(December 1941)

Marvel, 1939 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
68
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1941-10-20
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Timely Comics Inc.
Editing
Joe Simon

Issue Notes

The on-sale date is from the publication date recorded in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, 1941, New Series, Vol. 36, No. 4.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Namor the Sub-Mariner / cover / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Alex Schomburg
Inks
Alex Schomburg
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
With a tremendous leap, the Sub-Mariner tore the Nazi plane apart...
Genre
superhero
Characters
The Sub-Mariner [Prince Namor]; Human Torch [Jim Hammond] (inset); Toro [Thomas Raymond] (inset); the Nazis
Reprints
Keywords
fighter planes; Kriegsmarine; Luftwaffe; torpedoes; warships; World War II

Indexer Notes

Artist revision from Bill Everett to Schomburg by Craig Delich 2012-7-22.

Smashing Through Again! (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

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

The Parrot Strikes Back (Table of Contents: 2)

Human Torch; Toro / comic story / 15 pages (report information)

Script
Carl Burgos (signed)
Pencils
Carl Burgos (signed)
Inks
Carl Burgos (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Human Torch [Jim Hammond]; Toro [Thomas Raymond]; Mr. Mason (government research chemist); Jerry (policeman); The Parrot (villain, death); Herr Hesslous (villain); Laurie (villain)
Synopsis
The Torch accompanies the Parrot on his prison train to California in order to help a chemist who wishes to examine an inactive volcano for sulfur deposits, which are used by the government to make gunpowder, which the U.S. is sorely lacking.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The Masterworks edition lists the inker as unknown.

The Sub-Mariner Smashes a Nazi Uprising! (Table of Contents: 3)

Namor the Sub-Mariner / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Everett (signed)
Pencils
Bill Everett (signed)
Inks
Bill Everett (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Bill Everett

Genre
superhero
Characters
Sub-Mariner [Prince Namor]; Betty Dean; Lynne Harris; Luther Robinson; un-named U.S. Navy department commander; Queen Jarna (villain); the Nazis (villains, some die)
Synopsis
After his encounter with the Lavarites, Namor heads for home, but runs into Queen Jarna, who had promised to return to Venus with her people. Not wanting to be killed, she leads Namor to a Nazi undersea city from which the Nazis plan to invade America. When Namor discovers the Queen planted the city for Hitler, he is furious and decides to settle accounts with her, once and for all.
Reprints

They're at it again! (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

Human Torch / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[Seeds of Doom] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script
?
Pencils
Al Avison ?; Charles Nicholas ?
Inks
Ernie Hart ?; George Klein ?
Colors
?
Letters
Howard Ferguson

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Vision [Aarkus]; Lem Brown (neighbor of Norsen, death); Professor Rudolph Norsen (biology professor); plant monsters (villains, all die)
Synopsis
Professor Norsen examines a fallen meteor and finds alien seeds, which he plants. However, the seeds bring forth strange, ever-growing monstrous plants that devour human life and destroy towns. The Vision assists the professor when a way is found to combat these creatures.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The Masterworks edition lists writer as unknown. Previous indexer credited Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Art credits per Michael J. Vassallo via Masterworks and atlastlales.com. Title page by Al Avison & Ernie Hart, story pencils by Al Avison with Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, and story inks by George Klein. Previous indexer credited Jack Kirby and David Walters on art.

The Truth (Table of Contents: 6)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
Irv Werstein (signed as Werstein)
Letters
typeset

Genre
adventure
Characters
Bill Carter (football player at Northside High School); Mr. Fredericks (History teacher); Ned Harris (football coach); Mr. Carter (Bill's father)
Synopsis
Star Northside football half back cheats on a History exam so that he can be eligible to play against rival Eastern High the following Saturday. When game day arrives, Bill learns that his teacher KNEW he cheated, but what happens next is a surprise even to Bill.
Reprints

[The Witch Doctor's Potion] (Table of Contents: 7)

Ka-Zar the Great / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Ben Thompson ?
Pencils
Ben Thompson
Inks
Ben Thompson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
jungle
Characters
Ka-Zar [David Rand]; un-named witch doctor; Kirk Hendrick (villain, ivory hunter)
Synopsis
Ka-Zar is taken unconscious to the cave of a native in witch doctor attire and is given a potion by him, which immediately revives Ka-Zar, giving him temporary strength he never had before. He then leaves for home when he accidentally discovers the palatial mansion of a feared and hated ivory hunter, and it turns into a battle royale.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Continued next issue. ? added by Craig Delich (2012-7-22) after writers' name. The Who's Who doesn't indicate that Thompson wrote anything, merely drew his work. The Masterworks edition lists the inker as unknown.

