The character made his official debut in Strange Tales #111 (Aug. 1963). The plot was developed by editor Stan Lee and the story was written by Ernest Hart, under the pen name H. Huntley, with illustrations by Dick Ayers.[2] Asbestos Man did not reappear in the comics for many years until 2011's Fear Itself storyline.[3]
Fictional character biography
Dr. Orson Karloff is "the world's foremost analytical chemist."[4] He invents a chemical capable of melting metals, among other things, which he thinks he can use to steal money from banks like Fort Knox. However, he is not swift or stealthy and is almost caught by the police during one of his burgling attempts. Realizing that he is not skillful enough, Karloff adopts the supervillain handle of Asbestos Man and retreats to an obscure castle, where he hones his powers and one day challenges Human Torch to a showdown.[5] The Torch nonchalantly agrees. However, it is Asbestos Man who ultimately wins, having created a flame-resistant armor out of "super-asbestos" (a combination of iron, calcium and chrysotile), rendering Storm's powers useless. Asbestos Man decides to spare the Torch, having already made a mockery of him. Asbestos Man's triumph over the Torch becomes big news. Blackie Barker, otherwise known as the "King of the Underworld", becomes aware of the villain and ropes him in to help carry out a bank heist. A humiliated Human Torch returns to settle scores with Asbestos Man, after being encouraged by his fellow Fantastic Four members. At the bank, the Human Torch absorbs all oxygen present. Asbestos Man is forced to surrender and he is promptly hauled to prison.[6]
During the Fear Itself storyline, Asbestos Man is revealed to have developed cancer due to the toxicity of his super-asbestos suit and is now living with an oxygen tank so he can breathe. He makes clear his desire to return to life as a villain, but is persuaded not to by the Great Lakes Avengers.[3]
Years later, the Human Torch mentioned that Asbestos Man had died.[7]
Powers and abilities
Asbestos Man is a genius chemist.[8] His knowledge of chemistry enabled him to develop a super solvent and "super-asbestos." His "super-asbestos" armor is high in toxicity and is also resistant to heat.[9] Additionally, his iron shield can block out flames and his metal net is capable of energy manipulation. He holds a Ph.D in analytical chemistry.[2]
Reception
Critical reception
CBR.com ranked Asbestos Man 4th in their "Marvel: 10 Strangest Villains" list,[9] 7th in their "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Great Lakes Avengers Villains" list,[10] and 8th in their "Marvel: 10 Famous Villains From The 60s That Have Been Forgotten" list.[5]
Impact
At the time of Asbestos Man's creation, many were ignorant about the dangers of asbestos. The California Asbestos Legal Center paid tribute to Asbestos Man in May 2012, writing in its entry on the Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog that he, alongside a similar villainess Asbestos Lady, was "a lasting reminder of the significant cover-up perpetrated by the asbestos industry regarding the danger associated with asbestos exposure".[11] Filip Mundt of the Karolinska Institute also cited Asbestos Man and Asbestos Lady as examples of asbestos being considered a "miracle fibre" at times in the 20th century, as it was portrayed to have enough heat resistance to take on superheroes.[12]
^Rhett Thomas, John (October 2015). Overton, Brian (ed.). The Marvel Legacy of Jack Kirby. ISBN9781302482442.
^ abMarvel Legacy: The 1960s–1990s Handbook. Marvel Comics. 2007. p. 5. ISBN9780785120827.
^ abElliott Kalan (w), Ty Templeton (a). "Fear and Self-Loathing in Wisconsin" Fear Itself: The Home Front, no. 6 (November 2011). New York City: Marvel Comics.
^"Marvel at the Asbestos Man". Shield Newsletter. December 20, 2011.
