Human Torch: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Dick Ayers – Letters by Artie Simek

The Sandman shows up in another Marvel superhero crossover, this time giving Johnny Storm a chance to take on one of Spider-Man’s recurring villains. We get a quick recap of Sandman’s previous appearance, and Reed asks Johnny to track down Spider-Man and get his help capturing the escaped villain.

But Johnny has a professional rivalry with Spider-Man and isn’t about to ask him for help. Instead, he decides to handle Sandman himself, adding another example of his early Marvel hotheaded personality.

After losing Sandman on the George Washington Bridge, Johnny comes up with a rather ridiculous plan. He disguises himself as Spider-Man, hoping to lure Sandman into a confrontation and get some revenge. It’s a fun setup, and the resulting fight gives us another opportunity to see Marvel mixing and matching its growing collection of superheroes and villains.

Johnny even discovers another seemingly improvised power, finding that he can double his strength by increasing his body temperature. Apparently, there’s no end to the things the Human Torch can do when the story needs him to.

It’s a fairly forgettable adventure, but there’s something enjoyable about seeing these characters’ worlds overlap. Marvel’s heroes are no longer confined to their own individual books.

Doctor Strange: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Steve Ditko – Letters by Sam Rosen

We finally get the origin of Doctor Strange. Stephen Strange begins as a brilliant but arrogant and selfish surgeon, more concerned with his reputation and wealth than helping people. After a car accident leaves him with nerve damage in his hands, he desperately searches for a cure. His journey eventually leads him to the Ancient One, where he encounters Baron Mordo and begins the path toward becoming a master of the mystic arts.

It’s a classic redemption story, taking a selfish man who has lost everything and giving him a chance to find a different purpose.

Ditko makes the whole thing look fantastic. From the opening scenes of Strange refusing to treat someone who can’t afford him to the anguish of his injury and his eventual discovery of the Ancient One, there’s so much character in the artwork. The shadows, the spells, the strange architecture, and all the little objects and details filling the backgrounds make this a particularly beautiful-looking story. Ditko gives the mystical world a visual identity that’s completely different from anything else Marvel is publishing.

The Human Torch story shows Marvel’s universe getting more interconnected, but Doctor Strange shows a character finally coming into his own.

Marvel in the 60s – Entry #102