The Mystery of the Gold Mine Skeleton (Table of Contents: 8)

Terry Vance, the School Boy Sleuth / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Ray Gill (signed)
Pencils
Bob Oksner (signed)
Inks
Bob Oksner (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
detective-mystery
Characters
Terry Vance; Deadline Dawson; Mr. Jordan (newspaper editor); Harry Hughes (death); Roy Ramsey (villain)
Synopsis
Terry and Deadline head north to explore a haunted mine and get more than they bargained for.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The Masterworks edition lists Oksner as doing the layouts for the story only, with finished penciler & inker as unknown.

The Patriot Smashes the Japanese Spy Ring (Table of Contents: 9)

The Patriot / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Ray Gill ?
Pencils
Ray Houlihan ?
Inks
Ray Houlihan ?
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Patriot [Jeffrey Mace]; Mark Casey; Mary; Lieutenant Curtis (intelligence agent); Guinaldo (villain, Filipino assassin); Suoka (villain, head of the Japanese Secret Service)
Synopsis
The Patriot is on hand when a Filipino assassin attempts to kill Lt. Curtis to prevent him from testifying before the Naval Affairs Committee on what he has learned in the Orient.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Continued next issue. The Masterworks edition lists writer as unknown, Sid Greene as penciler and the inker as unknown.

The Case of the Armless Tiger Man (Table of Contents: 10)

The Angel / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script
Paul Gustavson
Pencils
Paul Gustavson
Inks
Paul Gustavson
Colors
?
Letters
Paul Gustavson

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Angel [Tom Halloway]; Dill (defense plant worker, death); The Tiger Man [Hertz] (villain)
Synopsis
A former German worker, who had lost his arms in a machine in a factory he once worked at, is sent to America by the Nazis to destroy machines in America for the greater glory of the Reich.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The Masterworks edition lists the writer and artist[s] as unknown. To me, Craig Delich, Paul Gustavson did the pencils at least and Terry Gustafson says his father (Paul) did them and the inks as well.

Al Bellman is not indicated by the Who's Who to have worked on this feature and no extant evidence proves otherwise, so his inking credit removed.

All Gustavson credits verified and courtesy of Terry Gustafson, son of Paul Gustavson.

[The book you want!] (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Mystic Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Coming events --- (Table of Contents: 12) (Expand) /

Namor the Sub-Mariner / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. ["With a tremendous leap, the Sub-Mariner tore the Nazi plane apart..."]
    Namor the Sub-Mariner
  2. 1. Smashing Through Again!
    Captain America
  3. 2. The Parrot Strikes Back
    Human Torch; Toro
  4. 3. The Sub-Mariner Smashes a Nazi Uprising!
    Namor the Sub-Mariner
  5. 4. They're at it again!
    Human Torch
  6. 5. [Seeds of Doom]
    The Vision
  7. 6. The Truth
  8. 7. [The Witch Doctor's Potion]
    Ka-Zar the Great
  9. 8. The Mystery of the Gold Mine Skeleton
    Terry Vance, the School Boy Sleuth
  10. 9. The Patriot Smashes the Japanese Spy Ring
    The Patriot
  11. 10. The Case of the Armless Tiger Man
    The Angel
  12. 11. [The book you want!]
    Mystic Comics
  13. 12. Coming events ---
    Namor the Sub-Mariner
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Henry Andrews
  • Bill Borre
  • Ray Bottorff Jr
  • Nick Caputo
  • Steve Dasinger
  • Craig Delich
  • Del Gruber
  • Katy Hayhurst
  • Mark Q
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Richard Thomson
  • Tom Zsolt