Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

If you were reading Fantastic Four in mid-1972, you were probably noticing an odd transformation of the Human Torch that artist John Buscema was having the character "try on." And it started with this scene in issue #122, where the Torch creates duplicates of himself to distract Galactus:

I don't know why Galactus seems so concerned with duplicates of the Torch, since the real Torch presented absolutely no danger to him--but back to business. The eagle-eyed among you have already spotted the blink-and-you-missed-it adjustment in the Torch's appearance; but for those who read the issue and didn't notice, it's understandable. After all, when he first appears in the story, the Torch blazes into action looking like he always did:

And near the end of the issue, nothing has apparently changed:

But let's take a look at him in the next issue, as Buscema plays around with the look a little more:

Spotted it that time, did you? Or are there still a few of you who are scrutinizing the Torch right now more closely than your tax return? Well, the time has come to let the cat out of the bag--because with the next issue, Buscema has made his decision and presents the change in all its glory.

You may want to grab onto something: 

Jeez, even Reed fainted.

I apologize to those of you who just fell out of your chairs. I tried my best to ease you into it. But yes, it's true--the Human Torch now has a full head of hair to go with those flames. In fact, there's so much of that hair now that Medusa may be calling her lawyers:

Wow. It's like the first thing you see, isn't it.

On the other hand, I know of no good reason why the Torch's hair should disappear when he flames on; in fact, there have been times I wondered why it did. I never knew what those weird vertical grid lines on his body were, either--I suppose they were meant to convey his torch-like quality by making him look like a grill? What do I know.

The Torch nor anyone else on the team ever remarked on the change. Galactus didn't, either, which really surprised me. "Your follicles have increased, I see." Something like that. Maybe not. But if we were to grasp for an explanation, we could chalk it up to Johnny's vanity (never in short supply, I think we'd all agree) and he simply decided to exert a little more mental control over his flames in order to reveal his hair and thus relate more to his fans. I think I should get a no-prize for that explanation. I mean, if the guy can control flaming duplicates of himself and have them buzz around convincingly enough to fool Galactus, having his hair appear should be no problem.

But even though it's a head-scratcher of a choice, I think Buscema's decision is a bold one, after all this time of the FF having a bald Human Torch in their midst. I think he might have struck a more subtle tone with it, and maybe gone the route that Jack Kirby did when he featured the original Torch:

Flames instead of actual wavy hair would make more sense, and certainly have been less distracting:

But before Johnny can become the Crystal Gayle of the FF, the change becomes moot with issue #126 when Roy Thomas takes the FF through their first real rebirth:

And the change in the Torch's appearance becomes more defined. The wavy locks are gone; the grid lines are gone; and there are more flames on his actual form in addition to those that just outline his flight, along with a more radiating appearance that sets him more apart from his partners:

Buscema (as well as inker Joe Sinnott, who no doubt added a great deal of his own flair to the Torch's new appearance) would carry this look through for another fifteen issues, when Rich Buckler took over pencilling. And Buckler seemed content to continue the Torch's revised style:

However, when George Perez came aboard, the Torch pretty much reverted to the way he was, though retaining some of the animation of his flickering body flames:

But I think we can at least assume that an in-house "thumbs down" vote was cast on the Human Torch's brief dalliance with shagginess, and he's fated to be the flaming Lex Luthor of the FF.  And if you'd like to take a crack at just why we can't see his hair, be my guest.  I've got a no-prize waiting with your name on it.