STRANGE TALES 118 (1964)
by Stan Lee & Dick Ayers
cover by Jack Kirby
Okay the first appearance of the Wizard kind of sucked, and so did the second and the third.
Let’s see if the fourth time was the charm.
We begin with the Torch practicing his powers in his backyard, where his friends point out that he doesn’t really need to do any work because “there’s no one left for you to battle”. (WTF!?)
We then turn to the Wizard, who escapes prison by:
A) using a sleeping gas that puts the guard to sleep (pretty believable)
B) disguising himself as the guard by makeup he created by melting crayons (WHAT!?)
C) flying away with a jetpack THAT HE PULLS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF NOWHERE
Okay, to be fair it’s not a jetpack but an anti-gravity device and he does say that he built it in prison.
Which doesn’t explain how the heck he managed to hide that thing in prison! Seriously, look how big that thing is!
We then cut to the Torch performing flame tricks in a TV studio that is going to transmit images to sick orphans.
Except the guy who called him is actually the Wizard in disguise, and the camera is actually a hypnotic device.
The Wizard could just kill the Human Torch, but actually his plan is taking the Torch’s identity so that he can commit crimes without being identified.
There are a couple of things wrong with those two panels.
First: that’s an awkward place to put an editor’s note!
Second: the Wizard is impersonating the Torch AGAIN!? This is becoming REALLY repetitive!
Third: you’re going to use wax to disguise yourself!? Even if your act requires you to SET YOURSELF ON FIRE!?
At least have the decency to use an asbestos costume or asbestos wax!
(also: I have no idea what “a cold-flame unit” even means)
It seems that Wizard can also imitate the Torch’s voice perfectly, because his sister doesn’t even recognizes him until she notices his chortle.
Wait, his WHAT?
Don’t scare me like that, 1964!
The Wizard keeps the Human Torch and the Invisible Girl prisoners inside an advertisement out of a Bill Finger story.
Now the Wizard deals with the remaining two members of the Fantastic Four.
The smartest man in the world, ladies and gentlemen.
The best part of the story… the only part that is even remotely interesting, really… is watching the Wizard boast about the capabilities of what will become his signature technology: the gravity disks.
He doesn’t do anything with them within the story proper, mind you, but it does help to have SOME creative panels.
Eventually the Torch figures out a way to escape his prison even if the walls are covered by asbestos wallpaper (which we’ve already seen before)
There’s only enough oxygen to create a small flame (but enough to breathe for hours I guess), so the Torch can’t simply burst out. His solution is admittedly more creative than I expected.
Mr Fantastic and the Thing free them; the Torch IMMEDIATELY finds the Wizard’s hideout, and he’s greeted by a shotgun that fires antigravity disks.
I will remind you that the Wizard is supposed to be one of the smartest men on the planet.
The Wizard gets away with one of his antigravity disks, just when the Torch loses his flame.
Except the disk is jammed, and the Wizard ends up being stuck in the stratosphere.
He will eventually be rescued by Trapster, go on to create the Frightful Four with him and become an actually interesting villain, but as far as this comic is concerned, that’s the end.
Good thing the Wizard will be transferred to the Fantastic Four because he really sucks against the Human Torch.
Historical significance: 1/10
The disappointing origin of the Wizard’s gravity disks.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Everyone is way, WAY too stupid for any other era.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
They ran out of ideas for this series rather quickly, isn’t it? The Wizard is basically rehashing his previous plans and succeeding only in coming up as even lamer.
Which is a shame because the Wizard will become a really interesting villain on the pages of Fantastic Four… where his rival will become Reed Richards instead of the Torch, which frankly makes more sense. He has basically zero chemistry with the Torch.
Cancer count: 17
Adding the return of asbestos wallpaper
“Cold flame machines” are an actual real-world thing used in the pyrotechnics industry, you’ve probably actually seen them in concerts stage shows or at some showy sporting events or political rallies. If I understand the process correctly they burn gasses with extremely low ignition points and chemical additives for colors, so the flames they produce look impressive but are cool enough that they aren’t actually harmful to a human being. I don’t think you could realistically imitate the human torch with any of the ones that actually exist (which is why practical SFX work with the “burning man” effects use fireproof suits and hotter flames) but, well, the Wizard invented anti-gravity discs that can hypothetically lift a battleship. Willing to be he could improve on existing cold flame tech to the degree shown in the story – and the little heat generated presumably wouldn’t risk melting his disguise or setting his clothes on fire. You’d think people would notice the relative lack of heat coming off him when he’s nearby, though. One might also reasonably ask why he didn’t just steal the Torch’s costume for his impersonation while he had the chance, of course.