Flame On! Johnny Storm: The Human Torch Appreciation 2019

[Grim Fandango]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Bosslogic...42071873191938
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[Crimz]

I wonder if they will ever give Johnny earrings again.

[CaptCleghorn]

I wonder if they will ever give Johnny earrings again.

Are earrings popular for men now? One or two? If it's a thing men are doing, I'd be OK with it. But seeing as I'm terminally sartorially challenged, I have no idea what's hot and what's not. But hot is definitely a point for the Torch (pun intended).

[Crimz]

Are earrings popular for men now? One or two? If it's a thing men are doing, I'd be OK with it. But seeing as I'm terminally sartorially challenged, I have no idea what's hot and what's not. But hot is definitely a point for the Torch (pun intended).

Earrings have been popular for a very long time. Most of the men in my family including me have an earring, even my dad had an earring since before I was born lol.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Strange Tales #119 Apr 1964
"The Torch Goes Wild!"
A demagogue drums up public opinion against the Torch, as part of a communist plot against an American ally;

The Torch regains the public trust by stopping him

and using his own mind control devices to turn him to the American side.

Script by Stan Lee (co-plot, script) and Dick Ayers (co-plot, un-credited), art by Dick Ayers

[Crimz]

I just realized that Johnny's relationship with Crystal was his only healthy/good relationship. But that bridge has been burnt (no pun intended lol) after the Medusa fling.

Dorrie - couldn't handle his superheroing and was destined to end
Frankie - throughout the run was being set up as not a good fit and was too bloodthirsty at times. Plus she was obviously losing interest and chose Galactus over him.
Lyja - I could write an essay on how toxic and unhealthy this was. I wouldn't even call it a relationship.

Those are the main ones I think. The less important ones:

Medusa - he was her rebound and it was a bad decision on both their parts
Rogue - ended before it even began

[Digifiend]

I notice Johnny has no-showed in Spider-Man Life Story. Reed has appeared, and Sue's been stated to have gone with Namor, which means the F4 have disbanded. Since the Vietnam War continued well into the 1970s there, and Johnny was a teenager in the early comics, I wonder if he was conscripted? And did that ever come up back when Vietnam was happening in real life?

[Dermie]

I just realized that Johnny's relationship with Crystal was his only healthy/good relationship. But that bridge has been burnt (no pun intended lol) after the Medusa fling.

Dorrie - couldn't handle his superheroing and was destined to end
Frankie - throughout the run was being set up as not a good fit and was too bloodthirsty at times. Plus she was obviously losing interest and chose Galactus over him.
Lyja - I could write an essay on how toxic and unhealthy this was. I wouldn't even call it a relationship.

Those are the main ones I think. The less important ones:

Medusa - he was her rebound and it was a bad decision on both their parts
Rogue - ended before it even began

Crys absolutely was his best relationship thus far.

Dorrie could potentially have another shot, now that both of them are older and more mature. She was last seen in the final issue of James Robinson's run where she and Johnny ran into each other since Dorrie got divorced. It seemed like they were planning to at least have a date. I don't see them having more than a fling these days though, since a divorced woman with kids is probably a bit more baggage than Johnny is prepared to handle.

Lyja certainly started from an unhealthy foundation, which has left it doomed to disaster--but there was some honest and genuine love between them. I just don't know if they could ever fully get past the massive deception involved in creating that relationship.

Darla Deering was nothing more than a fling for Johnny, along with other short lived relationships like Lorrie Melton and Julie Angel. Kourtney lasted longer than they did, but I think that relationship was still pretty casual and superficial.

The relationship with Psionics was just weird, since he believed she was a super-villain at the time. Of course, its not like that's the only time Johnny's been drawn to a 'bad girl'--there was also his relationship with Cole, the daughter of the Wizard...but that one seemed to disappear off-panel.

I rather enjoyed his relationship with Namorita, although I knew it wouldn't last indefinitely. Still, they had a pretty decent run given that when the relationship started both of them were on different team books.

I would have liked to have seen his relationship with Princess Valeria of the 5th Dimension explored a bit more.

[Crimz]

Crys absolutely was his best relationship thus far.

Dorrie could potentially have another shot, now that both of them are older and more mature. She was last seen in the final issue of James Robinson's run where she and Johnny ran into each other since Dorrie got divorced. It seemed like they were planning to at least have a date. I don't see them having more than a fling these days though, since a divorced woman with kids is probably a bit more baggage than Johnny is prepared to handle.

Lyja certainly started from an unhealthy foundation, which has left it doomed to disaster--but there was some honest and genuine love between them. I just don't know if they could ever fully get past the massive deception involved in creating that relationship.

Darla Deering was nothing more than a fling for Johnny, along with other short lived relationships like Lorrie Melton and Julie Angel. Kourtney lasted longer than they did, but I think that relationship was still pretty casual and superficial.

The relationship with Psionics was just weird, since he believed she was a super-villain at the time. Of course, its not like that's the only time Johnny's been drawn to a 'bad girl'--there was also his relationship with Cole, the daughter of the Wizard...but that one seemed to disappear off-panel.

I rather enjoyed his relationship with Namorita, although I knew it wouldn't last indefinitely. Still, they had a pretty decent run given that when the relationship started both of them were on different team books.

I would have liked to have seen his relationship with Princess Valeria of the 5th Dimension explored a bit more.

The thing I worry about possibly getting back with Dorrie is that it would be another story about how immature he is. They'd use her kids as a way to show that Johnny isn't mature enough for that relationship and I am tired of stories about how Johnny needs to grow up. It's become repetitive and makes no sense after all he's been through. But writers love to fall back on it.

[Digifiend]

I guess Johnny has the same problem as Peter Parker. No wonder they're BFFs.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Strange Tales #121 Jun 1964
"Prisoner of the Plantman!"
After improving his plant ray,

the Plantman captures Johnny to get him out of the way while he pulls a robbery;

After, Doris, worried about her father, begs Johnny to stop the villain, they have a duel at the Botanical Gardens.

Script by Stan Lee and Dick Ayers (co-plot), art by Dick Ayers

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Strange Tales #122 Jul 1964
"3 Against The Torch!"
In flashback we see the how Dr. Doom used "The Terrible Trio" to trap the Fantastic Four,
then discarded his underlings by sending them into another dimension!;

With Doom gone, the three return to Earth, where they're foolish enough

to try taking on The Torch again, figuring 3 against 1 will be no contest.

Script by Stan Lee (co-plot, dialogue) and Dick Ayers (co-plot), pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by George Roussos (as George Bell)

[Doombot]

Being such a comic staple, and considering how old the Human Torch character is, I feel like most people take for granted how utterly terrifying encountering a person on fire would be and then learning that person can completely control and manipulate this fire. Comics have all kinds of wacky powers and characters, Johnny always seems to be forgotten or not thought of as any real kind of threat or character not to be taken lightly. Being a a master of fire should really put Johnny on the same sort of level as someone like Magneto in terms of a respectable fear of their power. Johnny can be a goofball and he's such an old character now and originally seen as just a silly hormonal boy that both readers and people in the MU seem to forget what a frightening and powerful ability he has. I wish there was a writer that would bring that type of respectability to Johnny has his powers.

[Digifiend]

It's actually surprising that J Jonah Jameson didn't target Johnny. Surely his potential for accidental fires makes him a bigger menace than Spidey?

[Silvermoth]

Probably worried about getting sued