History:
(Strange Tales I#103 (fb) - BTS) - George Bentley was called the best
house builder in the state but strange accidents caused three of the
houses he built near swampland to sink into the ground.
GEORGE BENTLEY
Real Name: George Bentley
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Architect
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
Enemies: Zemu
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Glenville, Long Island, New York, USA
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#103 (December, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: George Bentley has no particular special abilities. He is renowned as a great architect. One of his designs was the museum in Glenville dedicated to the Human Torch and Invisible Girl.
Height: 5'9" (by approximation)
Weight: 175 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Strange Tales I#103 (fb) - BTS) - George Bentley was called the best
house builder in the state but strange accidents caused three of the
houses he built near swampland to sink into the ground.
(Strange Tales I#103) - George was surprised when yet another home sunk into the ground overnight despite his workers' efforts to fill in the plot with hard soil. A man who seemed to be an old farmer claimed that the "swamp demon" was angered because George had knocked down trees and destroyed swamplands in order to build his homes and the demon was "getting even." Ignoring the old man, George ordered his men to continue the project and re-enforce the next house with a double supply of hard soil. However, the next day, George found this house had likewise sunk. Again, the old man appeared and warned George about the "swamp demon" but George still refused to believe him.
The Human Torch became interested in the problem and went to investigate, flying below ground to examine the soil, only to find no evident problems which would explain the sinking homes. For a third time, the old man appeared and claimed the swamp demon was responsible. However, the Human Torch's continuing investigation proved the old man was really Zemu, an invader from the Fifth Dimension who had been using ray beams weapons to soften up the ground around Mr. Bentley's homes. Xemu had been planning to invade Earth through the swamps and didn't want homes nearby with people who could spot his invasion forces. The Human Torch prevented the invasion.
(Fantastic Four: Marvels Snapshots#1 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Bentley was so grateful that the Human Torch's actions had saved his business that he built a museum in Glenville dedicated to the Human Torch and the Invisible Girl.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.
"Bentley" was a decently popular Silver Age surname, as the clarifications below will attest.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
George Bentley should not be confused with:
This museum dedicated to the Human Torch and the Invisible Girl was built in Glenville by George Bentley as a donation to the city in recognition of the Human Torch's heroism in saving his business from Zemu. The Human Torch donated many items used in the displays. Although the museum was designed generally as a museum of the Fantastic Four, it focused specifically on the adventures of the Human Torch and the Invisible Girl because they were native to Glenville. The exhibits included a monitor displaying an animated recount of the Fantastic Four's origins, statues of Galactus, Giganto, Doctor Doom, Phineas T. Horton, the original Human Torch (Jim Hammond), a replica of the Ultimate Nullifer, displays about Wakanda and Atlantis and many newspaper clippings and photographs of the Fantastic Four alongside the Sub-Mariner and the Silver Surfer. There were also costumes and equipment used by the Human Torch's villains (either the actual items or recreations) including Wilhelm van Vile and the Trapster. A gift shop featured collectible toys, shirts, masks, wigs and comic books featuring the Fantastic Four and their allies.
In recent times, the museum has been run by Wayne Morris, a former high school classmate of Johnny Storm's. When Doris Evans appeared in a news story about Glenville and the Human Torch created by reporter Marcia Hardesty, Wayne gave Marcia a tour of the museum.
--Fantastic Four: Marvels Snapshots#1
images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#103, p2, pan3 (main)
Strange Tales I#103, p2, pan6 (headshot)
Fantastic Four: Marvel Snapshots#1, p5, pan5 (museum)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#103 (December, 1962) - Stan Lee (plot, editor), Larry Lieber (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Fantastic
Four: Marvels Snapshots#1 (May, 2020) - Evan Dorkin (writer), Sarah
Dyer (writer), Benjamin Dewey (artist), Darren Shan (editor)
First posted: 05/01/2021
Last updated: 05/01/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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