681 – Not Quite Negative Man

A panel from The House of Mystery #84, January 1959
A panel from House of Mystery #84, January 1959

In House of Mystery #84 (Jan 1959), a one-off story called “Negative Man” drawn by Jack Kirby has a scientist accidentally get a near-fatal dose of radio energy which causes a being made of pure energy to come out of his body. The being is eventually defeated by coming into contact with first water, then the scientist’s body. The overall concept of a Negative Man powered by radio waves/energy was recycled as a member of the Doom Patrol a few years later.