A blind person who can perceive the situation more clearly than many sighted people — that’s a concept that appeared in Marvel Comics even before Daredevil.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the idea in Fantastic Four 8 (Nov. 1962) in the character of Alicia Masters, a sightless sculptor who could recognize the Thing’s anger and bitterness as a defense mechanism to hide the bruised warmth and abused vulnerability of Ben Grimm.
Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny had tackled a villain who possessed the hidden power of mind control in their third issue, and their eighth issue returned to and amplified that theme. Instead of the hypnotic Miracle Man, they faced the leering Puppet Master.
“(W)e meet Phillip Masters, the Puppet Master — a man who, by sculpting figures out of radioactive clay (!), can then control the people in question,” noted comics historian Don Alsafi. “Essentially, it’s a new twist on the voodoo doll. And how wonderfully creepy he looks! With those oversized eyelashes, the maniacal grin, and the arching eyebrows, Jack Kirby has daringly designed the villain as a virtual puppet in his own right.”
“Of course, what makes this issue such a landmark is the introduction of his daughter, Alicia Masters, who would go on to be an important and frequent member of the FF’s supporting cast for the next 30 years. A blind sculptress herself, Alicia is unable to see the Thing’s disfigurement, which still causes him so much anger and self-loathing — but instantly sees the inner goodness beneath. Ironically, instead of realizing he’s found someone who appreciates him for who he is, and not what he looks like, Ben fears that she only likes him for his rocky appearance, and wouldn’t care for the man inside. Comic book characters with insecurities so present, and so recognizable, had never been seen with such gripping potency.”
Already, the Marvel universe is gently evolving. When introduced, the embittered Thing was equally as likely to turn against humanity as to fight for it. Now, responding to love and compassion, Ben Grimm starts down the path to become the iconic hero we know him to be.
Because the Puppet Master is a super villain who must work by proxy, we readers are treated to a satisfyingly action-packed sequence of the FF tackling the traditional superheroic mission of quelling a prison break. And the early Marvel practice of dividing a book-length story into three or four chapters treats us to several Kirby splash pages, instead of just one.
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