House of Mystery #162

House of Mystery #162 (1966)
by Bill Finger & Jim Mooney

This is the first Dial H story not written by its creator Dave Wood; instead it’s by Bill Finger, better known as Batman’s creator.
Shockingly, “Future Man” won’t end up being as popular as Batman.

Smallville Littleville is a small enough town to ignore pollution, until now.

That has to be SOME smog if it causes people to mutate into monsters (!!!) that explode (!!!).

Robbie uses the Dial to transform, and this issue marks the start of a new trend.
Up to this point, Robbie had to figure out what powers he had and come up with a name.
Now he IMMEDIATELY knows exactly what his powers are, and he instinctively knows the name of the hero. That will become one of the hallmarks of Dial H.

Good thing he knows it, since good luck figuring out name and powers of THIS one.
Despite the… less than stellar looks and the nondescriptive name, Mr. Echo’s power is one of the most versatile he could have.

He reflects everything, from gravity to explosions…

…to water…

…to electricity, which he uses to trap the monster.

He also apparently reflects the plot, because the monster changes back into a human.

But the Purple Porcupine isn’t the only monster to show up, because there’s also Not Frankenstein.

He’s super-strong, but obviously not a problem for the overpowered Mr. Echo.
Also: what do you mean “he can’t be knocked out”? You don’t seem to be struggling punching him!

But no, Mr. Echo’s plan is to sneak into a nearby factory to be FLATTENED INTO A PANCAKE…

…and only THEN release the force of the impact against Not Frankenstein.

Well that was unnecessary.

The monster turns human, and the locals are quick to consider it’s because of pollution.
Honestly I’m kind of surprised Mr. Echo doesn’t immediately resolve the issue by repelling pollution itself!

This Mr. Roban guy wants all the citizens of Smallville Littleville to leave the place, but he’s challenged by an unexpected character: Gramps! This is the first time he’s a full-fledged character in the story and not just there to excuse his grandson from dinner.

And then Gramps turns into a monster himself!!!

This is where Future Man shows up, demonstrating his bald head can generate illusions.

Gramps soon returns human. So much for the drama of Robbie needing to fight his grandfather.

That’s the last straw for the people of Smallville Littleville, who waste little time evacuating.
I have to wonder: is the kid saying “Kin I bring” instead of “Can I bring” supposed to tell us he’s speaking with an accent? His parents and the rest of the town don’t.

Future Man (who also has telekinesis now) is sure that the smog is NOT to blame and that Mr. Roban is the true villain because… his grampa said so. Okay Robbie IS a teenager, but he’s also a detective super-genius so couldn’t they give him a better reason for the deduction?

Well he DOES have a different “““clue”””, but… actually you know what, I prefer Grampa’s explanation.

Sounds legit.
Also I’m counting super-memory as a new power: Robbie has photographic memory, sure, but this feels definitely superhuman.

By the way, our villain of the day has a monster-creating invisible ray at his disposal… which has NOTHING TO DO with the protagonist’s device that turns people into heroes.
Comics, everybody!

Unlike the H-Dial, however, this machine is a little more predictable because it creates Purple Porcupine Man AGAIN.

But it’s offset by the fact that his quills can do anything.

Future Man frees himself by using telekinesis to break both his ice prison and the monster-creating machine…

… and arrest the bad guy, forcing him to confess.

---

Historical significance: 0/10
Completely forgotten. 

Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Only in the Silver Age could an invisible ray that creates monsters be explained with a throwaway sentence which is never referenced again.

 Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
The Mr. Echo part of the story is by far the best, with a very imaginative power and a fun fight scene, but props for finally giving Gramps SOMETHING to do, even if it’s short.
Way too old-fashioned and simple to be done today, though.

 Dial S for SOCKAMAGEE! : 43
Only five uses of the catchphrase.

Dial I for superhero identities: 18
Mr. Echo and Future Man.

Dial C for the superpowers count: 28
Mr. Echo’s ability is fascinating! I’m counting it as “power reflection”, considering it as a single power with multiple applications. Future Man adds creating illusions and telekinesis (shocking it wasn’t on the list yet), plus super-memory as discussed.