This story marks the end of the Human Torch (and The Thing) stories in Strange Tales. This final adventure involves The Watcher using his immense power to send the Human Torch and The Thing back to the days of Merlin. Why? Because Kang the Conqueror has traveled back in time to defeat the heroes of the present by conquering the even further past. The narrative follows our heroes as they battle Kang and his army of Arthurian knights to restore history’s proper direction.

Character & Development

The Watcher

I should call out The Watcher for cheating—breaking his sacred vow and actively helping the heroes instead of just watching events unfold—but I won’t this time. Instead, let’s address the story’s inconsistency that makes this just a Torch-and-Thing tale, instead of involving the whole team.

The Watcher claims he wants the entire Fantastic Four to confront this threat. But when he arrives, Reed and Sue are out apartment shopping, and apparently, he can’t wait for them because, well, “time is of the essence.” So, he grabs The Thing and the Human Torch and jets off into the past without the other two heroes.

Now, let’s think about this. The Watcher—a being who can observe events across the entire Earth and time itself—didn’t know Reed and Sue were busy? Couldn’t he have teleported to their location to grab them as well? This kind of plot hole is tough to ignore, especially in a story involving such a supposedly all-knowing, all-powerful being.

Kang the Conqueror

When is Kang from again? In this story, it’s the 25th century; in others, it’s the 30th. It also surprises me the lengths he goes to make his advanced tech look like, and be like things from the time of legend.

Merlin (and people of legend)

Quick note: this isn’t the first time we’ve seen “Merlin,” and it won’t be the last. Reconciling these legendary figures with Marvel’s spin on them can be tricky, particularly in these early stories. For instance, does this version align with the Merlin we saw in Journey Into Mystery #96? I’m choosing not to let this factor into my score for the issue, but I’m open to any discussion about it!

Originality & Continuity

Saving the present by saving the past from a future conqueror—it’s practically a trope of its own. And while we’ve seen it before, it’s been a while (See what I did there?).

This story also feels anchored in continuity, given Reed and Sue’s apartment-shopping subplot, which appears to place it after their engagement. However, the Fantastic Four’s living arrangements—whether at headquarters or at home—really need to be settled in the narrative. it often feels like they live at the HQ except when they don’t.

Artwork

The art lands squarely in neutral territory. The panels featuring Kang and Merlin battling are strong, enjoyable, and suggest a niche that Bob Powell could have explored further. Unfortunately, as great as those two top panels on page 3 were—and a handful of other moments throughout the issue—the quality mostly is underwhelming.

Story

Flaws aside, the story was fun! Kang’s strategy was intriguing, and our heroes faced enough dramatic challenges to keep things interesting. Even though it feels like the events don’t leave any lasting consequences, I genuinely enjoyed it.