Pictures came out last week of the Spider-Man: Far From Home figures, and there's a Build-a-Figure Molten Man coming. He's pretty far removed from the comic version, save perhaps the slight goldish tinge to him. Still, I don't think I had read a ton of comics with him, yet the quarter bins provide: from 1979, Marvel Tales #110, reprinting 1974's Amazing Spider-Man #133, "The Molten Man Breaks Out!" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt. Quick turnaround there.
At a local hospital, the Molten Man has arrived to kill, or at least shut up, injured Daily Bugle reporter Ned Leeds. Although sick with radiation poisoning from their earlier fight, Spider-Man manages to drive him off, but then has to fight off the cops, who thought he murdered Norman Osborn and were a little trigger-happy about it. A delirious Leeds gives Spidey a clue, but he has to check in with the Molten Man's step-sister, Liz Allen. She recounts how after the accident that covered Mark Raxton with a golden alloy, his condition was progressing, his skin now dissolving. Then, Peter puts the clues together to realize MM had stolen radioactive isotopes, for something.
Raxton was trying to gather up the items to recreate his alloy, presumably to recoat himself, and possibly to keep from melting into nothing. Spidey wants to get him back into the hospital, to take that burden off of Liz; but I'm not sure he's making the right choice. Usually Spidey has to force a cure down his villain's throat, this time he's blocking a bit. Wearing an asbestos mask and fireproof clothes (cancer was probably the least of his worries) the Molten Man tries to ditch Spidey on the subway, but his heat increases to the point they melt off. Fighting on a bridge, Spidey's leg is burned, so he grabs Molten Man's bag with a web and tosses it in the river; unwisely, Molty jumps after it, and seemingly explodes in the cold water. Nah, he'd be back.
Man, Ross Andru Spidey is good Spidey. Unless they go a different direction, I don't trust Mysterio, and suspect in Far From Home all his seeming powers are just tricks. I also think Hydro-Man and the Molten Man could be fakes as well, special effects created by Mysterio to fight and make himself look like a hero. I could be wrong, though!
Probably, and I can that being the case. I guess I can't be too mad since they make appearances rather not showing up at all, so there's that, right?
ReplyDelete