(September 1963)

Marvel, 1952 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.12 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1963-07-02
Publisher's Age Guidelines
Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Atlas Magazines Inc.
Brand
Marvel Comics Group [under character box]
Editing
Stan Lee (editor)

Issue Notes

The on-sale date is the publication date reported in U. S. Copyright Office filings.

Distributed to newsstands in July 1963. This issue includes 10 pages of paid advertisements.

Distribution date from Joseph Marek's Marvel Comics Group history website.
This issue has variants:
Parts of this issue are reprinted:

Merlin the Mad! (Table of Contents)

Thor / cover / 1 page (report information)

Script
Stan Lee
Pencils
Jack Kirby
Inks
Sol Brodsky
Colors
Stan Goldberg
Letters
Artie Simek
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Behold, Thor... your power is nothing compared to the mystic arts at my command!
Genre
superhero; fantasy-supernatural
Characters
Thor [Doctor Donald Blake]; Merlin [Maha Yogi]
Reprints
Keywords
Capitol Building

Indexer Notes

Brodsky cover inks credit from Nick Caputo via the GCD Errors list, January 2009. Original indexer credited Dick Ayers.

Cover Thumbnail for Journey into Mystery (Marvel, 1952 series) #96 Cover Thumbnail for Journey into Mystery (1952 series) #96 [British]
Edit cover
Cover gallery

Boys! Men! My Secret New Dynaflex Method (Table of Contents: 1)

Mike Marvel Scientific Isometric Dynaflex System / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photograph)
Inks
?; ? (photograph)
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
Characters
Mike Marvel (photo)

Indexer Notes

Ad for Dynaflex body-building course for $1.98 inside front cover.

Defying the Magic of... Mad Merlin! (Table of Contents: 2)

Thor / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Stan Lee (credited) (plot); Robert Bernstein (credited as R. Berns) (script)
Pencils
Joe Sinnott (credited)
Inks
Joe Sinnott (credited)
Colors
Stan Goldberg ?
Letters
Artie Simek (credited as Art Simek)
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Hey, professor!
Genre
superhero; fantasy-supernatural
Characters
Thor [Doctor Donald Blake]; Merlin [Maha Yogi] (introduction); Jane Foster; Loki (cameo); President John F. Kennedy (cameo); Caroline Kennedy (cameo); Pierre Salinger (cameo); King Arthur (cameo, flashback)
Synopsis
Merlin is awakened after a thousand years and immediately decides to try and take over the world. He battles Thor using familiar Washington D.C. monuments. Thor defeats Merlin and forces him to return to sleep.
Reprints
Keywords
Washington D.C.

Indexer Notes

This 'Merlin' was revealed to be an imposter in Avengers Annual #22. In most of his appearances he calls himself 'Maha Yogi'. He has been said to be a mutant, but this is also false.

The Traveler (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Letters
typeset
Job Number
[J-865]
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Bill Swift hated his set, daily routine.
Genre
science fiction
Characters
Bill Swift; Mr. Allen
Synopsis
A bored man working on an assembly line is taken to outer space in his dreams, and is given an idea for an otherworldly invention.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Between pages 5 and 6 of previous story sequence. Continues in next issue.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Centre Coin's Album or Catalog / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photograph)
Inks
?; ? (photograph)
Letters
?
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Free with any purchase

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Centre Coin Company’s Lincoln Penny Album.
On top half of page between “The Traveler” prose story and page 6 of the Thor comic story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

Honor House Products / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photographs)
Inks
?; ? (photographs)
Colors
? (background and lettering only)
Letters
?; typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Record your voice at home

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Honor House Products Corporation’s recording equipment.
On lower half of page between “The Traveler” prose story and page 6 of the Thor comic story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

Littleton Coins / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
? (photographs)
Inks
? (photographs)
Colors
? (background and lettering only)
Letters
?; typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Curious coins! Odd paper money!

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Littleton Coin Company’s packet of coins and money.
On top half of page between pages 10 and 11 of the Thor comic story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

Sea-Monkeys / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Instant live sea animals

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Bargain Company's exotic Saskatchewan Brine Shrimp (Sea-Monkeys).
On lower half of page between pages 10 and 11 of the Thor comic story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

King-Size Latex Toys / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photographs)
Inks
?; ? (photographs)
Letters
?; typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
America's most lovable characters from ...Walt Disney's wonderful world
Characters
Mickey Mouse; Jiminy Cricket; Dopey; Cinderella; Donald Duck; Sleeping Beauty; Peter Pan; Davy Crockett; Pinocchio: Zorrro

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Mother Hubbard's king-size latex toys.
On top half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9)

Best Values Coins and Currency / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
? (photograph)
Inks
? (photograph)
Colors
? (background color and lettering)
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Reward $11,750.00 for this coin!

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Best Values Company's 1963 catalog.
On lower half of page.

