The Silver Age Adventures of Wyatt Wingfoot!

With Johnny Storm spending a good deal of his time either lining up dates or battling super-villains as one-quarter of the Fantastic Four, we didn't see many instances where he could take the opportunity to develop any close friendships with other guys once he left behind his high school pals from his Strange Tales days. His time at college turned out to be brief; and other than his buddies down at the garage or his partner in the FF, Ben Grimm, Johnny didn't seem to gravitate toward any "pals" that he could just shoot hoops with or confide in about his problems or whatever else was on his mind--or even just to hang with to kill time on a Saturday afternoon.

But in the FF's 50th issue, his luck in that regard was looking up--and in this case, we do mean up.

Yes, Johnny meets what would become his friend for life (or at least for the duration of the book)--6′6″ Wyatt Wingfoot, an affable if mysterious fellow freshman at Metro College. Though the "mystery" aspect to him turned out to be a bit overblown, boiled down to an apparent reluctance to follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Olympian decathlon star Will Wingfoot--combined with an unspoken wish to keep a low profile. Perhaps it was all a way for writer Stan Lee to slowly unwrap a character who would become another classic fixture in the lives of the Fantastic Four, and make him stand out more (though artist Jack Kirby made sure of that from the start); yet it might have been nice for Johnny to make a new friend without the character needing an undercurrent of a furtive background.

Of course, a by-product of that approach was a priceless scene that featured conceited college jock Whitey Mullins dropping his jaw (along with everyone else) when Johnny's big buddy steps in to settle a dispute.

Sorry, Wyatt, you've got it wrong--there's a lot more to be said about you!

With the formalities of Wyatt's introduction worked through, Lee proceeds to give Wyatt a good deal of exposure during the next ten issues--starting with integrating him with Johnny's famous partners. It's a scene that reminds us how rare it is that we meet any friends of Sue, or Reed, or Ben, none of whom seem the type who would shun acquaintances who might get in touch or simply drop by. And now that Reed and Sue have tied the knot, perhaps their circle of friends now includes other couples? And hasn't Ben met any old pals for laughs occasionally down at the local watering hole, or invited buddies over to watch the game?

In any event, when the three visit Johnny at his dorm and suggest he join them on a trip to Wakanda, Wyatt is invited along for the ride. It's a meeting with Johnny's new friend that Kirby captures perfectly.

And Johnny is right about Wyatt making waves when the need arises--in fact, when the enigmatic Black Panther traps the FF in his artificial jungle complex, it's Wyatt who sizes up the situation after the Panther's first attack takes the Torch out of action, and then works behind the scenes to find his friend and give the FF the opportunity they need to regain the initiative. It's an introduction to this young man that the FF won't soon forget.

And so, when the Panther stands revealed as a friend, and the time comes for all involved to face the sonic creations of the murderous Klaw, the group not only presents a united front...

... but afterward, there's even time for some well-deserved R&R!

By the time the dust settles, Reed has already guessed correctly that Johnny is preoccupied with the girl named Crystal, one of the Inhumans who is now trapped behind an impenetrable barrier in the Himalayas with the rest of her family and seemingly lost to Johnny forever. And thanks to the Panther's generosity, it becomes the catalyst for the first solo adventure for these new friends--though not like any "road trip" other guys their age have ever embarked on before.

And before you know it, they're off! Of course, it doesn't take long before trouble finds these two adventurers. During a sandstorm, their cruiser is swept into a crevice that lands them in an ancient, undergroud crypt, where a centuries-old sleeper named Prester John awakens to tell the tale of his wanderings which led him to the mythical land of Avalon--a land from which he gained possession of the deadly artifact known as the Evil Eye.

The three get off to a rocky start, with Prester John finally imprisoning Johnny and Wyatt inside a barrier the likes of which Johnny is already familiar with; thus, when their foe relents and releases them, Johnny implores him to release the Evil Eye to him in order to use its power against the barrier surrounding the Inhumans' Great Refuge. When Prester John refuses, the obsessed Johnny decides to take it by force, unknowingly setting in motion a deadly cycle that will inevitably result in his death.

Wasting no time, Wyatt initiates pursuit in the cruiser, putting it on auto-drive* while he prepares to target the Eye in an attempt to jolt it from the Torch's grip. Afterward, it's an anguished Johnny who lashes out at the man who saved his life--but Wyatt again proves himself to Johnny (and to the reader) by standing his ground, willing to be there in whatever capacity his friend needs.

*That's some gyro-cruiser. Not only is it able to catch up with the Human Torch, who must be blazing at full speed--but the Panther has also made it capable of self-driving, fifty years ahead of our own clumsy attempts to put such vehicles on the road today.

When their journey resumes, Wyatt and Johnny pause to investigate a stream of refugees fleeing from some unnamed monster that roams their Himalayan valley. When nightfall comes, it stalks their camp--but while Wyatt has never encountered this sort of beast before, his flaming partner is no stranger to the sight of this very unique beast.

Wyatt is right on the money in assessing the difficulty of the task which he and the Torch have set themselves to. Nevertheless, they embark on a plan to tag along with this dimension-hopping pooch, hoping that one of those hops will lead them to the trapped Inhumans. Yet instead, they meet with one failed attempt after another...

--after another...

--after another...

--after another!

Along the way, though, Wyatt pitches in when the original Human Torch is revived by the mad Thinker and sent to destroy his successor--a plan which fails, but ends with the android's "death" and the Thinker's escape.

With their latest jaunt, however, Johnny discovers he's desperately needed by his team, as the FF face one of their deadliest enemies--Dr. Doom, newly empowered with the cosmic might of the Silver Surfer and having already attacked the Thing before subsequently moving to deal with Reed and Sue Richards at their cottage in Southampton. When the FF regroup after Doom's assault, their situation is bleak--but their unexpected ace-in-the-hole against the Panther stands with them in this battle, as well. And we already know the man can aim.

Reed's warning is taking into account Johnny's escape from Doom following the explosive inferno he initiated to free himself. Once he's in the clear, Wyatt acts on Reed's signal to let 'er rip--but once the destructive blast subsides, in the debris hovers a chilling sight, and Wyatt finds himself witness to one of the most dramatic and demoralizing moments in FF history.

There's no doubt that Wyatt's friendship with Johnny has led him into a world of adventure with the Fantastic Four that he seems born to. But assuming the FF are able to deal with Doom, where will it lead from here?

NEXT:

The end of Doom! The return of Crystal! And the waking of... Tomazooma!