Tuesday, February 11, 2014

If You Can't Stand The Heat--See Your Sister


Name This Marvel Villain??

Professor Orson Kasloff got his start as a villain just like many other ordinary people who decide to throw their hat into the villain pool--waking up one morning and feeling greedy and underappreciated:

Unfortunately, Professor Kasloff didn't get very far, stopped cold in his very first bank heist by a loud and intimidating burglar alarm. So, instead of going it alone, he decided to join up with the underworld, a perfect match in his eyes of brain and brawn. But, the underworld isn't exactly listed in the yellow pages--how does one get in touch with the criminal element, without going to prison to do it? Why, you establish your street cred publicly, and let word of mouth do the rest. And with the Human Torch lately nabbing criminals left and right, what better way to make his future associates sit up and take notice than to defeat the Torch?

And so our new villain is born:

The Asbestos Man may look like a fireproof Roman gladiator, but the splash page of the issue is taking him pretty seriously:

And so Kasloff sets his trap for the Torch, baiting him with an "I dare you" challenge and inviting the press to his newly purchased castle (New York State seems to have a lot of castles to go around, doesn't it?) so that they can spread the word when he triumphs over the Torch. But while Johnny Storm is certain he'll be the one who easily wins this battle, the Asbestos Man manages to surprise him:

After the battle, the Asbestos Man is in like Flint with the underworld, breaking into prison and freeing a number of recently captured hoodlums who work for the local boss, Blackie Barker, and cementing his standing with his new allies. Meanwhile, the Torch is getting some battle-savvy advice from--his sister?? Miss Hostage, 1963?

Charged up and ready for a rematch, the Torch seeks out the Asbestos Man and turns the tables on the villain:

Once captured, the Asbestos Man is reminded by the Torch that you can't play with fire without getting burned. Hmpf. It wasn't too long ago when this villain was too hot for you to handle, wise guy.


Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to the Asbestos Man? Did he retire and lead a long, healthy, cancer-free life?
The smart money says no.

Anonymous said...

I think it's the goal of all of us, wake up, hit the streets a running and just do asbestos you can. Sometimes your asbestos is good enough and sometimes your asbestos just ain't the best....us. It's really just a shame, a low down crying shame.

The Prowler (slipping on his cheap sunglasses and slinking away).

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