Strange Tales #102 Nov 1962
The Human Torch stars in "Prisoner of the Wizard!"
The Wizard, a famous inventor and escape artist, is finding his popularity is waning. With the Human Torch's adventures making headlines,
the Wizard blames the Torch for his loss in popularity and so plans to ruin the Torch's reputation.
Planning a stunt which involves drilling deep into the Earth, the Wizard plans to get trapped in order to earn the Torch's trust.
Being "rescued" by the Torch, the Wizard invites the Torch to his state-of-the-art home. Trapping the Torch in a room and dousing him with water.
The Wizard dons a suit that allows him to mimic the Torch's abilities and goes on a crime spree in order to ruin the Torch's reputation.
Johnny manages to escape and when the Wizard gets home, he offers the Torch a challenge:
Having taken pictures of himself putting on the suit that mimicked the Torch's powers,
the Wizard will fight him, one-on-one with no powers for the photos. However, the Torch refuses to play the Wizard's game.
When the Wizard is about to burn the pictures, they suddenly float out of the air and into the Torch's hands.
With the evidence in hand, the Torch has the Wizard arrested after proving the Wizard's guilt. After all is said and done,
Johnny's sister Sue turns visible, revealing that she was the cause of the pictures flying out of the Wizard's hand.
Plot by Stan Lee,
script by Larry Lieber,
pencils by Jack Kirby,
inks by Dick Ayers.