The Human Torch was to be a star I suppose. Certainly when Stan and Jack added him to the Fab 4 he was intended to be the centerpiece as his breakout into his own series in Strange Tales suggested. But weirdly he never caught fire with the fans as much as they'd hoped.
Instead he became a durable member of the team and a crucial part of the Fantastic Four mythos. Visually he was refined to become an iconic Marvel image. (Loved the later way Kirby drew him.)
But he never achieve the fame of his Golden Age counterpart. He never became a star in his own right.
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Wasn’t it something to do (generally speaking) with the whole fire safety push that sort of happened culturally in the sixties? A character whose whole super power was catching on fire and flying around just wasn’t seen as a practical role model for the kiddies (much better if they find a magical alien ring or work up some web shooter fluid with their home chemistry set.)
ReplyDeletePossibly true. I don't remember the Torch's powers being a big problem until the advent of the second FF TV show when he got replaced by HERBIE. But your point is very well taken.
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Interestingly, it was the Thing who became the breakout star.
ReplyDeleteExactly. The Torch I think was intended to the young and handsome leading man and he got upstaged by the grumbling sidekick.
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I believe the reason that The Torch didn't appear in the 2nd FF cartoon was because he was optioned for a movie or TV series on his own. Hence Herbie standing in for him.
ReplyDeleteThat's possible, but the 70's were the height of the awareness of the influence of cartoons on kids and I have to think the Torch's absence was somehow related.
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