Uncredited Writers: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Uncredited Artist: Jack Kirby
Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers
Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek
I'll never understand why The Wizard eschewed a career as a noted nuclear engineer and settled on a life of crime and attempting to humiliate a teenage boy.
Seriously.
Yesterday, we had a miniaturised nuclear-powered buzzsaw contained in a ring. Today, we have a nuclear-powered drilling machine. Bearing in mind the things that could go wrong with a drilling machine (beyond what The Wizard fakes going wrong with it), having it powered by an atomic reactor isn't the smartest thing that you could do. The last thing you want is a nuclear explosion somewhere underground, with a handy exhaust funnel to vent all that nasty radiation into the atmosphere.
But clearly, The Wizard has made the most stable form of nuclear power ever seen, capable of withstanding pressure, vibrations, cave-ins, etc. This guy should be awarded the Nobel prize for his discoveries. Instead, he grew some dodgy chin fuzz and bore a grudge against a young boy.
And that is the timeless tragedy of The Wizard.
Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String
[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]