The Human Torch #2

(Fall 1940)

Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid (Table of Contents: 1)

Human Torch / comic story / 19 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Burgos (signed)

Pencils

Carl Burgos (signed)

Inks

Carl Burgos (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Human Torch [Jim Hammond]; Toro [Thomas Raymond] (introduction); Mr. Raymond (introduction, Toro's father, death); Mrs. Raymond (Toro's mother, death); Pops (a circus owner, introduction)); Samson (villain, introduction)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Passing by a traveling circus, Torch spots a young kid on the ground with his body aflame. Landing, and a bit puzzled, he helps the young boy named Toro to be able to flame on at will and fly. Toro relates how he was involved in a train accident and lost both his parents after trying to save them in the fire. He fell unconscious, holding a piece of molten metal in his hand. He was adopted by two circus performers and has been with the circus since. Meanwhile, Samson, who lost a fight earlier to the Torch, is planning his revenge against the circus and especially the Torch.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Fantasy Masterpieces (Marvel, 1966 series) #11 (October 1967)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)
• in Human Torch Comics 70th Anniversary Special (Marvel, 2009 series) #1 (July 2009)
• in Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Human Torch by Carl Burgos Omnibus (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

Pop's Traveling Circus

Indexer Notes

Toro is also in Invaders #22.

Toro appears in all Human Torch stories thru #31.

[Sub-Mariner Crashes New York Again!!!] (Table of Contents: 2)

Namor the Sub-Mariner / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Everett (signed)

Pencils

Bill Everett (signed)

Inks

Bill Everett (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Bill Everett

Genre

superhero

Characters

Namor the Sub-Mariner [Namor]; un-named Naval Lieutenant; un-named naval Captain; Fritz (villain); un-named Nazis (villains)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

The Navy has lost four battleships to fifth columnists, so the Sub-Mariner decides to head that way and look over the situation. He discovers a submerged Nazi U-Boat and some suspicious men diving down to it. Fearing sabotage, Namor decides to be on hand for the christening of a new ship the next day. As the ship slides into the water and starts to sink, aerial subs show up, anchor discs to the ship, raise it out of the water and put in back in dry dock. In a letter to officials, Namor tells them the ship was sabotaged, that he knows where the saboteurs are and will take care of them himself.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Milestones: Captain Britain, Psylocke & Sub-Mariner (Marvel, 2005 series) (2005)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)
• in Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett - The Pre-War Years Omnibus (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

aerial sub; Armonk (a battleship); Baltimore; Manhattan Daily Express; New York

Carl Burgos's Hot Idea [The Story of the Human Torch!] (Table of Contents: 3)

Human Torch / text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Carl Burgos

Pencils

Carl Burgos

Inks

Carl Burgos

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

superhero

Characters

Human Torch [Jim Hammond]; Carl Burgos

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Fictional story of the Torch's creation with spot illustrations.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Comics #1 (Marvel, 1990 series) (1990)
• in Saga of the Original Human Torch (Marvel, 1990 series) #4 (July 1990)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)
• in Marvel Comics #1: 80th Anniversary Edition (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Indexer Notes

Credits by Craig Delich.

Bill Everett's Hurricane [The Story of the Sub-Mariner!] (Table of Contents: 4)

Namor the Sub-Mariner / text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Everett

Pencils

Bill Everett

Inks

Bill Everett

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

superhero

Characters

Bill Everett; The Sub-Mariner [Prince Namor]

Synopsis

Fictional story of the Sub-Mariner's creation.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Comics #1 (Marvel, 1990 series) (1990)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)
• in Marvel Comics #1: 80th Anniversary Edition (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)
• in Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett - The Pre-War Years Omnibus (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Indexer Notes

Credits by Craig Delich.

Sub-Mariner is shown in uniform with cape.

