The Torch Goes Wild!

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MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS — Issue no. 80, August 1978

Book: Marvel’s Greatest Comics

Issue No.: 80

Published: August 8, 1978

Title: “The Torch Goes Wild!” (reprint of Fantastic Four no. 99)

Cover Price: 35¢

Format: Original paper copy

This Fantastic Four story (Marvel’s Greatest Comics was a Fantastic Four reprint book) features the Inhumans. At this point, I’ve written almost 300 (!) Marvel Time Warp posts, so I had to do a search to see if I’d previously covered any Inhumans appearances. It looks like I’ve only encountered them (so far) in another 1978 reprint book, Marvel Super-Heroes (that one reprints Hulk stories).

The setup here is the Human Torch (AKA Johnny Storm) flies to the Inhumans’ secret land to get his girlfriend Crystal (she’s an Inhuman) to come back to the States with him. The Torch doesn’t fly commercial or on one of the Fantastic Four’s cool rocket planes — he flies halfway around the world using his fire-creating super-powers. Seems like that would be exhausting! Second, Crystal doesn’t want to go home with the Torch. Which makes his whole plan seem kind of stalker-y.

A panel from this issue showing Johnny Storm fighting the Inhumans Triton, Medusa, and Karnak. Black Bolt sits on his throne in the background, looking kind of out of it. Crystal is at Black Bolt’s side. Johnny says, “Stand aside! Don’t force me to flame on!” Karnak says, “Halt! None may threaten the throne of Black Bolt!”

It turns out Crystal still loves the Torch, but she can’t leave the side of Inhumans leader Black Bolt because he is ill, and only she can help him recover. That important bit of information doesn’t get revealed until after there’s a lot of fighting between the Torch and several other Inhumans — fighting that is finally broken up when the rest of the Fantastic Four arrive on the scene.

Not the best Fantastic Four story I’ve read, but the classic Jack “King” Kirby artwork never disappoints. And even though these reprints tend to get edited down (this one is two pages shorter than the original version), the reprint editor didn’t deprive us of the story’s magnificent mid-issue splash page.

Next time — The 300th Marvel Time Warp! Which should be a special double-size issue. But I don’t know if I’ll have time to put something like that together! So tune in next week to find out!

Tags: bronze age comics, comic books, marvel, fantastic four, inhumans

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