (Ben Grimm fans would have to wait until issue 26 and the letter's column to find out that he was bulletproof). His powers work pretty much as anyone would expect - the elastic properties of his body and uniform negate the momentum of the bullets, before hurling them back at his attackers (at, presumably, non-lethal speeds).

As with many uses of Reed's powers, this lends itself to a wonderful visual of Reed turning into some sort of weird porcupine creature (no, not the one that appears in that episode of Fringe). Love the sound effect as well, especially how it bursts out of the panel borders into the gutters.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Property Damage 9

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

Today's ever-so-slightly wonky panel shows why the Fantastic Four may not necessarily be the best people to call if a prison riot occurs.

So, thanks to his wonderful clay, Phil The Puppet Master has caused a prison riot, whilst simultaneously escaping from the Four on his flying, jet-propelled robot horse. It's not exactly clear why he does either of these things, but these things he does do.

Ben's initial response to the prison riot is to rip a giant hole in the wall, an action not entirely recommended by the authorities. It's not entirely clear why he does this either - his next actions involve hurling criminals into a pile of sand, twisting iron cell doors into a cage, and trapping the escaped prisoners. The same ones who wouldn't have escaped if he hadn't ripped a large hole in the wall.

Still, it makes for a gorgeous visual in an enlarged 2/3 page panel!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: The Humanity Of Benjamin J. Grimm 3

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

It's been a while since Ben's popped back into his human form, so we celebrate today with a twofer: A grand transition from rock to skin, and a handy plot-advancing breaking of mind control!The trigger for this latest change is a brief punchup in Reed's laboratory, which causes Ben to fall into a set of test tubes. They break, obviously, and the random combination of chemicals does what Reed has so far failed to do - bring Ben back.

But that isn't all! The punchup only happened because Ben was under the control of Phil The Puppet Master. He'd turned up with future girlfriend Alicia Masters (who was disguised as Sue) so that they could... er...

Anyway, Ben's transformation lasts for all of six panels before his monstrous form returns, but his sadness at the reversal of his fortunes was enough for Alicia to fall in love with him.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Flame On 12

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

So, what do you do if your stretching power gives up mere feet away from a civilian about to jump to his death? Why, you send an impetuous teenage to go and reason with him!

No, seriously. Johnny doesn't just grab the guy and fly him to the ground. Instead, he tries to reason with him first. I guess he was lucky that the guy was being controlled by Phil the Puppet Master, as someone looking to end their life would probably have jumped the second the flying guy with the flames showed up.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Reed's Stretchy Body 12

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

We're back to the main title today, as the team have to respond to the threat of Phil The Puppet Master!

Phil The Puppet Master first makes himself known by possessing the body of a hapless bystander, causing him to climb to the top of a bridge and threaten to throw himself off. Alerted by the Fantastiflare (I'm sure that's not it's real name, but I like it), Reed tries to intervene by stretching from the Baxter Building to the bridge to save him, but the limit of his powers kick in and his unable to do anything.

What really makes this stand out is how Kirby and Ayers depict Reed pushing himself to the very limit of his abilities. The forced perspective in the first panel is superb, and the inking on the palm of the hand is thick, heavy, and almost inhuman. In two panels, they sell completely the struggle Reed faces.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Strange Tales #101: Flamin' 'Eck 2

Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber

Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I trust that if you've been listening to the show for any length of time, you'll have an idea of where today's commentary is going...

I really dislike the idea of Johnny being able to create and control flame duplicates. It's one of those things that crosses the line from 'acceptable Silver Age goofiness' into 'downright stupid'. In fact, combine this with Johnny's desire to protect his secret identity, and you have possibly one of most ridiculous sequences in the entirety of Johnny's Strange Tales adventures.

Johnny's smug expression in the final panel at tricking the crowd with the equivalent of inflating a life-size balloon replica of himself and letting it float free just sums up how misguided the whole thing is.

As this is the last entry for this comic, I would be remiss if I moved on without briefly mentioning the climax of the story. The saboteur, obsessed with destroying tall fairground attractions, is the local newspaper editor and a communist spy, eager to cover his tracks because he's stupidly chosen a spot right by the fairground to hand over secrets to the crew of a Red submarine. There are so many things I could go for, so I'll simply ask what kind of secrets might there be in a sleepy New York suburb that Russia would commit a submarine to ensuring their safe passage?

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #101 in our fifth episode: The Strangest Tales Of All

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_5.mp3]

Strange Tales #101: Flame On 11

Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber

Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

Today's instance of Johnny's catchphrase  sees a printing error add extra flare.

Take a look at the body of the Human Torch, and the speech bubble containing the 'Flame On'. The orange colour is misaligned by a few millimetres, a fairly common error in comics from this time. Sometimes, it can be extremely disconcerting to read when the colour is so off, but here the error enhances the speech bubble.

The standard presentation of Johnny's catchphrase at this time was to have large bubble letters, filled in with red or orange. The displacement of the colour lends an added burning effect to the phrase, which is rather nice.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #101 in our fifth episode: The Strangest Tales Of All

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_5.mp3]

Strange Tales #101: Flame On 10

Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber

Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I had a few days away from the blog recently to deal with some personal stuff that came up. I'm back now, and we're still in the middle of Johnny Storm's debut solo strip in Strange Tales. Join me after the jump to find out why Johnny is flaming on.

In Johnny's debut story, the big bad guy is a chap called the Destroyer. No, no the Asgardian death machine. Or the nemesis of Thanos. This guy is the publisher of Glenville's local newspaper, and also a Red spy. Who decides that the best way to bring down the ruling forces of capitalism is to unleash a reign of terror  upon the amusement park in a sleepy New York suburb. Who says that Johnny's villains were a mostly pathetic and forgettable bunch?

[By the way, if you even think of describing ZANTE!!! with those words, then we'll have to have a talk. Outside. By the asbestos trashbins.]

Anyway, his first act of terrorism is to make a roller coaster go wrong a bit. So Johnny has to flame on to save him. But wait! This is one of the first 5 solo stories, and Johnny has a secret identity!

[Andrew here, with an incoherent rant. SAADSKJGSDFYGDHG"$£%*%£ADHGSGFJDF"£%$&^(*&(wersFGKJDG!]

So, we have a brilliant preamble where Johnny uses his flame-controlling powers to cause a cigarette lighter to emit huge clouds of black smoke, all in order to mask his transformation from regular, run-of-the-mill teen-ager into world famous member of the Fantastic Four.

Yeah, it's a bit crazy.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #101 in our fifth episode: The Strangest Tales Of All

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_5.mp3]