5:55 PM
Brad
Cover Date: May 1963
Plot Overview: An artist named Van Vile approaches a local mobster and demonstrates his powers. Whatever he paints comes to life and follows his orders. The artist goes into his story of how he was counterfeiting money and the Human Torch captured him. He also talks about how he found these magic paints while escaping from prison. Van Vile is going to build an underworld army and he wants to start with this mobster.
They commit a few crimes and Van Vile thwarts the Torch with his paints. He finally decides to end things and paints a picture of the Fantastic Four killing the Torch. The FF attack the Torch and throw a grenade in a closed room with him. Van Vile gloats as he hears of the Torch's demise.
Suddenly the Torch burns his paints and paper. The Torch explains that he recognized it was Van Vile because of how careless he was. The Torch snuck in and painted a living version of himself with the paints so he would survive.
My Take: I guess the run of good stories had to end sometime. It took me two tries to read this story because it was just brutally boring. This was a 13 page story and about 8 of those pages were spent going over the origin and powers of a villain that will never be seen from again. And to make it even worse, he was a horribly lame villain. I really don't understand why they went into painstaking detail of his life and origin. I just couldn't make myself care at all.
This story was also really text heavy as there was really no action of any kind. It was mostly Van Vile standing around and talking about himself and what he wanted to do.
The art was what you would expect from an issue of Strange Tales. No real complaints here.
I'd give this 1/2* out of *****.
Notes: This is the first appearance of Van Vile. I'm pretty sure he's never heard from again in the Marvel Universe.
Next Issue: Fantastic Four #15
Posted in: Human Torch,Reed Richards,Strange Tales,Sue Richards,Thing
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