“The Nth Man” by Homer Eon Flint

Good morning everyone,

Welcome back to There She Grows! Today, we’re going to examine “The Nth Man” written by Homer Eon Flint. This is a story about a giant man which includes a theme, “money in politics is bad,” that still rings true today. The Nth Man was first published in the spring of 1928, many years after it was written (it was probably drafted in 1920) and four years after the author died in 1924.

Additionally, people claim that The Nth Man inspired the 1957 film “The Amazing Colossal Man” (ACM), but in my opinion The Nth Man more directly inspired a startling transformation in Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen. (SIDE NOTE: The giant Nth Man is not to be confused with Marvel Comics character “Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja” created by Larry Hama in 1989.)

First, let’s briefly discuss Homer Eon Flint himself. He was born as Homer Eon Flindt on September 9, 1888, in Albany, Oregon. Concerned about anti-German sentiment, when he published works he used Flint as his last name.

(NOTE: Biographical details were taken from “Grandfather Lost” and “Homer Eon Flint: A Legacy.” Both of which were written by his eldest grandchild Vella Munn. Click here to read Homer Eon Flint: A Legacy.)

In 1911, he married school teacher Mabel E. Williams. Mabel was already a teacher in Truckee, California, when they were wed. Homer worked as a shoe repairman and author of a regular column for a shoemaker’s magazine.

Mabel encouraged her husband to submit movie scripts to the early movie industry. His first published work, “The Joke That Spread,” was sold to the Vitagraph Company in 1912. He sold several other scripts in 1913, but reportedly no copies remain. Homer went on to sell several science-fiction short stories and alongside Austin Hall he co-wrote the novel “The Blind Spot.”

Homer stated, during an interview with the San Francisco Bulletin published on October 20, 1921, that he never had the “slightest ambition to write” and that his wife was “to blame” for his writing career.

Together, Homer and Mabel had one son and two daughters. Unfortunately, Homer died in late March 1924 when he was only 35-years old and under shocking circumstances. On March 27, Ranch owner Paul Brass discovered Homer’s body under a wrecked car 75-feet down an embankment at a sharp curve of a dirt road near Sunol, California. A loaded .38 caliber revolver was found nearby.

A man called E. L. Handley, the only source of information about this tragic event, claimed that Homer had hired him as a taxi driver and later stole Handley’s car at gunpoint. Of note, Vella described Handley as a “known gangster” who was convicted of an unspecified crime not long after Homer’s death. Vella also reported that Handley later died in prison.

My intent is not to delve too deeply into Homer’s death because I could not do it justice in this limited space. Those readers wanting more information should read “Grandfather Lost” by Vella Munn. (NOTE: Confusingly, Vella Munn’s accounts differ. Homer Eon Flint: A Legacy identified Mr. Handley as “E. L. Handley” which matches the name in the May 11, 1924, Oakland Tribune. However, Grandfather Lost quotes other articles which list him as “L. S. Handley.” I have no idea which is correct. Additionally, Homer Eon Flint: A Legacy gave Homer’s age as thirty-two at the time of his death, but he was born in September 1888 and died in March 1924 so he should have been thirty-five.)

Now that we covered a bit about the author, let’s examine his short story “The Nth Man.” It was first published within the pages of Amazing Stories Quarterly Spring 1928 Edition. Be advised, this discussion will include a few spoilers. The story is around 100 years old so more than enough time has passed. Those who want to peruse The Nth Man before completing this review can read it for free at the Internet Archive.

Be advised however that Homer’s story has an arrogant perspective on non-Christian cultures. For example, the Great Wall of China was presented as a “massive barrier” preventing Chinese people from progressing. No reason was given for how or why a massive engineering project prevented a group of people from accepting “the idea that anything new could possibly be good-“.

After the destruction of the Great Wall of China, a Chinese “wise man,” a local leader, asked American doctors/missionaries to convert him and several hundred other men, women, and children to Christianity. The implication was that the destruction of the Great Wall of China was a good thing because that violent act facilitated conversion. The snarky side of me wanted to know what denomination of Christianity did the missionaries belong to as the story did not specify. After all, if Chick Tracts are to be believed then Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, and Mormons are all doomed to be damned! With luck these Chinese people chose the “right” type of Christianity. Heaven forbid they stumble upon a Catholic mission and pick the wrong side. Hopefully, my sarcasm is obvious. This aspect of The Nth Man struck me as ignorant and patronizing.

Let’s back up though and cover the plot of The Nth Man. It starts with a series of fantastic events taking place across the world. No one knows who caused these so-called “miracles.” These include, but were not limited to, a young girl being rescued after falling off a seaside cliff, a cargo ship called the Mammoth III being safely transported to its final destination after suffering irreparable damage during a severe storm, and a bank, which held money to overthrow European republics (!) and replace them with German monarchy (!!), conveniently disappearing. Remember, this was written before the Nazi party was the leading political force in Germany. Thus, instead of German fascists plotting continental domination it was German monarchists! By the way, Americans were not blameless in this endeavor as a rich American was funding the German monarchists.

The force causing these fantastic events turned out to be an enormous man, the titular “Nth Man.” It was cool that he saved a kid from drowning. Not so cool was destroying the Great Wall of China. Furthermore, while he saved the crew of the Mammoth III their mission was to deliver trees to Australia to facilitate its conquest.

After interfering for better and for worse in locations across the world, he eventually made his public debut in San Francisco on April 30, 1933, at six o’clock in the morning.