Call Her...Medusa! (Table of Contents: 10)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Stan Lee (plot); Larry Lieber (script)
Pencils
Larry Lieber
Inks
Paul Reinman
Colors
Stan Goldberg ?
Letters
Artie Simek
Job Number
X-385
First Line of Dialogue or Text
You who are mortal, beware!
Genre
science fiction
Characters
John
Synopsis
The gorgons of myth were aliens and send an agent to modern Earth preceding an invasion. She cannot turn the first men she encounters to stone, but since she doesn't know that they're blind the invasion is cancelled.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Job number revealed on original art. Info per Nick Caputo: http://www.artnet.com/artists/larry-lieber/larry-lieber-and-paul-reinman-j…

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

Grog Dinosaur / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
?; typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Grog grows own tail

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for Western World Products product.
On top half of page.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
? (photographs)
Inks
? (photographs)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Boys 12 or older make $1 to $5 weekly in your spare time

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for GRIT Publishing Company's bundle of papers, selling help and prize offers.
On lower half of page.

Marvel Comics Group Ushers in the Marvel Age of Comics! (Table of Contents: 13)

Fantastic Four; Human Torch; Spider-Man; X-Men; Strange Tales / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script
Stan Lee
Pencils
Jack Kirby
Inks
Dick Ayers; Sol Brodsky ?
Colors
Stan Goldberg ?
Letters
Artie Simek; Sam Rosen; ?
Genre
superhero
Characters
Spider-Man; Human Torch [Johnny Storm]; Sub-Mariner [Namor]; Mr. Fantastic; Invisible Girl; Thing [Ben Grimm]; Dr. Doom
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Advertises the Fantastic Four Annual (Marvel, 1963 series) #1 (1963); Strange Tales Annual (Marvel, 1962 series) #2 (1963)[unpublished version with word balloons and backgrounds] and a blurb and logo announcing the X-Men (Marvel, 1963 series).

[Stamps; Shop by Mail] (Table of Contents: 14)

advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photograph)
Inks
?; ? (photograph)
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Stamp collecting outfit

Indexer Notes

Ad for stamps and other products.

Frederick Fenton's Future! (Table of Contents: 15)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script
Stan Lee
Pencils
Steve Ditko
Inks
Steve Ditko
Colors
Stan Goldberg ?
Letters
Artie Simek
Job Number
X-386
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Frederick Fenton had one burning ambition--to visit the future!
Genre
science fiction
Characters
Frederick Fenton
Synopsis
An arrogant rich man builds a time machine in order gain the secret to eternal life from the future. When he arrives he finds that the Earth that humanity has gone to a paradise planet, and his time machine will not take him back.
Reprints
Keywords
time travel

Indexer Notes

This is a retelling of "The Man in the Iron Box" drawn by Carl Burgos in Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #69 (June 1959); the earlier story uses suspended animation to achieve the same effect. Job number from Tom Lammers and Ger Apeldoorn via the Atlas/Timely discussion group.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16)

Guide to Hypnotism / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?; ? (photograph)
Inks
?; ? (photograph)
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Give me just one evening and I'll teach you to hypnotize easily!

Indexer Notes

Ad for hypnotism lessons.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 17)

Commercial Trades Institute / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Amazing new home training plan in auto repairing

Indexer Notes

Ad for a home study course teaching auto mechanics.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 18)

100 Toy Soldiers / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
? (photograph)
Inks
? (photograph)
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
100 toy soldiers

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover. Ad for toy soldiers, vehicles, vessels and planes.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 19)

Wallace Brown Greeting Cards / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
? (ad copy)
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Boys, girls, men, women

Indexer Notes

Back cover. Ad for the Wallace Brown line of Christmas cards.

Editing
Issue at my.comics.org
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. Merlin the Mad!
    Thor
  2. 1. Boys! Men! My Secret New Dynaflex Method
    Mike Marvel Scientific Isometric Dynaflex System
  3. 2. Defying the Magic of... Mad Merlin!
    Thor
  4. 3. The Traveler
  5. 4. ["Free with any purchase"]
    Centre Coin's Album or Catalog
  6. 5. ["Record your voice at home"]
    Honor House Products
  7. 6. ["Curious coins! Odd paper money!"]
    Littleton Coins
  8. 7. ["Instant live sea animals"]
    Sea-Monkeys
  9. 8. ["America's most lovable characters from ...Walt Disney's wonderful world"]
    King-Size Latex Toys
  10. 9. ["Reward $11,750.00 for this coin!"]
    Best Values Coins and Currency
  11. 10. Call Her...Medusa!
  12. 11. ["Grog grows own tail"]
    Grog Dinosaur
  13. 12. ["Boys 12 or older make $1 to $5 weekly in your spare time"]
    Grit Newspaper
  14. 13. Marvel Comics Group Ushers in the Marvel Age of Comics!
    Fantastic Four; Human Torch; Spider-Man; X-Men; Strange Tales
  15. 14. [Stamps; Shop by Mail]
  16. 15. Frederick Fenton's Future!
  17. 16. ["Give me just one evening and I'll teach you to hypnotize easily!"]
    Guide to Hypnotism
  18. 17. ["Amazing new home training plan in auto repairing"]
    Commercial Trades Institute
  19. 18. ["100 toy soldiers"]
    100 Toy Soldiers
  20. 19. ["Boys, girls, men, women"]
    Wallace Brown Greeting Cards
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Bill Borre
  • David Bruce
  • Nick Caputo
  • Steve Coates
  • Steve Dasinger
  • Pierre Freyssonnet
  • Del Gruber
  • Matthew Head
  • Ethan Hoddes
  • Hunter Johnson
  • Kelly Langston-Smith
  • R. S. Martin
  • Darrel McCann
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • Mark Q
  • Jim Van Dore
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