Johnny Storm, The Human Torch: Where Do I Start?

He’s Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original teen superhero!

Years before Spider-Man, Johnny Storm — the Human Torch — heated things up as the brash adolescent brother to Sue Storm and fourth wheel to her adventure with her fiancee Reed Richards and pilot Ben Grimm into outer space. And boy what a ride they’ve done together.

With powers based on the Timely-era hero of the same name, Kirby and Lee’s Human Torch isn’t the voice of reason within the walls of the Baxter Building. Instead he’s the voice of enthusiasm and emotion within the Richards compound, acting as a foil for his teammate the Thing and a counterbalance for the brainy Mr. Fantastic. He’s also a much-needed uncle to Franklin and Valeria Richards, while still finding time to go on his own through multiple side jobs as a car mechanic, firefighter, CEO and even emperor for a time. And of all the Fantastic Four, Johnny has had more flames than a box of  matches, dating Skrulls, Inhumans, Atlanteans and even criminals. But with all these outside commitments, Storm’s true allegiance continues to lie with the Fantastic Four.

In this week’s Where Do I Start?, we delve into the musty archives of the House of Ideas and look for the stories that best show off Johnny as a character. While he’s had his own series from time-to-time, it’s harder than you think to piece together Human Torch stories that stand on their own and not as part of the team activities of the Fantastic Four.

Spider-Man/Human Torch: I’m With Stupid: If you thought Dan Slott was just the savant when it comes to Spider-Man, think again. In 2005, he teamed with artist Ty Templeton and created a new chapter in the long-running team-up between Spidey and the Human Torch. This five issue jaunt chronicles their friendship from day one to now without turning into a droll history lesson, and really shows off the fiery personality of Johnny even when he’s not burning with flames.

The Essential Human Torch, Vol. 1: I’ll say this upfront: these may not be empirically the best Human Torch stories out there, but you can’t deny the fun factor to these. Originally printed inside Strange Tales, this gregarious collection is a throwback of sorts, even when originally done here in the early 60s. These solo stories, first by Lee and Kirby, and then by a menagerie of talent from Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel to creator of the first Human Torch Carl Burgos and even a young Steve Ditko and Wally Wood. In this stories, Johnny faces off against some second-rate but hilarious foes and even some crazy team-ups like Iceman,  clone of Captain America, Spider-Man and a clone of Captain America.

Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Remember that time Johnny Storm died? Well, that didn’t quite stick. In fact, the acclaimed hothead grew  up and conquered Annihilus’ Negative Zone kingdom. The story of that is one for the history books, and shows Storm at one of his finest moments as a character and not just a flying matchstick.

The Human Torch: Another off-beat set of issues, but worth the admission. Back in 2003, Marvel paired writer/inker Karl Kesel with a then up-and-coming artist named Skottie Young to bring Johnny Storm to the 21st century. While the results are admittedly mixed, in retrospect there’s a lot to like in this collection. Kesel gives Johnny a bit of humanity against his firebrand persona, and seeing Skottie Young  do straight-up superheroics is eye-opening. Part of this run was collected in a digest size book subtitled “Burn,” but I recommend seeking out the single issues for the full-size experience.

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest: Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s Fantastic Four run might not be remembered for much, but one of the things I enjoyed most about it was their portrayal of Johnny Storm. In this collection of their first arc, it shows Johnny as the free-wheeling hothead he is but without the pejorative viewpoint attached. Although there aren’t any seminal Johnny Storm solo stories in this run, it does expertly show him in relation to the team.