ERIC FINLEY
Real Name: Eric Finley
Identity/Class: Human technology user mutate (1950s era)
Occupation: Inventor
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Lola, Vincent Gordon
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "The Man Without a Body" (in story title)
Base of Operations: His workshop, somewhere in America
First Appearance: Marvel Tales I#122/5 (April, 1954)
Powers/Abilities: An eccentric inventor, Finley built a machine that could separate his ethereal essence from his physical body.
While in his ghostly spirit-form, Finley's body entered a comatose state--his spirit apparently didn't require the machine to reenter his body, and it was unrevealed if there was a time-limit as to how long he could endure the separation.
Finley's spirit-form was invisible and intangible, but he could still seemingly interact with the physical world when he so desired (see comments).
A victim of unrequited love, the naive Finley was hopelessly infatuated with Lola, and she duped him into using his machine-granted ability to unethically acquire great wealth on the promise that she would marry him.
Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Brown
History:
(Marvel Tales I#122/5 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Eric Finley is
largely unrevealed, but at some point he fell in love with the beautiful
Lola, and he planned to ask her to marry him when one of his inventions
made him rich--unbeknownst to Finley, Lola was just cruelly leading him
on to get his money, for she was secretly involved with Vincent Gordon.
(Marvel Tales I#122/5) - One day, Finley sneaked into Lola's house to show her his latest invention, and the startled Lola angrily snapped at him (Unbeknownst to Finley, he had just interrupted a romantic liaison between Lola and Gordon). Seeing signs that Lola had been keeping company with someone, Finley inquired if she was alone; Lola explained that the lit cigar in the ashtray belonged to her "brother," who had just left, and that the backdoor of the house had slammed shut because of the "wind" (actually Vincent Gordon hastily sneaking out)--blinded by love, the gullible Finley believed her.
Finley demonstrated his invention--a wind-up walking doll-- which he was sure would be a great seller; but when the toy tumbled to the floor in mid-step, the disgusted Lola rebuked Finley for his latest failure, and she ordered him to get out of her house, telling him she wouldn't marry him until he made some money... lots of money. Dejected, Finley walked out, determined to invent something that would really make him wealthy.
Finley toiled in his workshop for six months, and when he was finished, he had built a machine he was sure would make him the richest man in the world. After connecting himself to the untested apparatus, Finley pulled a lever to activate it--he was unconcerned if the machine accidentally killed him, because he didn't want to live without Lola anyway. But as the device's energy flowed through him, Finley discovered all his effort was a success, for the machine had separated his spirit from his physical body!
Finley took advantage of his invisible state and spied on a business meeting, where he got valuable "insider-information" on an upcoming stock-trade; after reentering his body and investing in the stock, Findley made a bundle of cash from the deal. Shortly afterward, he went to Lola's house and showed her the money he made, then he took her to his workshop and presented his machine; the two worked out a scheme together--Finley would use his spirit-form to learn more money-making secrets, and Lola would hold onto the cash and guard Finley's body while he was away.
That night, Finley's spirit-form went to a boxing arena and learned that the big fight was secretly going to be "fixed"--the champ was planning to take a dive in the second round. Finley returned to his body, then he and Lola attended the boxing match and bet all their cash on the challenger--when the challenger "won" by a knockout, Finley and Lola had increased their money to $100,000. Finley asked Lola if she was ready to marry him, but she insisted they should make one last "big killing" first; Finley agreed and told her that tomorrow he'd go to the horse-track and find out if the feature race was fixed.
The next day, Finley's spirit went to the Belwick Park race-track, where he learned that one of the horses was a cinch to win, because it had been doped; as his spirit-form traveled back to his workshop to reenter his body, Finley excitedly thought about how easily he and Lola would turn their hundred-thousand into a million dollars.
But when he got to his workshop, Finley found Lola and his body gone; then he found a note from Lola that told him to meet her at 118 Walker Street, because she had a surprise for him--Finley figured Lola's surprise was that she was finally going to consent to marry him.
The ethereal Finley traveled to the address, but when he entered the gloomy building--a crematory--he found Lola in the arms of another man--Vincent Gordon, who ran the undertaking establishment. Finally realizing that Lola was cheating on him, and that she had been playing him for a fool all along, Finley angrily told the cold-hearted hussy that they were through, and he demanded to know where his body was--Finley was horrified when Lola opened the crematory's fiery furnace and tauntingly told him to guess...
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Ed Winiarski (artist).
Although Finley was invisible and intangible while in his spirit-form, there were instances when he interacted with the physical world, such as when he spoke with Lola, and when he picked up Lola's note (see above images)--my guess is that a side-effect of the machine allowed him to do so by an act of will (possibly with telepathy and telekinesis).
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Eric Finley has no known connections to:
Lola has no known connections to:
Vincent Gordon has no known connections to:
|
It was built by Eric Finley after six months of toil in his
workshop. |
 
|
|
Lola (last name unrevealed)
was a gold-digger who pretended to be in love with inventor Eric Finley,
and she promised to marry him when he had money--Lola was secretly romantically involved with undertaker Vincent
Gordon, and she actually disdained Finley, but she was hoping to
get his wealth in the event that one of his inventions was successful. |
|
|
Gordon ran an undertaking establishment/crematory at 118
Walker Street; he was romantically involved with Lola. |
images: (without ads)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p2, pan8 (Main Image - Eric Finley (carrying doll) leaving Lola's house)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p3, pan3 (Headshot - Eric Finley, about to activate machine)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p5, pan3 (Headshot - Eric Finley (in spirit-form) reads note from Lola)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p5, pan6 (horrified Eric Finley (in spirit-form (left)) learns the fate of his body; Vincent Gordon, Lola)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p3, pan2 (Eric Finley connected to machine)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p3, pan5 (Eric Finley's spirit begins to separate from his body)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p3, pan6 (Eric Finley's spirit separated from his body)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p2, pan7 (Lola tells Eric Finley to leave her house)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p4, pan1 (Eric Finley shows Lola his machine)
Marvel Tales I#122/5, p5, pan4 (Vincent Gordon with Lola, discovered by Eric Finley (in spirit-form (right))
Appearances:
Marvel Tales I#122/5 (April, 1954) - unidentified writer, Ed Winiarski (pencils), Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 09/17/2019
Last updated: 09/17/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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