FLOATING HEAD

Real Name: Several unnamed criminals

Identity/Class: Humans, technology users (Pre-Modern era) (see comments)

Occupation: Criminals

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Bruce, Hank Rogers

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Central Park, New York City, New York

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#8/1 (March, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: The criminals used a projection device to make the Floating Head appear in the sky, and they made it appear to speak using several loud-speakers planted throughout NYC. These criminals were also skilled at using explosives.

History: (Tales to Astonish I#8/1 (fb) - BTS) - A gang of criminals came up with the idea of an alien invasion hoax that would make the residents of NYC flee the city, leaving them free to loot it. They set up loud-speakers throughout the city, assembled an image projection device, and bought an old warehouse that they filled with explosives.

(Tales to Astonish I#8/1) <Summer, 1965> - The criminals set up a phony construction site in Central Park to operate out of and projected the image of the Floating Head over New York's skyline. The Floating Head claimed to be an invader from Aqua Mentorius, and to demonstrate its power it blew up a warehouse -- in reality the criminals simply detonated the explosives they had set beforehand. The entire city was ready to evacuate before young Bruce discovered the criminals' hideout and informed the mayor. The criminals were arrested, and their fraud exposed.

 

 

Comments: Created by an unnamed writer and Paul Reinman.

As with many 1950's and 1960's Marvel monster stories, this story is not confirmed as part of Earth-616 continuity, but there's nothing to exclude it either.
    --Leave it in unless something rules it out!--Snood.

This story was published in 1960, but it chronicled events from 1965. I have no idea why this story was set in the near-future.

This story ("I Dared Defy the Floating Head!") was reprinted in Where Creatures Roam#2.

The Floating Head plot was used earlier [Journey Into Mystery I#44 (March, 1957) "The Menace Of The Green Men" 1st story] (light images of space aliens become fallguys for a crook). Perhaps either the earlier criminals tried the same phony alien invasion scheme again or their scheme was imitated by later criminals (maybe one or more of the earlier criminals was a member of this new group).
--Gammatotem

PROFILE BY FUTURE

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Floating Head has no known connection to:

Bruce

He suspected that the appearance of the Floating Head was somehow connected to the newly erected construction site in Central Park. He observed the criminals creating the illusion of the Floating Head and immediately told the mayor.

--Tales to Astonish I#8/1

 

 

 

 

Hank Rogers

Bruce's friend, he suspected that the construction in Central Park was someone's idea of a gag, and this gave Bruce the idea that the construction was connected to the appearance of the Floating Head.

--Tales to Astonish I#8/1

 

 

 

 

images:
Tales to Astonish I#8/1, splash page;
(the criminal gang behind the Floating Head) Tales to Astonish I#8/1, p6, pan3;
(Bruce) Tales to Astonish I#8/1, p5, pan5;
(Hank Rogers) Tales to Astonish I#8/1, p4, pan4

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#8 (March, 1960) - Paul Reinman (artist), Stan Lee (editor)

Last updated: 03/09/16

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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