FRANK MILLER

Real Name: Frank Miller

Identity/Class: Human (pre-modern era)

Occupation: Teacher

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Laddie, Dr. John Redfield

Enemies: Pharaoh

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: His apartment in an unidentified American city

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#62/2 (November, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: Dog-owner Frank Miller was a professional instructor who taught a course on evolution.

Theorizing that dogs had evolved a greater intelligence over the centuries, Miller feared that canines would overthrow their masters and dominate the human race--he even accused his own dog of being part of the insidious plot.

A friend later convinced him otherwise of his irrational fear--but unbeknownst to Frank Miller, he wasn't too far from the truth...

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black, with graying temples

History:
(Journey into Mystery I#62/2 (fb) - BTS) - Teacher Frank Miller lived in an apartment in the city with his dog, Laddie.

   While Miller was teaching a course on evolution, he privately came up with an incredible idea: If evolution had changed man from a primitive cave-dweller to the civilized being of today, then perhaps evolution was also working on dogs and developing their brains. He further speculated that dogs didn't want men to know about their increased mental capacity because they were getting ready to rebel and take over the world. Miller envisioned a future where mankind had been conquered by dogs, and humans spent the rest of their days working for their canine masters.

(Journey into Mystery I#62/2) - For weeks, Miller's fears mounted, until he could stand it no longer--one night, he confronted Laddie and accused his dog of being part of the insidious canine plot.

   In desperation, Miller ran out of his apartment to get help; as he hurried along the dark city streets, he suspiciously eyed some people walking their dogs--although those cunning canines were on leashes now, Miller knew what they were secretly planning to do!

   Minutes later, the overwrought Miller arrived at the office of his friend Dr. John Redfield, and he told the doctor about his theory and the dogs' sinister plan. But Redfield dismissed Miller's theory as nonsense, and to prove it as such, he asked Miller to bring Laddie to his office so he could hypnotize the dog--once in a hypnotic trance, Laddie wouldn't be able to conceal any secrets, and the dog would have to give away the truth. Miller agreed to comply and left the office.

   An hour later, when Miller returned to Redfield's office with Laddie, the doctor used a shiny coin swinging on a string and began to put the dog into a hypnotic trance...

(Journey into Mystery I#62/2 - BTS) - But unbeknownst to Miller and Redfield, Laddie was being put into a trance by a stronger hypnotist--Redfield's pet cat, Pharaoh!

(Journey into Mystery I#62/2) - Certain that Laddie was under his spell, Redfield began to ask the dog a series of complex questions, and he told him to answer by barking; but Laddie was unable to respond as directed, and he merely performed some simple dog tricks (playing dead, begging).

   And so Redfield proved to Miller that dogs were no smarter than they knew them to be. With his ludicrous theory debunked, the embarrassed Miller just attributed his wild imagining to the fact that he had been working too hard. After thanking his friend for straightening him out, Miller took Laddie and left, and Redfield went to his desk to attend to some paperwork.

   But neither Miller nor Redfield would ever know the amazing truth: Laddie had failed to respond to the doctor's questions not because he wasn't smart, but because he was under a stronger hypnotic spell. Pharaoh had done his work well, for the humans suspected nothing, so he and the other animals would continue to wait for the right moment to strike...

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.

This 5-page story--There Is a Brain Behind the Fangs!--was done with a shock/surprise-ending, and Pharaoh's presence and his evil scheme weren't revealed until the final two panels.

Pharaoh's true nature was never explained, so maybe he was a mutant... or, considering his name, maybe Pharaoh had some connection to the Egyptian gods, specifically Bast or Sekhmet.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Frank Miller has no known connections to:

Dr. John Redfield has no known connections to:

Laddie has no known connections to:

Pharaoh has no known connections to:

Dr. John Redfield

He was Frank Miller's oldest and best friend, and the city's top psychiatrist. The doctor kept his pet cat Pharaoh in his office.

