The Human Torch #1
The Human Torch #1 (September 1974) is the first issue of Johnny Storm's own titled solo series, marking a Bronze Age milestone by giving a core Fantastic Four member a dedicated book separate from the team. Just as significantly, the issue performs a dual act of Marvel history-preservation: the Johnny Storm lead feature reprints the very first Silver Age Human Torch solo story from Strange Tales #101 (October 1962), while the backup slot resurrects a Golden Age Jim Hammond story, placing both fire-powered characters — the 1939 Timely android and the 1961 Marvel mutate — on the same cover and within the same pages for the first time in their own dedicated title. The evocative cover image of the two Torches facing off, though a symbolic composition that depicts no actual scene in the book, consciously echoes the celebrated clash from Fantastic Four Annual #4 (1966), connecting thirty-five years of Marvel's fiery legacy in a single image.
In the quiet suburbs of Glenville, Johnny Storm tries to balance his secret identity with a normal life, sharing a fireproof home with his sister Sue. But when a mysterious figure known only as The Destroyer targets a local amusement park, Johnny’s efforts to stay low-key are tested—especially as the park’s construction hides secrets that may be just as dangerous as the flames he can summon.
Johnny Torch faces off against The Destroyer alone, refusing Ben’s help as the stakes rise at the amusement park. When the pattern of attacks points to the roller coaster and the parachute jump, Johnny pieces together a clue from the sea—spotting a suspicious submarine—and realizes the enemy’s true identity is closer than he thought.
In "Horror Hotel!", The Human Torch investigates a hotel plunged into chaos by a terrifying beast said to be killing guests. But as he digs deeper, the truth begins to unravel—no one seems to have actually seen the monster, and the real danger may be far more human than monstrous.
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The series was edited by Roy Thomas, who was Marvel's Editor-in-Chief from 1972 to 1974 and had a well-documented affinity for Golden Age characters; Thomas also contributed new introductory and closing text pages to the Golden Age Jim Hammond backup reprint, lending editorial context for Bronze Age readers encountering Carl Burgos's original android for the first time. The lead story reprints the two-part Johnny Storm adventure originally plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, and drawn by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Dick Ayers (inks) from Strange Tales #101 — that issue being the first solo Human Torch story of the Silver Age, published in October 1962. The cover of the 1974 issue features pencils by John Romita Sr. (though the credit was initially mis-attributed to Sal Buscema before researcher Nick Caputo corrected it) inked by Joe Sinnott. The Golden Age backup story, 'Horror Hotel!', was originally scripted by Don Rico with pencils by Bill Walton, and GCD notes the reprint appears to have been heavily re-inked and completely recolored relative to its original printing.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First issue of Johnny Storm's own titled solo series (Human Torch Vol. 2), published September 1974 by Marvel Comics.
- Lead feature reprints the two-part story from Strange Tales #101 (October 1962) — the first Silver Age Human Torch solo story — originally plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers.
- The Strange Tales #101 story is the first appearance of the villain the Destroyer (Charles Stanton), a Cold War spy sabotaging an amusement park to conceal a Soviet submarine's communications channel.
- Backup story, 'Horror Hotel!', reprints a Golden Age Jim Hammond Human Torch story originally scripted by Don Rico and penciled by Bill Walton, with new introductory and closing text material written by editor Roy Thomas.
- Cover pencils are by John Romita Sr. with inks by Joe Sinnott; lettering is by Gaspar Saladino. The cover depicts both Torches in a face-off that is symbolic — the scene does not occur within the book — evoking the Torch-vs.-Torch battle from Fantastic Four Annual #4 (1966).
- The series ran 8 issues total (September 1974 – August 1975) and was published bi-monthly.
- The entire series has since been collected in The Human Torch & The Thing: Strange Tales – The Complete Collection (Marvel, 2018).
- The Strange Tales #101 source story had already been reprinted in Marvel Tales #3 (July 1966), making the 1974 issue the story's second reprint appearance.
Cast · 5 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints The Human Torch #33 (1948), Strange Tales #101 (1962)
Reprinted in Marvel Firsts: The 1970s #2 (2012), The Human Torch & The Thing: Strange Tales - The Complete Collection #[nn] (2018), The Human Torch #1, The Human Torch #3
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