Mystic Comics #5

(March 1941)

Captain America (Table of Contents)

Captain America Comics #1 / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Jack Kirby

Inks:

Joe Simon; Al Liederman; Jack Kirby

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Captain America [Steve Rogers]; Bucky Barnes; Red Skull

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Captain America is given top billing, but the name "Captain America Comics" does not appear. The date for the new comic book is given as December 20th.

[The Origin of the Black Marvel] (Table of Contents)

Black Marvel / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Al Gabriele

Inks:

Al Gabriele

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Black Marvel [Dan Lyons] (introduction; origin); Chief Man-To (introduction; death); Running Elk; Dan Lyons; Al; Steve; Mickey; Vannie; Jund

Synopsis:

The Black Marvel stops a group of criminals who have sabotaged the power plant to provide cover to steal weapons to set themselves up as the local criminal power. In the middle of this story, we see the Black Marvel's origin as a white man who successfully completes the physical trials to take over the position of the dying chief of the Blackfeet tribe after all of the tribe's braves had failed.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in Marvel Super-Heroes (Marvel, 1967 series) #15 (July 1968)

Indexer Notes

Note that some sources claim that Stan Lee co-created the Black Marvel, but Lee's first writing credit for a text filler, has been established as being in Captain America Comics #3, with his first comic scripting credit a few issues after that.

[The Tempest] (Table of Contents)

Adventures of Super-Slave / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Inks:

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Super-Slave (introduction); Cappy (introduction); Jane (introduction)

Synopsis:

Cappy (an elderly fisherman) and his daughter Jane are shipwrecked on an island. Cappy scratches an old bracelet he finds on the beach, releasing the Super-Slave who must now do his bidding. Cappy has him rescue Jane, and later needs Super-Slave's services again after they stumble onto a criminal organization.

Indexer Notes

There is a teaser for another Super-Slave story next issue, but it never appeared.

[The Discovery in the Volcano] (Table of Contents)

Sub-Earth Man / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Harold De Lay

Inks:

Harold De Lay

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Bob Roland (introduction); Carol (introduction); Sub-Earth Man (villain; introduction; origin); Flame Men (villains)

Synopsis:

Geologist Bob Roland and his fiancée Carol encounter the giant Sub-Earth Man and his Flame Men beneath a volcano. The Sub-Earth Man ruled the Earth before its crust cooled, and he seeks to cause such massive eruptions that the Earth's surface will be suitable for his rule again. Bob offers to tell him where a city is for him to attack, but tricks him into causing an eruption under the ocean. Bob and Carol escape, but the Sub-Earth Man is still a threat.

Indexer Notes

Art credits from Jerry Bails' Who's Who (Henry Andrews 9/24/08). There is a teaser for another Sub-Earth Man story in the next issue, but it never appeared.

Introducing the Terror (Table of Contents)

The Terror / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Phil Sturm (signed)

Pencils:

Syd Shores (signed); George Klein (backgrounds ?)

Inks:

George Klein ? (see notes)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Terror (introduction; origin); Dr. John Storm (introduction; death)

Synopsis:

After witnessing an amazing transformation in his dog, brought on by chemicals, Dr. Storm extracts a serum to grant those powers of fearlessness and a skull-like appearance to a human being. When a man loses control of his car and winds up amnesiac on the doctor's doorstep, Dr. Storm subjects hi to the serum. When gangsters arrive to force Dr. Storm to help them, the stranger wakes up and assumes the ghastly visage of the Terror, killing the thugs. Dr. Storm dies from his wounds, but the Terror vows to continue his fight against crime.

Indexer Notes

Klein attribution on inks and/or backgrounds by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, who notes these details as characteristic of Klein at this time:
Page 2, panel 1. Wafting clouds against the moon.
Page 3, panel 3. The black ink streaks at the top left.
Page 6, panel 4. Same wafting clouds against the moon.
Page 7, panel 3. Ditto.

The Legend of the Blackfeet (Table of Contents)

Black Marvel / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Ray Gill (signed)

Pencils:

Peter Alvarado [as PA] (signed)

Inks:

Peter Alvarado [as PA] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

western-frontier

Characters:

Black Marvel [Blackfeet Indian] (introduction); Malcolm Lyons (introduction)

Synopsis:

An Indian brave of the Blackfeet tribe with black paint on his face drives off a Comanche raiding party, saving a wagon train including Malcolm Lyons and his family. Malcolm dubs him a Black Marvel.

Indexer Notes

Text with illustrations. Statement of ownership appears at the bottom of the 2nd page.

[Garvey Lang] (Table of Contents)

Black Widow / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

George Kapitan (signed)

Pencils:

Harry Sahle (signed)

Inks:

Harry Sahle (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Black Widow [Claire Voyant]; Satan

Synopsis:

Satan asks the Black Widow to collect the soul of train robber Garvey Lang. She stirs up discontent within his gang, causing the deaths of several of them. Finally, the Black Widow delivers her kiss of death to Lang at a costume ball he threw to celebrate his ill-gotten gains.

[The Poisoned Children] (Table of Contents)

Moon-Man / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Fred Guardineer

Inks:

Fred Guardineer

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Moon-Man

Synopsis:

The Moon-Man goes after a racketeer who bought tainted meat for an orphanage so he could pocket most of the money.

Indexer Notes

Only golden age appearance. Next appearance in All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes (Marvel, 2011 series) #2.

[The Story of Mark Todd] (Table of Contents)

Blazing Skull / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bob Davis [as Mister X] (signed)

Pencils:

Bob Davis [as Mister X] (signed)

Inks:

Bob Davis [as Mister X] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Blazing Skull [Mark Todd] (introduction); The Leader (clearly intended to be Adolf Hitler)

Synopsis:

Mark Todd is on a passenger liner in the Atlantic Ocean when it is attacked by a sub firing torpedoes. To the astonishment of his fellow passengers, he leaps into the water and deflects the torpedo, changing into the Blazing Skull once he is out of the ship's sight. Returning to the ship he finds a cable summoning him to Berlin. His contact in Berlin has located the enemy's secret weapon, which the Blazing Skull must destroy. He succeeds, but is captured. As the enemy's leader taunts him, Todd swears that the leader will be crushed by the ghosts of the millions of innocents he has killed. The leader orders him executed, but the Blazing Skull escapes.

Indexer Notes

Credits from Who's Who (which lists Davis as writer as well as artist) and comparison with signed work by Davis elsewhere.

Pick Your Prize (Table of Contents)

Lancaster County Seed Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Letters:

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

["This Beautiful Desk for Only $1.00"] (Table of Contents)

Remington Noiseless Deluxe Portable Typewriter / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Indexer Notes

Back cover.