Later on, we learn that the Nth Man is Park Pendleton. He achieved immense size after his father began injecting chemical elements taken from the glands of Galapagos tortoises. (As you do…) Those injections started when Park was only one year old and eventually made Park a giant (9,198 feet tall) after he reached adulthood. He acquired a tough armor-like skin somewhat akin to a turtle shell which earned him another nickname, “The Turtle Man.”

Park’s armored skin, great height, and Turtle Man nickname reminded me of a Silver Age comic from 1961 in which Jimmy Olsen became “The Giant Turtle Man!”

No credit was given to Homer Eon Flint in this DC comic. Although, to be fair the only similarities between the two characters are their anthropomorphized turtle looks, their names, and their superhuman statures. The methods by which they each became giant turtle men were very different. (SIDE NOTE: Click here to read about size themes during the Silver Age. During that time Jimmy periodically experienced bizarre transformation such as turning elastic or acquiring porcupine quills.)

I argue that Jimmy Olsen’s comic was significantly more similar to The Nth Man than ACM. For context, in ACM a plutonium bomb explosion caused Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Manning to begin growing uncontrollably. He grew continuously, went on a brief rampage, and then ostensibly died. (SIDE NOTE: His apparent death was retconned in the 1958 sequel “War of the Colossal Beast.”) Glenn never rescued anyone, never tried to do good deeds like transporting a vessel during a storm, and never completed so-called “miracles” similar to what The Nth Man did.

I cannot find the source, but recall reading that someone at American International Pictures (AIP) had secured the rights to The Nth Man. Accordingly, ACM allegedly began production as a cinematic adaptation.

However, there is no connection beyond the fact they each feature a giant. None of the character backgrounds, histories, motivations, personalities, or even names were carried over from The Nth Man. Furthermore, the political theme was absent.

Speaking of the politics, let’s delve into that. After appearing in California, the nearly two-miles tall man walked across the United States until he reached Washington D.C. At the White House he demanded that the President push legislation to prevent one rich man, Daly Fosburgh, from controlling the American government. The President was given an ultimatum to pass financial reform laws in six months. If he refused, then the Nth Man would wage war!

The government did indeed refuse and war broke out. This was decades before World War II therefore missiles and nuclear weapons were not used. Instead, artillery and weaponized dirigibles attacked the giant. In a nod toward adding drama and realism, the Nth Man was actually capable of being wounded and was hurt by their assault. If you scroll up to the top of this page you’ll see he is bleeding from a neck wound. Although, in the end the giant was triumphant. That victory nearly led to a vore scene!

However, a plucky heroine intervened and plead for mercy on behalf of the President and his Army. Then there was a happy ending complete with a engagement between the aforementioned heroine and the son of Daly Fosburgh.

This was an interesting look, warts and all, of how some Americans in the 1920s viewed the rest of the world and how they thought their own government and society should change.

Regarding negatives, some parts felt like lazy writing. For example, how did having a lot of money make Fosburgh the “secret dictator” of the United States whose son was slated to become its “emperor“? Apparently, Fosburgh had a “controlling interest in every enterprise” which feels unlikely, but okay. Guess that means whether a company makes automobiles, Big Mouth Billy Bass, or dildos he owns a majority share?

I have no problem believing money corrupts politicians. That said, money isn’t everything. Financial resources do not guarantee success. If money was the deciding factor then why did rich men like Michael Bloomberg and Steve Forbes fail in their U.S. Presidential campaigns? Both lost to opponents who had much less money.

Homer obviously felt rich people had too much influence on American democracy. I agree. Presumably, he wanted this story to influence politicians to thwart that unwarranted influence. However, what precisely did Homer think would help? Readers were told that “financial reform laws” will fix the problem. But how? Would they eliminate or at least restrict campaign donations and political advertising? Preferably, Homer would have told readers what should change.

Additionally, The Nth Man became a “Mary Sue,” a flawless character. He was literally described as knowing everything.

Furthermore, he had a wireless apparatus which is a rather impressive accessory for a 9,000 foot tall man. Did he buy it off the shelf from RadioShack? That electronics retailer was founded in 1921; so, maybe they hooked him up? Although, one might think it difficult to build a headset or speaker large enough for such an enormous wireless operator.

He also somehow became telepathic. Here’s hoping he wasn’t spying when I wrote erotic Betty and Veronica fan fiction in my head!

Lastly, Daly Fosburgh suffered no ill consequences for his attempted takeover. He still lived in a mansion. The worst he had to do was consent to his son marrying a woman of low social standing. In contrast, the Secretary of War laid dead on the banks of the Platte River. The armed forces which faced off against the giant were reduced to “smashed and beaten humanity.” Presumably, that means many if not all of the soldiers manning the dirigibles also perished. So, the businessman personally responsible for the carnage was fine, but the men who fought for him suffered grievously.

Fosburgh’s happy ending was deeply unsatisfying. Maybe he will find it within himself to at least pay for burials of all the Americans who died, but probably not until after the wedding. No need to inconvenience the fellow that forced his country to wage war for personal gain.

Overall, The Nth Man is still recommended for those who enjoy historic science fiction. Just keep in mind that the author had a narrow perspective on the world.

That’s it for today folks. If all goes as planned then next week’s review will analyze size-themed Japanese artwork. Until then, keep growing!

This review was written by SolomonG and is protected under Fair Use copyright law.

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