[Meeting…] Human Torch (Jim Hammond)

Human Torch, that recognizable character who goes from being a blonde male to becoming a flaming silhouette with incredible abilities such as manipulating fire and flying.

It is incredible to think that this android known under the name of Jim Hammond is one of the first Marvel characters and that he fought against the Nazis alongside Captain America and Namor forming the group Invaders.

Jim Hammond? Android? Nazis? of the first Marvel characters? Invaders?
If any of those words don't fit the description of the Human Torch character, that's normal, because that name is generally associated with the young and crazy Johnny Storm, who is not an android, nor is he part of the Invaders and he is not one of the first Marvel characters, but this is what happens when a company decides to update a forgotten character with a new origin and identity, so Johnny Storm is the most popular Human Torch, but the concept and character already existed two decades ago, as I will explain below.

From the time when Marvel was not called Marvel

In 1939, the company known as Timely Comics launched Marvel Comics number 01, where short stories appeared about various characters that were used by the company for several decades (already under the name Marvel Comics).

In this comic we met Professor Phineas Horton, who after creating an android presented it publicly at a press conference that ended as no one expected, since the android began to burn uncontrollably when exposed to oxygen, after which it was decided that it had to be disposed of.

Fortunately, this character was able to escape his sad fate, causing fires and chaos in his wake, while also dealing with people who wanted to take advantage of his skills to scam fire insurance.

A little later, and with the character presented to society, It was time to confront some of his comrades, with which the combat between Sub Mariner (Generally known as Namor, and whose first appearance also corresponds to Marvel Comics #1) it didn't take long to wait.

However, Human Torch's big moment was about to arrive, after the war broke out in Europe, these characters and other Marvel heroes of yesteryear would come together to take action in various wars (something very common in superhero comics).

After that, Human Torch would get his own collection and a young companion named Toro, with powers similar to his (yes, having a companion is an obligation that almost all heroes have gone through)

And finally, this incendiary robot rejoins his former comrades (and a few more) to fight the Nazis in the group known as the Invaders.

During that period, oblivion came for Human Torch, but not a common oblivion, a worse one, the oblivion to which you are condemned when someone with the same name and abilities replaces you with much greater success than you had in your best moments.

The long shadow of Johnny Storm

Marvel Comics had been trying to create a group of superheroes for quite some time to emulate the success that their rival DC Comics had had with the Justice Society and the Justice League, so by modifying the concept of a "group of superheroes" they decided to create that of a "family of superheroes" which resulted in the Fantastic Four.

Among those four characters was Johnny Storm, who was going to be used as an update to the original Human Torch, which condemned Jim Hammond to live behind a shadow of oblivion and indifference, since it is not very comfortable for a company to maintain two characters with similar abilities, similar appearance and the same name (DC Comics knows a lot about this).

However, some scriptwriters remembered the original Human Torch and did not miss the opportunity to include him from time to time in their stories and even do the obvious (and at the same time, the unthinkable) confront him against the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four!

After that, this character has experienced some sporadic recoveries by Marvel, who did not even hesitate to give him his own collection again or include him in different groups such as the West Coast Avengers (where other “forgotten” characters such as USAgent or Spiderwoman II also ended up) or including it in important events for the company.

However, no one can deny the obvious, Johnny Storm is the character that comes to mind after hearing the name Human Torch and Jim Hammond, It is just a memory that lives with cameos and sporadic appearances, such as its appearance as an exhibition in the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).

Conclusion and recommendations:

Normally, when a company like Marvel has several characters that have the same name and abilities, one of the two ends up prevailing, causing the other to disappear forever. However, with Jim Hammond it seems that they have never decided to make a definitive decision, because despite replacing him with enormous success, they always end up recovering it in one way or another. Is it out of nostalgia or respect for one of their first characters?

Readers who want to see something of the original Human Torch should start with its origin in Marvel Comics #1, search your own collections y luego revisar su aparición en los grupos de superhéroes en los que ha formado parte (Invaders, V-Batallion, West Coast Avengers and Heroes for Hire) así como echar un vistazo al increíble MARVELS de Alex Ross, donde se recopilan algunos de los momentos más importantes de la empresa desde el punto de vista de un fotógrafo que los relata, y entre ellos se encuentra la aparición de la Antorcha Humana original.