Prisoner of the Wizard
by
Stan Lee, Larry Leiber & Jack Kirby
by
Stan Lee, Larry Leiber & Jack Kirby
In Glennville, a newsreel of the Human Torch's most recent exploits when he thwarted The Destroyer is playing to a packed theater. Among the enthralled audience is a tall, long faced, bearded man who people refer to as The Wizard. The Wizard secretly wishes to test his own power against that of the Torch's. On the way back to his house, his thoughts are full of an obsessive desire to prove his intellectual might against the hero.
As The Wizard returns to his home, he goes over his many achievements. A home he describes as ultra-modern that he himself made, which looks a bit Frank Lloyd Wright inspired. A hovering "air chair" to recline in, from which he looks at his news clippings covering various intellectual accomplishments he has been praised for. Only a month ago he beat a robot at chess. He has performed difficult traps as an escape artist. Proclaiming the defeat of the Human Torch will be his ultimate achievement, The Wizard reaches out to the local paper.
A few days later, the newspapers announce The Wizard's newest endeavor. He is going to attempt to travel to the center of the earth. Unbeknownst to the public, this is all just a ruse to lure the Human Torch to him. As he drills below the earth's surface, he manages to get himself stuck. Johnny sees a report about this on the news, so under Sue's encouragement, he goes off to help him.
The Human Torch arrives at The Wizard's hole. He uses his intense heat to penetrate the slag that has caved in on The Wizard's digging vehicle. Bursting through the vehicle, Johnny find The Wizard alive and well. Just as planned. He pulls the Wizard out of the wreckage and flies with him back to the surface of Glennville. The Wizard thanks the flaming youth for saving his life; as a reward The Wizard invites the Human Torch over to his house. Inside The Wizard's house, the Human Torch is given a tour. The Wizard in particular wants to show him his special "three-dimensional" camera he has invented. As the Torch stands before the device, it suddenly sprays him with chemicals that douse his flame. Only his head remains fiery to keep his secret identity intact. The Wizard announces to the Torch that he is his prisoner. Holding him at gunpoint, the Wizard puts the Torch into a special room padded with asbestos.
While he has the Human Torch locked in the asbestos coated room, the Wizard plans to ruin the hero's reputation. Donning a special suit he designed, The Wizard is able to flame on and fly. In his disguise, The Wizard breaks into a bank vault. He starts robbing it of all it's cash, not even having to contend with guards whose bullets just melt against his flaming body. Next he burn into a state prison, freeing many criminals the the Human Torch himself had locked up. After that he creates a wall of flame on the Washington Bridge and forces the motorists to pay him a toll to pass.
As the Wizard is creating chaos, the real Human Torch frees himself. He has learned to create short bursts of increased heat so that nothing can withstand it. Using this, he make the room so hot he can melt through even the asbestos-lined wall. Flying outside, the police start shooting at the flying figure for all of the damage that has actually been caused by the Wizard.
While dodging police bullets, the Human Torch finds the Wizard who is travelling in a taxi. The Wizard tells him to meet him at his house that evening for a final test of power against him. The Torch agrees and goes to make a phone call.
That night, the Human Torch joins the Wizard at his house. The Wizards shows him photos he took of himself getting into his Human Torch disguise. He challenges the lad to reveal his secret identity or he won't reveal the photos to the public to exonerate the Human Torch from the chaos he caused earlier in the day. The Human Torch counters The Wizard by claiming that he can snatch those photos out of the air, before he can burn them in a nearby fireplace. The Wizard calls his bluff, when suddenly the photos do indeed fly out of his hands. As the Human Torch calls the police, The Wizards sulks in his defeat.
The police arrest the Wizard. As the Human Torch leaves, his sister Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl, makes her presence known. It was she that Johnny called earlier in the day. It was Sue who used her powers of invisibility to snatch the photos out of the Wizard's hands and into Johnny's. Johnny claims...
Notes:
Firsts: The first appearance of The Wizard. His plan doesn't make a whole lot of sense in this issue. He becomes a much greater antagonist later as he forms the Fantastic Four's counter group the Frightful Four.
Unmasked: Johnny's "secret identity" becomes a huge plot hole in this issue when it is explained away in a later story. I don't know why The Wizard's motivation is to prove he's more powerful than the Human Torch. If he's this brilliant inventor guy, he should be taking on Reed Richards instead. Johnny is good at mechanical things as we've seen with his repairing of cars, but that's all stuff known about Johnny and not the Human Torch who he "secretly" is.
Sibling Success: I like that Sue helps Johnny out. Especially after last issue where he turned down the Thing's help. It's just a nice little note to end an otherwise confounding story on.
The List
- Amazing Fantasy (Spider-Man) #15
- Fantastic Four #1
- Fantastic Four #4
- Incredible Hulk #1
- Fantastic Four #5
- Amazing Adult Fantasy (X-Men) #14
- Fantastic Four #6
- Journey into Mysetry (Thor) #85
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #83
- Fantastic Four #2
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #86
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #36
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #35
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #84
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #27
- Strange Tales (Human Torch) #102
- Fantastic Four #3
- Incredible Hulk #2
- Fantastic Four #7
- Incredible Hulk #3
- Strange Tales (Human Torch) #101
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