Like the Ventriloquist in the Batman rogue’s gallery, Son of Vulcan has his own mousy villain.
Mr. Lambie was a hen-pecked husband who was constantly belittled by his wife, that is until he was approached by Mars with a special gift — gilded gloves that would transform anything he touched or pointed at into gold. His new name? King Midas!
In Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds No. 47, he immediately takes his vengeance on his vile wife. “For the first time in twenty years, she’s not talking!” he exclaims. From there, he decides he needs the help of Zolotto, the gold tycoon.
That’s when Johnny Mann happens upon the conspiracy, turns into Son of Vulcan and gets zapped and transmorgified into gold, just like Mrs. Lambie.
Even worse, Zoloto’s agents toss the Son of Vulcan statue on to a conveyor belt that leads into a furnace. Their intention? To melt him down — those fiends!
But never fear, Sonny was safe. You see, even in his statuary form, our hero couldn’t be harmed by heat and flame. In fact, the furnace flames end up healing SoV of his condition and he springs into action, quickly dispatching Zoloto, Midas and their associates in no time.
As the story winds down, it’s also revealed that Midas’ touch is only temporary, as Mrs. Lambie returns to her typical over-bearing self. (Geez, imagine what might have happened if she ended up in the furnace too. Imagine Zoloto asking “Who wants a rump roast?”)
I was thinking about this issue, and it reminds me a lot of a recent “Justice League Unlimited” episode that featured a hen-pecked time traveler who can’t do enough to impress his wife. I doubt the JLU folks have ever even read a comic with Sonny in it, much less find the need to copy it — but still, you have to wonder.
Of note: Though never mentioned in his Who’s Who entries, this story makes it appear that exposure to flame can actually heal Son of Vulcan.
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