^ abFaraci, Derek (2020-04-09). "Marvel: 10 Famous Villains From The 60s That Have Been Forgotten". CBR. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
asbestos, supervillain, appearing, american, comic, books, published, marvel, comics, created, editor, plotter, stan, writer, ernest, hart, artist, dick, ayers, character, first, appeared, strange, tales, august, 1963, cover, strange, tales, august, 1963, jack. Asbestos Man is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics Created by editor plotter Stan Lee writer Ernest Hart and artist Dick Ayers the character first appeared in Strange Tales 111 August 1963 Asbestos ManAsbestos Man on the cover of Strange Tales 111 August 1963 Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers 1 Publication informationPublisherMarvel ComicsFirst appearanceStrange Tales 111 August 1963 Created byStan Lee plotter Ernest Hart writer Dick Ayers artist In story informationFull nameOrson KarloffSpeciesHumanPlace of originEarthAbilitiesWears asbestos suit that is highly toxic and resistant to heat Possesses iron shield that can block out flames Energy manipulation via metal net Genius chemist Contents 1 Publication history 2 Fictional character biography 3 Powers and abilities 4 Reception 4 1 Critical reception 4 2 Impact 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksPublication history EditThe character made his official debut in Strange Tales 111 Aug 1963 The plot was developed by editor Stan Lee and the story was written by Ernest Hart under the pen name H Huntley with illustrations by Dick Ayers 2 Asbestos Man did not reappear in the comics for many years until 2011 s Fear Itself storyline 3 Fictional character biography EditDr Orson Karloff is the world s foremost analytical chemist 4 He invents a chemical capable of melting metals among other things which he thinks he can use to steal money from banks like Fort Knox However he is not swift or stealthy and is almost caught by the police during one of his burgling attempts Realizing that he is not skillful enough Karloff adopts the supervillain handle of Asbestos Man and retreats to an obscure castle where he hones his powers and one day challenges Human Torch to a showdown 5 The Torch nonchalantly agrees However it is Asbestos Man who ultimately wins having created a flame resistant armor out of super asbestos a combination of iron calcium and chrysotile rendering Storm s powers useless Asbestos Man decides to spare the Torch having already made a mockery of him Asbestos Man s triumph over the Torch becomes big news Blackie Barker otherwise known as the King of the Underworld becomes aware of the villain and ropes him in to help carry out a bank heist A humiliated Human Torch returns to settle scores with Asbestos Man after being encouraged by his fellow Fantastic Four members At the bank the Human Torch absorbs all oxygen present Asbestos Man is forced to surrender and he is promptly hauled to prison 6 During the Fear Itself storyline Asbestos Man is revealed to have developed cancer due to the toxicity of his super asbestos suit and is now living with an oxygen tank so he can breathe He makes clear his desire to return to life as a villain but is persuaded not to by the Great Lakes Avengers 3 Years later the Human Torch mentioned that Asbestos Man had died 7 Powers and abilities EditAsbestos Man is a genius chemist 8 His knowledge of chemistry enabled him to develop a super solvent and super asbestos His super asbestos armor is high in toxicity and is also resistant to heat 9 Additionally his iron shield can block out flames and his metal net is capable of energy manipulation He holds a Ph D in analytical chemistry 2 Reception EditCritical reception Edit CBR com ranked Asbestos Man 4th in their Marvel 10 Strangest Villains list 9 7th in their Marvel 10 Most Powerful Great Lakes Avengers Villains list 10 and 8th in their Marvel 10 Famous Villains From The 60s That Have Been Forgotten list 5 Impact Edit At the time of Asbestos Man s creation many were ignorant about the dangers of asbestos The California Asbestos Legal Center paid tribute to Asbestos Man in May 2012 writing in its entry on the Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog that he alongside a similar villainess Asbestos Lady was a lasting reminder of the significant cover up perpetrated by the asbestos industry regarding the danger associated with asbestos exposure 11 Filip Mundt of the Karolinska Institute also cited Asbestos Man and Asbestos Lady as examples of asbestos being considered a miracle fibre at times in the 20th century as it was portrayed to have enough heat resistance to take on superheroes 12 See also Edit Comics portal List of comic book supervillain debutsReferences Edit Rhett Thomas John October 2015 Overton Brian ed The Marvel Legacy of Jack Kirby ISBN 9781302482442 a b Marvel Legacy The 1960s 1990s Handbook Marvel Comics 2007 p 5 ISBN 9780785120827 a b Elliott Kalan w Ty Templeton a Fear and Self Loathing in Wisconsin Fear Itself The Home Front no 6 November 2011 New York City Marvel Comics Marvel at the Asbestos Man Shield Newsletter December 20 2011 a b Faraci Derek 2020 04 09 Marvel 10 Famous Villains From The 60s That Have Been Forgotten CBR Retrieved 2022 10 27 Stan Lee and Ernest Hart w Dick Ayers a Fighting to the death with the Asbestos Man Strange Tales no 111 August 1963 Marvel Comics Fantastic Four vol 5 1 The 10 Weirdest Weapons Used in Comic Books Animated Times 2020 08 28 Retrieved 2022 10 27 a b Harth David 2021 08 18 Marvel 10 Strangest Villains Ranked CBR Retrieved 2022 10 27 Avina Anthony 2019 12 10 Marvel 10 Most Powerful Great Lakes Avengers Villains Ranked CBR Retrieved 2022 10 27 Asbestos Legal Center May 3 2012 Avengers Movie Week Remembering Asbestos Lady and Asbestos Man Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog Mundt Filip 2013 Malignant pleural mesothelioma novel biomarkers and related pathways Stockholm Karolinska Institutet ISBN 978 91 7549 017 5 External links EditAsbestos Man at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe Asbestos Man on Marvel Database a Marvel Comics wiki Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Asbestos Man amp oldid 1164941497, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
