Mystic Comics

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For the CrossGen comic book, see Mystic (comics).

Mystic Comics is the name of three

Golden Age of comic books.[1] The third, simply titled Mystic, was a horror fiction-suspense anthology from Marvel's 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics
.

Mystic Comics (Timely)

Mystic Comics
Destroyer, Angel, Young Allies, Human Torch, Tommy Tyme
Creative team
Written byvarious
Artist(s)various
Editor(s)(Vol. 1) Martin Goodman, Joe Simon, Stan Lee
(Vol. 2) Vincent Fago

Volume 1

The first two series titled Mystic came during the 1940s

Funnies, Inc., or Harry "A" Chesler studios.[2] Editor Joe Simon relaunched the series after a seven-month gap, with future Marvel chief Stan Lee taking over with issue #8 or #9 after Simon left the company. It ran 10 issues (March 1940 – Aug. 1942).[3]

A superhero anthology with no regular starring feature, Mystic Comics introduced at least three notable characters: the

Destroyer (issue #6, Oct. 1941),[6] noted by comics historian and former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas as "Stan's most popular superhero creation before the Fantastic Four".[7] The Destroyer was cover-featured for the last half of the run. The Black Widow is comic books' first super-powered, costumed female character[citation needed
]; She appeared in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940) and #5 (Mar. 1941), as well as #7 (Dec. 1941). An antihero who killed evildoers to deliver their souls to Satan, her master, she is unrelated to Marvel Comics' later superspy character, Black Widow.

Additional superheroes introduced in this initial series include the

Terror (#5-10) by writer Phil Sturm and penciler Syd Shores.[10] The non-superhero trio of detectives the 3X's [sic] (issue #1) comprised Timely's first team feature.[3]

Volume 2

Timely's second series titled Mystic Comics was a shorter-lived superhero anthology that ran four issues (Oct. 1944 – March 1945). This later revival was edited by

military duty in early 1942. Paul Gustavson's costumed detective the Angel was cover-featured for the first three, with one or two stories in each, and the Young Allies on issue #4. Timely star the Human Torch appeared in the first two issues, and time traveler Tommy Tyme in the first three. The Destroyer was the only character with a story every issue.[11]

Other

A

Sub-Mariner, Human Torch and Vision stories from Marvel Mystery Comics #12 and 14.[12]

Complete list of features

  • Flexo the Rubber-Man #1-4 (March 1940-August 1940)
  • The Blue Blaze #1-4 (March 1940-August 1940)
  • Zephyr Jones and His Rocket Ship #1 (March 1940)
  • The 3 X’s #1 (March 1940)
  • Dakor the Magician #1-3 (March 1940-June 1940)
  • The Dynamic Man #1-4 (March 1940-August 1940)
  • The Master Mind Excello #2-3 (April 1940-June 1940)
  • Space Rangers #2-3 (April 1940-June 1940)
  • Taxi Taylor and His Flying Machine #2 (April 1940)
  • The Invisible Man Known as Dr. Gade #2-4 (April 1940-August 1940)
  • Zara of the Jungle #2-3 (April 1940-June 1940)
  • Hercules David #3-4 (June 1940-August 1940)
  • Thin Man #4 (August 1940)
  • The Black Widow #4, 5, 7 (August 1940, March 1941, December 1941)
  • Merzah the Mystic #4 (August 1940)
  • The Black Marvel #5-10 (March 1941-August 1942)
  • The Blazing Skull #5-9 (March 1941-May 1942)
  • The Destroyer #6-9; vol. 2 1-4 (October 1941-May 1942; October 1944-March 1945)
  • The Challenger #6-10 (October 1941-August 1942)
  • The Witness #7-9 (December 1941-May 1942)
  • Davey Drew #7-10 (December 1941-August 1942)
  • Dr. Robert Fields #8 (March 1942)
  • Gary Gaunt #9 (May 1942)
  • Inky Dinky #10 (August 1942)
  • Father Time #10 (August 1942)
  • Billy #10 (August 1942)
  • Red Skeleton #10 (August 1942)
  • The Angel, vol. 2, #1-3 (October 1944-Winter 1944)
  • The Human Torch, vol. 2, #1-2 (October 1944-Fall 1944)
  • Tommy Tyme, vol. 2, #1-3 (October 1944-Winter 1944)
  • Terry Vance, vol. 2, #1-2 (October 1944-Fall 1994)
  • The Young Allies, vol. 2, #4 (March 1945)
  • Detective Mike Trapp, vol. 2, #4 (March 1945)

Mystic (Atlas Comics)

Mystic
Publication information
PublisherAtlas Comics
Schedulemonthly
FormatSeries
Genrehorror-suspense
Publication dateMarch 1951 – Aug. 1957
No. of issues61
Creative team
Written byvarious
Artist(s)various
Editor(s)Stan Lee

Titled simply Mystic and published by Marvel's 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics, this was a 61-issue horror-suspense anthology (March 1951-Aug. 1957).

Mystic debuted shortly before Atlas' Strange Tales, increasing the company's science fiction/fantasy/horror line from four titles to six. Begun prior to the creation of the comic-book industry's self-censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, Mystic softened its horror when it went under the auspices of the Comics Code beginning with issue #37 (May 1955). The series' contributors included artists Bill Everett and John Severin.[13]

Mystic ran until the collapse of American News Company, Atlas' distributor, which forced Atlas to undergo drastic restructuring and the cancellation of most of its titles.[14]

Collected editions

  • Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Mystic Comics Volume 1 (Mystic Comics #1-4) Will Murray's introduction hypes how much better the content of the second volume would be, but it was never published.

References

  1. ISBN 0-87833-808-X
    . Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. ^ Murray, Will (2011). Cory Sedlmeier (ed.). Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Mystic Comics, Vol. 1 (Introduction). New York: Marvel Worldwide, Inc. pp. vi–xi.
  3. ^ a b Mystic Comics, Marvel, 1940 series at the Grand Comics Database
  4. ^ Blazing Skull at International Heroes
  5. ^ Blazing Skull (Mark Todd) at Marvel Universe, Marvel.com
  6. ^ The Heroes of Timely Comics: The Destroyer
  7. ISBN 0-7851-0564-6
    ) Introduction, p. 3
  8. ^ "The Origin of the Blue Blaze", "Mystic Comics" #1 at the Grand Comics Database
  9. ^ "The Origin of the Black Marvel", "Mystic Comics" #5 at the Grand Comics Database
  10. ISBN 0-87833-808-X
    . Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ Mystic Comics, Marvel, 1944 series at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ^ Mystic Comics 70th Anniversary Special at the Grand Comics Database
  13. ^ Mystic, Marvel, 1951 series at the Grand Comics Database
  14. ^ "Stan the Man & Roy the Boy: A Conversation Between Stan Lee and Roy Thomas", Comic Book Artist (2). Summer 1998. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009.

External links

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