9:29 PM
Brad
Cover Date: October 1962
Plot Overview: A local amusement park has received several threats in the mail by a man calling himself the Destroyer. Several attempts at sabotage are made but the Human Torch makes the save each and every time.
The Destroyer finally challenges the Human Torch to a battle. The Torch arrives but falls into a trap laid by the Destroyer. The Torch is saved by several teenagers arriving on the scene. The Torch heads back to the park to see what the Destroyer is after.
The Torch finds a submarine and uses his powers to force them to surface. The police arrive and with the help of the Torch they capture the crew and the Destroyer. It's revealed that the Destroyer is the owner of the paper that was receiving the threats. The Torch reveals that they're Communists and that the park was interfering with the Destroyer's ability to pass on information.
My Take: This was a fairly throwaway issue. It felt more like one of those one shot backups you'd find in the back of an Annual or something like that. This also didn't feel much like the Human Torch. They're pushing the secret identity part really hard and that doesn't seem to be a factor in the Fantastic Four books.
The story itself was a quick read and generic. You could've stuck almost any character in here and gotten the same story. It wasn't badly written, it just wasn't original. The art was a little rough around the edges. It felt a little rushed and looked more like earlier in the year when they were still trying to figure the characters out.
I'd give this issue * out of *****
Notes: The Human Torch becomes a regular feature in Strange Tales. He'll keep the top billing in this comic until Nick Fury and SHIELD take over several years later in issue 135. This is also the first and only appearance of the Destroyer in the Marvel Universe. This story also establishes that the Human Torch has a secret identity that he's operating under.
Next Issue: Fantastic Four #8
Posted in: Destroyer,Human Torch,Reed Richards,Strange Tales,Sue Richards,Thing
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