Appearing in "Part 1 - Prisoner of the Wizard / Part 2 - Wizard's Wiles!"
Strange Tales #102
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Wizard (Bentley Wittman) (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
Other Characters:
- Numerous unnamed bank patrons
- Unnamed Bank Guard
- Numerous unnamed theater-goers
- Destroyer (Charles Stanton) (Only on screen recap as a static image or video record)
- Soviet Submarine Crew (Only on screen recap as a static image or video record)
- Numerous unnamed bank employees
- Numerous unnamed escaped convicts
- Numerous unnamed correction officers
- GPD
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Cows (Invoked)
- Fish
- Demons (Referenced)
- Cats (Referenced)
- Mice (Referenced)
- Crawfish (Invoked)
Locations:
- Earthspace
- Sol
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York
- Long Island
- Glenville
- Wizard's House (First appearance)
- Sue and Johnny Storm's House
- Glenville
- Unidentified Bank
- New York State Prison
- Unidentified Bridge
- Long Island
- New York
- United States of America
- North America
- Earth
- Sol
- Heaven (Invoked)
Items:
- Solar-Powered Escalator
- Wizard's Air-Chair
- Electronic Calculating Robot (Only in flashback)
- Wizard's Ring (Only in flashback)
- Wizard's Expanding Gas Capsules (Only in flashback)
- Wizard's Chemical Cannons
- Fantastic Four Uniforms
- Wizard's Jet Suit
Vehicles:
- Wizard's Atomic Drill
Synopsis for "Part 1 - Prisoner of the Wizard / Part 2 - Wizard's Wiles!"
Strange Tales #102
Part 1: 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.
Part 2: Wizard's Wiles
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.
Appearing in "Gay Nineties Gamble"
Human Torch #30
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Willie Flower (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Phil Brady (First appearance)
Synopsis for "Gay Nineties Gamble"
Human Torch #30
Ageing vaudeville actress Sarah Heldburn is lost in thought over the good old days when she is almost run down by a car if it is not for the sudden intervention of the Human Torch and Toro, who save her life. Sarah is turned over to her minder a young woman named Elsie. As they walk away, the Torch recognize who they saved and both he and Toro remark on how she has fallen on hard times.
Elsewhere in the city, at the office of Willie Flower is meeting with his rival Phil Brady who has come seeking to buy Flower's nightclub. Willie refuses telling that he intends on making it a club that specializes on performances and themed after the "Gay 90's" with a mix of modern entertainment as well. Brady does not believe it is a good idea and warns Flower to sell or lose his business, but Willie refuses to give up. In order to drum up publicity, Willie calls on the Human Torch and Toro who agree to help him promote the club and suggest hiring Heldburn and Elsie onto the cast and crew.
However, on the opening night of the Gay Mystique club the performances are halted when masked robbers come in and rob the club and its customers. As the Torch and Toro try to stop the gang, their leader douses the lights and succeeds in escaping. After the robbery Willie is convinced that he is ruined after the cost of setting up the club, but the Torch and Toro vow to help him. When they ask Elsie where Sarah went, she tells them that she suddenly left upset. Going to Heldburn's home, the Torch questions her and she tells him that she believes that the thief is Bradford McClain, another former vaudeville actor who wanted to marry her when she was younger. She explains that she refused, focusing on her career and he eventually vowed that he would do what it takes to make sure her career never brought her happiness.
The Torch orders Toro to try and track down Bradford McClain while he convinces Willie to open his club one more night after convincing his creditors to hold off for one more night. The Torch then drums up publicity with flaming sky writing. That night the house is packed again and when the masked robbers arrive the Torch fights them once more. Their leader douses the Torch with a fire hose and attempts to flee but is felled by Toro who unmasks him, revealing him to be Phil Brady. After Brady is turned over to the authorities, the Torch and Toro reintroduce Sarah to Bradford and the two rekindle their romance and agree to marry, while Elise has attracted the attention of Hollywood talent scouts.