sonotadream

Strange Tales (1951) Annual #2, #115-116 - Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers

Checking back with Johnny Storm for a couple of Spider-Man crossovers - just to prove that Spidey was really that popular right off the gate.

First, they team up in the Annual. While Johnny is complaining about Spider-Man getting better headlines than him, Spider-Man is getting framed for an art theft and decides to ask the Human Torch for help in clearing his name - mostly, he thinks it would be fun to team up with another teenager superhero.

Of course, Johnny has just been asked to help apprehend Spider-Man by the police and Peter thinks the best way to talk to him is by breaking into his home, so they fight. Peter gets away and finds a conveniently empty lab where he can create new ice-imbued webs that can slow down the Human Torch.

They meet again and Peter talks Johnny into having second thoughts about his guilt, so Johnny goes to speak with the detective in charge of the case. He learns there was another art theft while he was fighting with Spider-Man, so he leaves his first sky message for Spider-Man, asking to work together. In turn, Peter lights up his spider-signal over the Statue of Liberty and they meet there for the first time.

Using the info provided by the police, Johnny and Peter track down the criminal responsible and clear Spider-Man's name, insulting each other the entire time. It’s very cute 😍

After that, the Sandman escapes from jail and Reed tasks Johnny with tracking… Spider-Man, since he had fought the Sandman before. Disgruntled at being overlooked - and maintaining he’s not friends with Spider-Man (yet!), Johnny flies around the city, but, luckily, he finds the Sandman first. Not so lucky, the Sandman is not interested in fighting teenagers - he’s after Spider-Man!

The Sandman gets away, so Johnny does the smart thing: dress up as Spider-Man and challenge the Sandman for a fight via megaphone. They end up inside an empty skyscraper, where the Sandman tricks Johnny into setting off the water sprinklers, which is only half effective. The water also affects the Sandman’s powers and Johnny ends up overpowering him, just before Spider-Man swings by, only to complain about the Human Torch going after one of his capers. (They don’t actually interact in this issue…)

We finish with the return of the Puppet Master. Last time, we left him being pursued by Namor's giant octopus. He tries to control him with one of his puppets, but it doesn't work because it's a “mindless creature” - which is slander against the smartest invertebrate, lol.

The Puppet Master gets the ship's jets working and gets released as he reaches the surface, since the octopus is a creature of the deep sea.

Anyway, his plan this time is to control the Human Torch into putting his moves on Alicia to drive the Thing into a jealous rage - that's so wrong on so many levels!

Ben and Johnny fight, causing a good deal of destruction in and around Alicia’s apartment, but they hold back enough bot to cause serious hurt to each other. Unhappy, the Puppet Master - who has been watching the fight through his telepathic screen -decides he needs to be physically close to improve his control and directs Johnny to a nearby airport.

Alicia, sensing the Puppet Master is behind Johnny’s actions, Alicia heads to the same airport, since it's close to the Puppet Master’s last know lair. How does she senses that? Well, that's just the sixth sense people develop when they go blind (it could very well just be a thing that happens in the Marvel universe).

When they're all in the same place, the Puppet Master directs Johnny to deliver the finishing blow, but Alicia's cries for him to stop are enough to distract Johnny. If he can't take both Ben and Johnny out at once, the Puppet Master decides to take just Johnny and orders him to fly directly into a jet plane. Fortunately, Johnny’s flame powers allow him to dematerialize and pass through the plane and exit via the exhaust. So, that's a thing now.

It's the Puppet Master’s turn to be distracted, easing his control of Johnny, so Alicia tells him where to direct a fireball in order to destroy the puppet.

Ben lets the Puppet Master get away at Alicia’s request - he’s still her stepfather, after all - and he and Johnny make up, not by apologizing, but by congratulating each others fighting ability.