strange tales #117: flame on 57
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: Art Simek
It's back to Strange Tales for a surely-unasked-for sequel to Jerry Siegel's The Living Bomb in issue #112. With Stan back on scripting, the story wastes no time in getting going. Panel one is the news broadcast 0f the Eel's escape. Panel two is the Torch reacting to the broadcast, leading us to the title panel, with a full-body shot of Johnny igniting and heading for the window.
This larger gives us a rare opportunity to look at Dick Ayers' artwork on a larger scale. Ayers was a decent enough penciler, and a fairly decent inker, but his best work always came in collaboration with another artist. Compare this panel to his inks over Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four Annual #1, or with his pencils when they are inked by John Severin in Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandoes. That's where you'll see the true strength of his work. Sadly, this work remains collected, whilst his phenomenal work in Sgt Fury with Severin remains untouched.
Check our our coverage of Strange Tales #117 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word