STRANGE TALES 117 (1964)
by Stan Lee & Dick Ayers
cover by Jack Kirby
Because I guess someone demanded it: the return of the Eel.
The Eel is on the loose, which is newsworthy enough to warrant a public service announcement.
He’s not exactly hard to find!
The Torch takes him back to prison… except it turns out the Eel has already served his time.
This is… weird to say the least. The last time we met the Eel was Strange Tales 112; even if we don’t take comic book time into account (and to be fair it hadn’t been firmly established) it means the Eel only served five months in prison.
Just in case you’ve forgotten his previous appearance (and I don’t blame you!), he STOLE NUCLEAR SECRETS AND ALMOST BLEW UP NEW YORK.
But five months and he’s free? AND HE GETS HIS JOB BACK!?
Look… I’m okay with criminals who have served their time being allowed to join the workforce again. But I’m drawing the line at, again, STEALING ATOMIC SECRETS AND ALMOST BLOWING UP NEW YORK.
Also, in case you are wondering: yes the Eel still has his super-helicopter. Can’t be a fish-themed supervillain without one of those, I guess?
I keep thinking that the Eel is a horrible match for the Human Torch. Can’t put my finger on why.
“Of course! Only a fish-themed supervillain would steal stamps!”
WTF!?!?
At least the Torch is smart enough to put out a fake story about a famous ruby, hoping that the Eel will fall for the trick. Which of course he does.
Okay, time for a Fire vs Electricity battle!
Or the Eel could bust out his lame helicopter.
Look Eel… there are rules to this whole supervillain thing. You have to pick ONE theme for your gimmicks, you can’t have ALL of them!!!
Once again the Invisible Girl shows where all the brain power in the family went.
So the Human Torch tries to sneak up on the Eel in the aquarium, but the Eel is ready for him.
Ah, asbestos… this retrospective wouldn’t be the same without you.
The Eel tries to feed the Torch to the shark tank (!!!) but it turns out that using asbestos grease is a terrible idea. Shocking, I know!
And I guess fire reflects electricity? WHAT?
And that’s how the Human Torch defeated the Eel!
The Fantastic Four treat this encounter with the dignity it deserves.
Historical significance: 0/10
Two appearances were enough to prove that the Eel didn’t work as a Human Torch villain. He’ll show up again against Daredevil and Captain America, among others.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Fire reflecting electricity and five months in prison for nearly causing a nuclear apocalypse, anyone?
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
This sucked. The Eel is all over the place when it comes to supervillains, the Torch isn’t compelling enough, and to say that the plot is paper-thin is a compliment.
Cancer count: 16
Adding asbestos grease.