Human Torch

It was no accident that The Human Torch was emblazoned on the cover of Marvel's first comic book; he was, and still is, one of the most visually impressive super heroes ever invented. Part of his appeal may simply be due to the splashy use of vibrant colors red and yellow. the blazing figure of The Torch embodies the very essence of the super hero, a pure distillation of energy and power.

If the simple sight of the Human Torch burning his way across a cover was good for extra sales in 1939, his personality was more problematical. He ignited in a burst of inspiration and then gradually dwindled to a mundane character with little to offer but candlepower. Carl Burgos conceived of the Torch as an android, a synthetic creation who sprang to life full grown, his powers honed to a dangerous edge, his mind a mere blank slate. The combination shot off sparks at once, but naiveté is a difficult quality to maintain. Each successive story made him wiser in the ways of the world, and thus made him less unusual. It was perhaps inevitable that he would turn to fighting crime, but the formerly alienated Torch strained credibility when he joined the police force. Before long, both the character and his writers seemed to have forgotten his artificial origin, his personality and his unique outlook.

The Human Torch was so thoroughly transformed, from a baffled innocent to a responsible adult, that he was ready within a year of his debut to take on the role of the guardian and instructor of a kid named Toro. A junior version of the Torch, with similar but less spectacularly developed powers. Toro was an early example of the young companions who were grafted onto many super heroes during The Golden Age. And since he possessed no special attributes, Toro's addition merely provided readers with one and a half Human Torches.

Unlike his contemporaries the Sub-Mariner and Captain America, the original Human Torch was not revived during Marvel's spectacular renaissance of the 1060's. Instead, editor Stan Lee created a new Torch by transferring the striking appearance of the old Torch onto a new character: Johnny Storm, the hotheaded adolescent member of the Fantastic Four. This new Human Torch, who has now endured for far longer than his predecessor, possessed the lively personality to survive.

Disclaimer: This page is not officially connected in any way to the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All or any images used are scanned from Marvel Comics and are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and are used without permission. All info from: "Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics".