Mystic Comics #5

(March 1941)

Captain America (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

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

[The Origin of the Black Marvel] (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Al Gabriele

Inks

Al Gabriele

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Black Marvel [Dan Lyons] (introduction, origin); Chief Man-To (introduction, death); Running Elk; 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

• 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: 3)

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

Script

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Pencils

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Inks

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

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.

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

[The Discovery in the Volcano] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Harold DeLay

Inks

Harold DeLay

Colors

?

Letters

?

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: 5)

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

Script

Phil Sturm (signed)

Pencils

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

Inks

George Klein ? (see notes)

Colors

?

Letters

?

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: 6)

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

Script

Ray Gill (credited)

Pencils

Pete Alvarado (signed as PA)

Inks

Pete Alvarado (signed as PA)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

western-frontier; superhero

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: 7)

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

Script

George Kapitan (signed as Kapitan)

Pencils

Harry Sahle (signed as Sahle)

Inks

Harry Sahle (signed as Sahle)

Colors

?

Letters

?

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: 8)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Fred Guardineer

Inks

Fred Guardineer

Colors

?

Letters

?

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.
Plot and some dialogue/layouts lifted from the Face story in Big Shot Comics (Columbia, 1940 series) #1 (May 1940).

[The Story of Mark Todd] (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script

Bob Davis (signed as Mister X)

Pencils

Bob Davis (signed as Mister X)

Inks

Bob Davis (signed as Mister X)

Colors

?

Letters

?

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. The Skull destroys the weapon but is captured. The leader orders him executed, but the Blazing Skull escapes.

Indexer Notes

Credits suggested by Who's Who and comparison with signed work by Davis elsewhere.

Pick Your Prize (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

Lancaster County Seeds / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Remington Typewriters / advertisement / 1 page (report information)