[Extortion for a Bail-Out] (Table of Contents: 5)

The Falcon / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Paul Reinman

Inks

Paul Reinman

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Falcon [Carl Burgess] (Assistant District Attorney); un-named District Attorney; Mrs. Bankhead (introduction); Mr. Bankhead (introduction); Louise (Bankhead's maid, introduction); Big Jim Peterson (villain, political boss, introduction); Peterson's gang (villains, introduction for all)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Carl Burgess runs into a Mrs. Bankhead on his way out of court and learns that her husband has been kidnapped by men demanding $50,000. Changing to the Falcon, he tracks down the kidnappers and learns that they were trying to get the extortion money to bail out their boss, Big Jim Peterson, whom Burgess (as Assistant D.A.) was attempting to prosecute.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)

Indexer Notes

The Falcon's last appearance.

[A Wish Come True] (Table of Contents: 6)

Microman / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Quinn (signed)

Pencils

Harold DeLay (signed)

Inks

Harold DeLay (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Characters

Microman [Jimmy Everett] (introduction); Doctor Schmidt (chemist, introduction)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Bored little Jimmy Everett visits Mr. Schmidt in his lab while he is experimenting. After finding out the old chemist has invented a potion that can shrink someone, he runs an errand for him, and comes back to find him asleep. Jimmy decides to take the potion and shrinks down to the size of a nickel laying on the floor. When the chemist awakes, he spots the coin and picks it up, not noticing Jimmy on the coin, and puts it in his pocket. The old man happens to pick up a magnifying glass and sees the tiny boy, gives him the antidote and restores him to regular size.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)

Indexer Notes

First and only appearance.

[Hidden Treasure Means Death] (Table of Contents: 7)

Mantor the Magician / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Al Gabriele

Inks

Al Gabriele

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Mantor the Magician (introduction); Joan Winters (introduction); Saunders (villain, Winter's butler); Saunders’ unnamed brother (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

Mantor sees a young lady drowning and acts quickly to save her. She tells him that her father recently died and left her a castle and a queer map that supposedly leads to a treasure. Together they go to the castle and he examines the map, which speaks of a secret button and hidden passage leading to the treasure. Mantor tells the girl to lock herself in her room while he investigates. An attempt is first made on Mantor by a deformed creature, before he finds the passage and is able to save the young lady from a phony ghost, namely Saunders the Butler.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)

Indexer Notes

Only appearance.

The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses (Table of Contents: 8)

The Fiery Mask / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Joe Simon

Pencils

Joe Simon (sourced)

Inks

Joe Simon (sourced)

Colors

?

Letters

Howard Ferguson (sourced); ?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Fiery Mask [Dr. Jack Castle] (physician); Julie (a nurse); Captain Benson; unnamed Editor of the Daily Herald; Dr. Sendach (villain, introduction, death); Sendach's corpse-like creatures (villains, introduction for all, all die)

Universe

Marvel : mainstream

Synopsis

Dr. Jack Castle is called to Police HQ to look at a recent murder victim who doesn't have one drop of blood left in its body. He agrees to help the suffering people involved, but the Police will have to solve the mystery. More victims are reported and Castle cannot allow any more victims to die, so he changes to the Fiery Mask and prepares a trap at his lab. Swarms of ghoulish men come in and overpower the Mask, who is found injured the next morning by his nurse, who also discovers his secret identity. Later, he tracks down the man behind the terror, Dr. Sendach, an eminent stomach specialist.

Reprints

• in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1973 series) #21
• in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 ([November] 2005)
• in The Twelve (Marvel, 2008 series) #1/2 ([October] 2008)
• in Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Simon & Kirby Omnibus (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

The Daily Herald

Indexer Notes

Julie discovers the Mask's true identity.

Fiery Mask's last golden age appearance.

Next appearance in The Twelve (Marvel, 2008 series) #1.


Simon says that this strip was created by him to appear in Daring Mystery Comics #1 (January, 1940) in response to reader requests for a strip in the vein of the Human Torch.