STRANGE TALES #118-119 (1964)


Some Dr. Strange stories.  Some solo Human Torch stories.  I’m going to bundle them because they’re short stories and not a lot happens. 

Of note: It is about now that Stan starts talking about the “Marvel Age of Comics.”  See the blurb above.

In issue #118, The Fantastic Four take on Paste Pot Pete, and on the cover Wizard adopts the moniker “Master of Evil” but puts on Human Torch’s face.

These kinds of switches are so common in these early Marvel issues that they get a bit tired.

It continues to annoy me that Human Torch’s “solo” book is just a vehicle for inferior FF stories.  It also annoys me that his actual solo stories also aren’t that good.  In #119, he fights a guy named Rabble Rouser, who is basically a poor man’s Hate Monger. 

Spider-Man has a brief cameo.

Doctor Strange’s solo stories are a bit better. 

All mediocre stories, but the least mediocre are the Dr. Strange ones.  In issue #118, he takes a break from magical enemies to fight aliens. Oh, and in #119, we get the very cool widescreen.  Widescreen panels were extremely rare back then.

D+ on the Torch side. C for Strange.

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