House of Mystery #157 (1966)
by Dave Wood & Jim Mooney
I guess that having the cover spoiling the entire story is useful to remember what happened each time.
This time we begin with Thunderbolt, the crime organization that Robby deals with.
They sure have some crazy technology, like a ship that can disguise itself as an island and has a tractor beam!!!
Turns out that what they have stole is the Cosmic Computer™, which is the world’s most advanced computer. So of course they were keeping it in a submarine.
Robby reasons that Thunderbolt is going to use the computer to rob the world’s most complex time vault, which… well he’s right, but would that REALLY be the first thing criminals would do with a supercomputer!?
I understand this is 1966 so they can’t exactly hack the Internet but come on.
So Robby uses the H-Dial to transform into his lates persona: the Human Bullet.
Not to be confused with the Fawcett Golden Age hero named Bulletman, who had a much better costume. Which is saying something.
Unlike Bulletman, however, the Human Bullet also has “tracer vision” that allows him to very easily find Thunderbolt.
He makes short work of the goons, but once again their leader Mr. Thunder escapes.
Mostly because Human Bullet has to save the criminals from drowining.
He did, however, leave behind a code that can lead Robby to the next crime.
You would expect this to be easy for the same kid who TRANSLATED AN ALIEN ALPHABET last issue, but Robby is completely stumped until he hears a clue from Plot Convenience Radio.
Yeah the numbers should’ve been ridiculously easy for anyone to figure out…
…but to Robby’s credit, the letters were a bit trickier.
Robby’s next transformation is a bit more creative than usual: he’s basically living lightning.
This is Super-Charge, who understandably enough is not immediately recognized as a hero.
He tries to stop Thunderbolt from committing another robbery, but this time they’re SOMEHOW prepared for him.
Robby does manage to break free of the magnetic trap by transforming back into a human…
…but it turns out that the H-Dial is a bit unreliable: SOMETIMES you just can’t dial back into a new hero and you have to wait a while.
So naturally this unpowered and untrained teenager is able to escape from a submerged submarine and swim to shore.
Sounds legit.
Next up is Robby’s new transformation: a blind superhero!
This is one of the most recognizable H-Dial transformation: a neat concept with a terrible name… Radar-Sonar Man.
In addition to that he can fly, which is already nothing special, but he can emit sound waves so powerful they can blow up torpedoes!!!
And so we end with Mr. Thunder being defeated once again.
Historical significance: 0/10
Radar-Sonar Man is one of the few transformations that show up again, but even that is not exactly significant.
Silver Age-ness: 7/10
Mundane stuff for the Silver Age.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
Nothing wrong with it, but it really shows its age. The formula is already growing a bit thin, with Robby again transforming into three heroes after each one only complets part of a mission. He does get involved without transforming, which is new, but the ease with with he escapes the submarine is really hard to believe today.
Dial S for SOCKAMAGEE! : 10
Dial I for superhero identities: 6
Dial C for the superpowers count: 11
The Human Bullet just flight, which was already in the count, and “tracer vision”. Super-Charge adds electricity and Radar-Sonar Man obviously adds a radas sense and a sonar sense. Plus he can ALSO fly, which seems to be the most recurring power coming from the H-Dial, and he can generate sounds waves.