The Human Torch #2
Human Torch #2 (Fall 1940) is the debut issue of one of the first superhero solo titles in American comics history, and its paramount contribution is the first appearance and origin of Toro (Thomas Raymond), the Human Torch's flame-powered boy sidekick — making this the point at which Timely's android hero gained the partner who would remain his constant companion through every major wartime title for nearly a decade. The sidekick formula, plausibly inspired by Robin's recent introduction in Detective Comics, proved commercially durable: Toro went on to co-star not only in the ongoing Human Torch series but also in Young Allies, Kid Komics, All-Winners Comics, and eventually as a co-founding member of the Invaders. The issue also marks the final Golden Age appearances of both the Fiery Mask and the Falcon, cementing it as a snapshot of Timely's early anthology ecosystem at the moment the publisher was consolidating around its most bankable characters. The Torch-and-Toro pairing introduced here would directly inform Marvel's later tradition of the mentor-and-ward superhero dynamic, and Toro himself was brought back into continuity repeatedly — most fully in the 2008 Avengers/Invaders maxi-series and the 2009 miniseries The Torch.
In "Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid," Joe Simon crafts a fiery mystery from the very first page, as Dr. Jack Castle is drawn into a chilling case of bloodless murders. With the help of a new ally—Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid—Castle races to uncover the truth before more lives are lost, all while hiding his own identity from the very nurse who tends to him. The story unfolds with a classic pulp edge, brought to life by Joe Simon’s dynamic art and Alex Schomburg’s striking cover.
In a fiery twist of fate, the Human Torch encounters Toro, a young boy whose body burns with uncontrollable flames after a tragic train accident claimed his parents. As Torch helps Toro gain control over his powers, the boy’s past as a circus performer and his bond with his adoptive family come to light. But beneath the spectacle, a vengeful shadow looms—Samson, the villain who once lost to the Torch, is plotting a dangerous revenge against the circus and its newest flame-born hero.
When four battleships vanish under mysterious circumstances, the Sub-Mariner investigates and uncovers a hidden Nazi U-boat and suspicious divers. Determined to prevent further sabotage, he keeps watch as a new ship is launched—only to see it sink moments after sliding into the water, then mysteriously hoisted back into dry dock by aerial subs. In a letter to naval officials, Namor confirms the sabotage, reveals he knows the saboteurs’ location, and declares he’ll deal with them personally.
When a distraught Mrs. Bankhead pleads for help after her husband’s kidnapping, the District Attorney’s assistant, Carl Burgess, steps in — and soon finds himself in a web of corruption when he discovers the real motive behind the ransom: a desperate bid to free Big Jim Peterson, the city’s powerful political boss, from jail. With Peterson’s gang pulling strings from behind the scenes, Burgess must unravel the truth before the law itself is compromised.
In "A Wish Come True," a bored young boy named Jimmy Everett stumbles upon a curious experiment in the lab of the reclusive chemist Doctor Schmidt. After sneaking a sip of a shrinking potion meant for testing, Jimmy finds himself shrunk to the size of a nickel—right as the doctor picks him up, unaware of the tiny passenger in his pocket. When Schmidt finally spots him through a magnifying glass, the race to restore Jimmy to normal size begins.
When the Human Torch rescues Joan Winters from drowning, he soon finds himself drawn into a mystery tied to her late father’s estate. With a cryptic map and a castle full of secrets, the young woman and her guardian must unravel a deadly puzzle—only to face a deformed intruder and a shocking deception orchestrated by her own butler, Saunders.
In "The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses," a series of gruesome murders leaves the city reeling—each victim drained of blood, their bodies eerily preserved. When Dr. Jack Castle is drawn into the mystery, he finds himself racing against time to stop a killer whose twisted experiments have unleashed a horde of corpse-like creatures. With the help of his nurse Julie and the determined Captain Benson, Castle must unravel the truth behind the terror before more lives are lost.
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The title itself is a product of a quick editorial pivot: Timely had launched Red Raven Comics #1 in August 1940, but that book failed to find an audience and was immediately axed; rather than waste the numbering, publisher Martin Goodman simply renamed the slot, inheriting the '#2' designation for this debut Human Torch solo issue. The book was published quarterly by Timely Publications, with all story content packaged by Funnies Incorporated, and Joe Simon served as editor. Carl Burgos wrote and drew the lead Toro introduction story himself, while Bill Everett contributed a Sub-Mariner co-feature, and Joe Simon both edited the issue and wrote and drew the Fiery Mask backup 'The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses'; the cover was supplied by Alex Schomburg, who would become the title's signature cover artist throughout its run. In a notable piece of in-joke craft, the backup characters Carl Burgess (the Falcon) and Jimmy Everett (Microman) are named as Tuckerizations honoring the issue's lead creators, Carl Burgos and Bill Everett.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of Toro (Thomas Raymond, 'The Flaming Torch Kid'), the Human Torch's fire-powered sidekick, created and drawn by Carl Burgos in the lead story titled 'Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid.'
- The title numbering begins at #2 — this is actually the first issue of the Human Torch solo series, inheriting the number from the immediately cancelled Red Raven Comics #1 (Fall 1940).
- Published Fall 1940 by Timely Publications, with interior content packaged by Funnies Incorporated; Joe Simon served as editor-in-chief; the cover was painted by Alex Schomburg.
- The issue is an anthology of 68 pages featuring multiple co-features: a Sub-Mariner story by Bill Everett, a Falcon story by Paul Reinman, a Microman story by Harold DeLay and Paul Quinn, a Mantor the Magician story by Al Gabriele, and the Fiery Mask story written and drawn by Joe Simon.
- This issue marks the final Golden Age appearance of both the Fiery Mask (Dr. Jack Castle) and the Falcon (Carl Burgess, an Assistant D.A.) — both characters would not reappear in the Golden Age after this issue.
- Microman and Mantor the Magician each have their only-ever Golden Age appearances in this issue.
- The backup characters Carl Burgess (the Falcon) and Jimmy Everett (Microman) are Tuckerizations — their names are in-jokes referencing creators Carl Burgos and Bill Everett.
- The issue has been reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch Vol. 1 (first published 2005, reissued 2013), as well as in the Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Human Torch by Carl Burgos Omnibus (2019) and in Marvel: The First 80 Years (2020).
Cast · 15 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Fantasy Masterpieces #11 (1967), Marvel Comics #1 #[nn] (1990), Saga of the Original Human Torch #4 (1990), Marvel Milestones: Captain Britain, Psylocke & Sub-Mariner #[nn] (2005), Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch #1 (2005), The Twelve #1/2 (2008), Human Torch Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (2009), Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch #1 (2013), Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch #1 (51) (2013), Marvel's Mightiest Heroes #2 (2014), Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017), Marvel Comics #1: 80th Anniversary Edition #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett - The Pre-War Years Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Simon & Kirby Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Human Torch by Carl Burgos Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Marvel: The First 80 Years #[nn] (2020), Flashback #21
Key issues in The Human Torch
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