One evening, the hysterical Miller came to Redfield with a wild claim--Miller theorized that evolution had given dogs increased intelligence, and the canines were planning to conquer the world!

However, Redfield dismissed the theory as nonsense, and to prove it as such to Miller, Redfield told him to bring his dog Laddie over so that he could hypnotize the dog and learn the truth.

Redfield placed Laddie in a trance (...or so he thought!) and began to ask him a series of complex questions; when the entranced dog failed to respond as directed, Redfield thereby proved to Miller that dogs were no smarter than they knew them to be.

After Miller's mind was set straight and his irrational fear was alleviated, the two men said their goodbyes, and the doctor sat down at his desk to attend to some paperwork.

Redfield never realized the true threat was sitting on the cabinet behind him--his own cat, Pharaoh, who was a stronger hypnotist, and had actually been commanding Laddie's responses!

(Comment: My guess is that Redfield didn't really expect his hypnotism to work on Laddie, but he was just going through the motions to humor Miller until he convinced him that he was acting irrationally.)

--Journey into Mystery I#62/2

Laddie

An unspecified breed of dog (maybe a collie?) Laddie was the pet of teacher Frank Miller.

When Miller theorized that evolution had given dogs greater intelligence, he feared that they would conquer the world and become mankind's masters; Miller confronted Laddie and accused him of being part of the evil canine plot.

Miller's friend, Dr. John Redfield, later placed Laddie in a hypnotic trance so he would reveal the truth; Redfield began to ask Laddie a series of complex questions, and he told Laddie to respond by barking. But instead, Laddie just began to perform some dog tricks (playing dead, begging)--Redfield thereby proved to Miller that dogs were no more intelligent than they knew them to be.

But Laddie had actually reacted as he did because the dog had been placed under the spell of a stronger hypnotist--Redfield's pet cat, Pharaoh!

--Journey into Mystery I#62/2

Pharaoh

An unspecified breed of cat, Pharaoh was the pet of Dr. John Redfield. Unusually intelligent, and possibly endowed with mental telepathy, Pharaoh was able to control the will of a dog.

When Frank Miller came to Redfield's office and claimed that intelligent dogs where planning to subjugate mankind, Redfield wanted to hypnotize Miller's dog Laddie, to prove to Miller that he was incorrect.

Redfield placed Laddie into a trance (...or so he thought!) and began to ask him a series of complex questions; when Laddie only performed some simple dog tricks in response, Redfield proved to Miller that dogs were no more intelligent than they were known to be. But Laddie had actually been under the hypnotic influence of Pharaoh, who was commanding the dog's actions.

Later, Pharaoh sat on a cabinet behind Redfield's desk while the doctor attended to some paperwork--the fiendish feline had done his work well, for the humans suspected nothing! Now he and the other animals would continue to wait... wait for the right moment to strike!

--Journey into Mystery I#62/2

images: (without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p2, pan2 (Main Image - Frank Miller, running away from Laddie and out of his apartment)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p1, pan1 (Headshot - Frank Miller)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p2, pan6 (Frank Miller, warns Dr. John Redfield about the "menace" of dogs)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p3, pan5 (Frank Miller tells Dr. John Redfield (background) about his suspicions of dogs)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p2, pan5 (Dr. John Redfield finds Frank Miller at his office door)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p3, pan1 (Dr. John Redfield)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p4, pan4 (Dr. John Redfield, about to hypnotize Laddie; Frank Miller (background) )
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p2, pan1 (Laddie, confronted by Frank Miller)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p4, pan5 (Laddie, being hypnotized by Dr. John Redfield)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p5, pan1 (Laddie, questioned by Dr. John Redfield; Frank Miller (background) )
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p5, pan6 (Pharaoh (in yellow circle), sitting on cabinet behind Dr. John Redfield)
Journey into Mystery I#62/2, p5, pan7 (Pharaoh)

Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#62/2 (November, 1960) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Don Heck (pencils and inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Ray Holloway (letters)

First Posted: 08/09/2020
Last updated: 08/09/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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