Marvel Tales #16
Johnny has a date with Doris Evans, who drives him crazy as she's the only girl he's gone out with who's not impressed with his being The Torch, and prefers him as "Johnny". He sees her father fire his gardener, Sam Smithers, for "fooling around" with an invention designed to increase the intelligence of plant life. Shortly, in a "million-to-one freak accident", lightnight strikes and alters Sam's device so "it works!" Not only does it increase plants' intelligence, they also follow his mental commands. Donning a costume, he robs the store where Doris' father works and plants evidence to frame him for the crime. Johnny swears to clear Evans' name. Soon Johnny & The Plantman are engaged in battle, and The Plantman demands the city be turned over to him! (Talk about rising megalomania.) Johnny manages to break the plant-device, but The Plantman gets away, promising himself, "Next time my plan will be foolproof!!"
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Johnny has a date with Doris Evans, who drives him crazy as she's the only girl he's gone out with who's not impressed with his being The Torch, and prefers him as "Johnny". He sees her father fire his gardener, Sam Smithers, for "fooling around" with an invention designed to increase the intelligence of plant life. Shortly, in a "million-to-one freak accident", lightnight strikes and alters Sam's device so "it works!" Not only does it increase plants' intelligence, they also follow his mental commands. Donning a costume, he robs the store where Doris' father works and plants evidence to frame him for the crime. Johnny swears to clear Evans' name. Soon Johnny & The Plantman are engaged in battle, and The Plantman demands the city be turned over to him! (Talk about rising megalomania.) Johnny manages to break the plant-device, but The Plantman gets away, promising himself, "Next time my plan will be foolproof!!"
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).