| Issue | #2 |
| Published | Fall 1940 |
| Frequency | quarterly |
| Cover Price | 0.10 USD; 0.15 CAD |
| Pages | 68 |
| Editing | Joe Simon |
| Notes | HUMAN TORCH published quarterly by Timely Publications at Meriden, Conn. Entered as Second class matter at the Post Office at Meriden, Conn. under Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright 1940 by Timely Publications, 330W 42nd St., N. Y., N. Y. Art narratives by Funnies Incorporated, N.Y., N.Y., Volume 1, No. 2, Fall issue. Printed in U.S.A. Single copies 10c; in Canada 15c. Yearly subscription $.40. (indica transcription courtesy of Frank Motler) |
| Characters | Human Torch; Toro; spot illo of Sub-Mariner |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Alex Schomburg |
| Inks | Alex Schomburg |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Characters | I & O: Toro (Toro Raymond; see also INVADERS #22; appears in all Human Torch stories thru #31); I: Mr. and Mrs. Raymond (D; Toro's parents); I: Pops (a circus owner); V: Samson (I) |
| Synopsis | Passing by a traveling circus, Torch spots a young kid on the ground with his body aflame. Landing, and a bit puzzled, he helps the young boy named Toro to be able to flame on at will and fly. Just then, the circus strongman, Samson, buts in and takes on the Torch. Samson loses and swears revenge. In the meantime, Toro relates how he was involved in a train accident and lost both his parents after trying to save them in the fire. He fell unconscious, holding a piece of molten metal in his hand. He was adopted by two circus performers and has been with the circus since. Meanwhile, Samson is planning his revenge against the circus and especially the Torch, the latter with a stolden invention called "The Rayon Gun" that puts out flame. The Police eventually arrest Samson and the Torch tracks down his henchmen. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Carl Burgos (signed) |
| Pencils | Carl Burgos (signed) |
| Inks | Carl Burgos (signed) |
| Reprinted | in Fantasy Masterpieces (Marvel, 1966 series) #11; in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005); in Human Torch Comics 70th Anniversary Special (Marvel, 2009 series) #1. |
| Characters | V: The Nazis |
| Synopsis | The Navy has lost four battleships to fifth columnists at the Baltimore Naval Base, so the Sub-Mariner decides to head that way and look over the situation. He discovers a submerged Nazi U-Boat and some suspicious men diving down to it. Fearing sabotage, Namor decides to be on hand for the christening of a new ship the next day. As the ship slides into the water, aerial subs of Prince Namor show up, anchor discs to the ship, raise it out of the water and put in back in dry dock. In a letter to officials, Namor tells them the ship was to be sunk, and that he knows where the saboteurs are and will take care of them personally. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Bill Everett (signed) |
| Pencils | Bill Everett (signed) |
| Inks | Bill Everett (signed) |
| Letters | Bill Everett |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Synopsis | Fictional story of the Torch's creation w/spot illos. |
| Genre | super-hero |
| Script | Carl Burgos |
| Pencils | Carl Burgos |
| Inks | Carl Burgos |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Credits by Craig Delich (Dec. 2005). |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Synopsis | Fictional story of the Sub-Mariner's creation w/spot illos. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Bill Everett |
| Pencils | Bill Everett |
| Inks | Bill Everett |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | Credits by Craig Delich (Dec. 2005). |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Characters | V: Big Jim Peterson (I) |
| Synopsis | Carl Burgess, District Attorney, runs into a Mrs. Bankhead on his way out of court and learns that her husband has been kidnapped by men demanding $50,000. Changing to the Falcon, he tracks down the kidnappers and learns that they were trying to get the extortion money to bail out their boss, Big Jim Peterson, whom Burgess [as D.A.] was attempting to prosecute. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Paul Reinman |
| Inks | Paul Reinman |
| Notes | Falcon's last appearance. |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Characters | I: Jimmy Everett (Microman) |
| Synopsis | Bored little Jimmy Everett visits Mr. Schmidt in his lab while he is experimenting. After finding out the old chemist has invented a potion that can shrink someone, he runs an errand for him, and comes back to find him asleep. Jimmy decides to take the potion and shrinks down to the size of a nickel laying on the floor. When the chemist awakes, he spots the coin and picks it up, not noticing Jimmy on the coin, and puts it in his pocket. The old man happens to pick up a magnifying glass and sees the tiny boy, gives him the antidote and restores him to regular size. |
| Genre | adventure |
| Script | Paul Quinn (signed) |
| Pencils | Harold DeLay (signed) |
| Inks | Harold DeLay (signed) |
| Notes | 1st and only appearance. |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Characters | I: Mantor the Magician (only appearance) |
| Synopsis | Mantor sees a young lady drowning and acts quickly to save her. She tells him that her father recently died and left her a castle and a queer map that supposedly leads to a treasure. Together they go to the castle and he examines the map, which speaks of a secret button and hidden passage leading to the treasure. Mantor tells the girl to lock herself in her room while he investigates. An attempt is first made on Mantor by a deformed creature, before he finds the passage and is able to save the young lady from a phony ghost, namely Saunders the Butler. |
| Genre | occult |
| Pencils | Al Gabriele |
| Inks | Al Gabriele |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |
| Characters | V: Dr. Sendach (I, D) |
| Synopsis | Dr. Jack Castle is called in Police HQ to look at a recent murder victim who doesn't have one drop of blood left in its body. He agrees to help the suffering people in volved, but the Police will have to solve the mystery. Soon, more victims are reported in the local press, and Castle cannot allow any more victims to die, so he changes to the Fiery Mask and prepares a trap for the perpetrators at his lab. Swarms of ghoulish men come in and overpower the Mask, who is found injured the next morning by his nurse, who also discovers his secret identity. Later, he tracks down the man behind the terror, Dr. Sendach, eminent stomach specialist, who disappeared long before and who had been experimenting on a mechanical stomach. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Joe Simon |
| Pencils | Joe Simon? |
| Inks | Joe Simon |
| Notes | Fiery Mask's last appearance. Simon says that this strip was created by him to appear in Daring Mystery Comics #1 (January, 1940) in response to reader requests for a strip in the vein of the Human Torch. |
| Reprinted | in Flashback (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #21; in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Human Torch (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (2005) |