There's something strange about this! That boy's body is blazing - yet he is not being burned! 
- -- Human Torch
Appearing in "Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Toro (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Samson (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Pops
- Fred Raymond (First appearance) (Main story and flashback) (Death)
- Nora Raymond (First appearance) (Main story and flashback) (Death)
- Tom Alexander
- Ellie Alexander
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Pop's Traveling Circus
Items:
- Horton Cells
- The Rayon Gun
Vehicles:
- Prowl Car 51
Synopsis for "Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid"
Passing by a traveling circus, Human Torch spots a young kid on the ground with his body aflame. Landing, and a bit puzzled, he helps the young boy named Toro to be able to flame on at will and fly. Just then, the circus strongman, Samson, buts in and takes on the Torch. Samson loses and swears revenge.
In the meantime, Toro relates how he was involved in a train accident and lost both his parents after trying to save them in the fire. He fell unconscious, holding a piece of molten metal in his hand. He was adopted by two circus performers and has been with the circus since.
Meanwhile, Samson is planning his revenge against the circus and especially the Torch, the latter with a stolen invention called "The Rayon Gun" that puts out flame. The Police eventually arrest Samson and the Torch tracks down his henchmen.
Appearing in "Sub-Mariner Crashes New York Again"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Mac
- Mike
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Armonk
Synopsis for "Sub-Mariner Crashes New York Again"
The Navy has lost four battleships to fifth columnists at the Baltimore Naval Base, so the Sub-Mariner decides to head that way and look over the situation. He discovers a submerged Nazi U-Boat and some suspicious men diving down to it. Fearing sabotage, Namor decides to be on hand for the christening of a new ship the next day. As the ship slides into the water, aerial subs of Prince Namor show up, anchor discs to the ship, raise it out of the water and put in back in dry dock. In a letter to officials, Namor tells them the ship was to be sunk, and that he knows where the saboteurs are and will take care of them personally.
Appearing in "Carl Burgos' Hot Idea"
Featured Characters:
Locations:
Synopsis for "Carl Burgos' Hot Idea"
"The Story of the Human Torch!" A dramatic retelling of the creation of the Human Torch.
Appearing in "Bill Everett's Hurricane"
Featured Characters:
Locations:
Synopsis for "Bill Everett's Hurricane"
"The Story of the Sub-Mariner!" A dramatic retelling of the creation of the Sub-Mariner.
Appearing in "Extortion for a Bail-Out"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Jim Peterson (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Synopsis for "Extortion for a Bail-Out"
Carl Burgess, District Attorney, runs into a Mrs. Bankhead on his way out of court and learns that her husband has been kidnapped by men demanding $50,000. Changing to the Falcon, he tracks down the kidnappers and learns that they were trying to get the extortion money to bail out their boss, Big Jim Peterson, whom Burgess [as D.A.] was attempting to prosecute.
Appearing in "A Wish Come True"
Featured Characters:
- Jimmy Everett (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Schmidt (First appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for "A Wish Come True"
Bored little Jimmy Everett visits Mr. Schmidt in his lab while he is experimenting. After finding out the old chemist has invented a potion that can shrink someone, he runs an errand for him, and comes back to find him asleep. Jimmy decides to take the potion and shrinks down to the size of a nickel laying on the floor. When the chemist awakes, he spots the coin and picks it up, not noticing Jimmy on the coin, and puts it in his pocket. The old man happens to pick up a magnifying glass and sees the tiny boy, gives him the antidote and restores him to regular size.
Appearing in "Hidden Treasure Means Death"
Featured Characters:
- Mantor the Magician (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Joan Winters (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Ghosts
- Arthur Saunders (butler) (First appearance)
- Neil Saunders (gardener & brother) (First appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for "Hidden Treasure Means Death"
Mantor the Magician sees a young lady drowning and acts quickly to save her. She tells him that her father recently died and left her a castle and a queer map that supposedly leads to a treasure. Together they go to the castle and he examines the map, which speaks of a secret button and hidden passage leading to the treasure. Mantor tells the girl to lock herself in her room while he investigates. An attempt is first made on Mantor by a deformed creature, before he finds the passage and is able to save the young lady from a phony ghost, namely Saunders the Butler.
Appearing in "The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor Sendach (Only appearance; dies)[1]
Other Characters:
- Julie (First appearance)
- An unnamed female prisoner in Sendach's dungeon
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Police Captain's office
- Offices of the Daily Herald newspaper
- Dr. Castle's office/laboratory
- Dr. Sendach's castle
Synopsis for "The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses"
Dr. Jack Castle is called in Police HQ to look at a recent murder victim who doesn't have one drop of blood left in its body. He agrees to help the suffering people involved, but the Police will have to solve the mystery. Soon, more victims are reported in the local press, and Castle cannot allow any more victims to die, so he changes to the Fiery Mask and prepares a trap for the perpetrators at his lab. Swarms of ghoulish men come in and overpower the Mask, who is found injured the next morning by his nurse, who also discovers his secret identity. Later, he tracks down the man behind the terror, Dr. Sendach, eminent stomach specialist, who disappeared long before and who had been experimenting on a mechanical stomach.
Notes
- "Introducing Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid" is reprinted in Human Torch Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1.
- The Saunders brothers from the Mantor story were named (Arthur and Neil) in Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special (2009).
- The origin of Toro is revealed in this issue.
Trivia
- The train seen in Toro's origin story is called the "Marvel Special".
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks
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