BEN HOBBS

Real Name: Ben Hobbs

Identity/Class: Unrevealed (see comments; pre-modern era)

Occupation: Farmer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: His scarecrows, unidentified sheriff

Enemies: Simon

Known Relatives: Simon (nephew)

Aliases: "The old goat", "the old coot" (as referred to by Simon)

Base of Operations: His farm, somewhere in America

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#77/4 (February, 1962)

Powers/Abilities: The elderly Ben Hobbs was skilled in agriculture, but he apparently possessed no paranormal abilities.

The eccentric old farmer often held one-sided "conversations" with his three scarecrows--later, he apparently stuffed straw in his clothing (see comments).

Height: 5' 10" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: White

History:
(Journey into Mystery I#77/4 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Ben Hobbs is largely unrevealed, but the eccentric old farmer always talked to his three scarecrows, as though they were alive.

   One year earlier, Hobbs' nephew Simon sold him some worthless stock--thereafter, the angry Ben ordered Simon to stay away from his farm.

(Journey into Mystery I#77/4) - Early one morning, Ben went out to his fields to visit his scarecrow friends--he gave "Reuben" a new hat, and "Clem" predicted stormy weather.

   A half-hour later, when it began to rain, Ben had his three scarecrows inside his house, where they all played poker.

   The next morning, Hobbs got an uninvited visitor--Simon, whom he angrily ordered to leave. But that night, Simon silently returned to look over the farm; since his uncle's land was worth a small fortune, then Simon--being Ben's only living relative--figured that he would inherit it if something should happen to Ben. Knowing of his uncle's odd propensity of talking to his scarecrows, Simon schemed to have Ben committed to an asylum, then Simon would "generously" consent to take over the farm.

   Simon went to tell the sheriff that his Uncle Ben wasn't in his right mind, because he talked to his scarecrows all day long, so he wanted the sheriff to put Ben away to a sanatorium...for his own good, of course. Agreeing to investigate the complaint, the sheriff drove Simon out to Ben's farm.

   While Simon waited in the sheriff's car, Ben invited the lawman into his house--the sheriff was startled to find that Ben had the three scarecrows inside for a game of poker. When Ben admitted that he talked with the scarecrows, the sheriff--concerned about the old farmer's irrational behavior--tried to convince Ben that they were only rags and straw, so they couldn't talk! Sadly realizing that the elderly farmer was probably demented, the sheriff told Ben that he'd have to take him back to town for his own good. But then Ben insisted that he had to show the sheriff something first... (see comments)

   Meanwhile, as Simon waited in the sheriff's car, he was glad they arrived when Ben had the scarecrows in his house--now the sheriff would have to believe Ben had "lost his marbles"; Simon gleefully giggled to himself, because he was convinced he'd soon become a wealthy land-owner.

   But when the sheriff finally came back to the car alone, the lawman seemed to be emotionally shaken from his experience--when Simon questioned why he didn't bring Ben along with him, the sheriff angrily insisted that Simon couldn't have his uncle committed to an asylum ("He's as sane as we are! Maybe saner!").

   As the sheriff's car drove away, Ben Hobbs walked back into his house to rejoin his scarecrow friends...and bits of straw-stuffing could be seen protruding from his clothing... (see comments)

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The bizarre ending of this 5-page story--They Were Only Scarecrows--left it up to the readers to draw their own conclusions about the true nature of Ben Hobbs--we never learned what that "something" was that the sheriff saw. My guess is that the three scarecrows were somehow alive, and Ben stuffed his clothes with straw to fit in better with his friends...unless something weird happened, and Ben was somehow transformed into a scarecrow himself...

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ben Hobbs has no known connections to:

Simon has no known connections to:

Reuben the scarecrow has no known connections to:

Clem the scarecrow has no known connections to:

Ben Hobbs' three scarecrows have no known connections to:

Ben Hobbs' scarecrows

A trio of scarecrows composed of old garments and straw, they guarded the fields of Ben Hobbs' farm. They included "Reuben" (wearing top hat), "Clem," and an unidentified third.

Ben always had conversations with the scarecrows, and often had them in his house to play poker.

(Comment: Judging by the splash-page (see first image), the three were animated with some form of life; however, the scarecrows were not actually depicted as being able to move in the story itself. )

--Journey into Mystery I#77/4

Simon

The only living relative of Ben Hobbs, Simon was Ben's nephew.

A year earlier, the shifty Simon swindled his uncle when he sold him some stock that proved to be worthless, so the angry Ben forbade his nephew from ever coming to his farm again.

Knowing of his uncle's eccentric habit of talking to his scarecrows, Simon schemed to have Ben committed to an asylum so he would inherit his uncle's farmland.

Simon went to the sheriff and told him about his uncle's odd behavior; but when the lawman investigated the complaint, he had apparently learned something that left him emotionally shaken (see comments), so the sheriff refused to carry out Simon's request.

(Comment: Simon's surname was never mentioned in the story, so it's possible that his last name wasn't Hobbs--we don't know of any other relatives of Ben Hobbs, so Simon could have been the son of Ben's sister.)

--Journey into Mystery I#77/4

unidentified sheriff

He was the American lawman of the territory where Ben Hobbs' farm was located.

Ben Hobbs' nephew Simon came to his office, to report that Ben was acting odd and talking to scarecrows; Simon wanted his uncle put away in a sanatorium, so the sheriff drove Simon to Ben's farm to investigate.

When the sheriff went into Ben's house, he found that the elderly farmer was playing poker with the three scarecrows. Sadly realizing that old Ben was probably demented, the sheriff was about to take him into custody; but Ben insisted that he had to show the lawman something first... (see comments)

Shortly afterward, the sheriff returned to the car, alone--he seemed to be emotionally shaken by what he had seen. As they drove off, Simon asked him why he didn't bring Ben along; the sheriff only angrily replied that Simon couldn't have his uncle committed to an asylum ("He's as sane as we are! Maybe saner!").

--Journey into Mystery I#77/4

images: (without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p2, pan2 (Main Image - Ben Hobbs)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p2, pan4 (Headshot - Ben Hobbs)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p2, pan6 (Ben Hobbs, playing poker with his scarecrows)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p5, pan5 (Ben Hobbs (with straw protruding out of his clothing); goes back into his house, as the sheriff and Simon drive away)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p1, pan1 (scarecrows surrounding Ben Hobbs)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p2, pan4 (Ben Hobbs talks to Reuben)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p2, pan5 (Ben Hobbs talks to Clem)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p3, pan4 (Simon thinks aloud with his scheme)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p3, pan5 (Simon talks to sheriff about having Ben Hobbs committed to an asylum)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p4, pan1 (Ben Hobbs introduces his scarecrows to sheriff)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p4, pan4 (sheriff apparently learns Ben Hobbs' secret)
Journey into Mystery I#77/4, p5, pan1 (emotionally-shaken sheriff returns to his car and talks with Simon)

Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#77/4 (February, 1962) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (pencils and inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters)

First Posted: 09/23/2020
Last updated: 09/23/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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