Marvel Mystery Comics (1939-1949) #10

Marvel Mystery Comics #10

by Carl Burgos, Bill Everett, John Compton

What is the one thing needed to light a flame? Oxygen. What is the one thing Human Torch must go without in this issue? We'll let you figure that one out!

Genres: Comics, Marvel

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Max Finkelstein created Jim Hamond, the Human Torch, for Timely Comics (later evolved into the Marvel Comics) in 1939, using the pen-name Carl Burgos. He also created the Thunderer for Daring Mystery Comics. Both series were published by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel. He was drafted in 1942 and did mostly commercial art in subsequent years, occasionally drawing science fiction stories for Marvel, by that time known as Atlas. He also drew the first story featuring the Beetle (Abner Jenkins) in Strange Tales #123, starring Johnny Storm, the second Human Torch. Two years later, in Fantastic Four Annual #4, Marvel published a battle between the two Human Torches, resulting in the death of Jim Hamond. Although his daughter tried to preserve as much as possible, Burgos set fire to much of the Human Torch materials he had retained from the 1940s, considering the story an excuse to reassert trademark on a character they were not using simply to spite him.

Reviews

[Victor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ferrent is out, Terry Vance - The Schoolboy Sleuth is in and in the tradition of the animal sidekick, he brings Watson, a monkey with Sherlock's hat, as deus ex machina and comic relief. Apparently Marvel discovered and begins addressing it's target audience, kids, directly.

Nothing else of notice, except a leaning towards dark-ish in-human characters: ghouls and undeads and a close to decent short story.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Human Torch and the The Sub-Mariner!
The thrilling conclusion to the legendary battle ends with a complete stalemate of the two powerhouses. Some cops tell them to stop fighting and they... do? So they're not enemies anymore? Maybe?

The Human Torch
Following the unsatisfactory versus story, Torch gets back to his beat in New York where he's tasked with taking down a gasoline syndicate. I'm not sure I'd set someone named The Human Torch in charge of anything gasoline oriented, but I guess that's why I'm not in charge. Anyway, he saves the day and its the usual business, but when he was assigned the detail, the cop he was set to work with complained about working with a super, to which the police chief says "they're not all Sub-Mariners" , which I thought was a fun bit of world building after the versus. Also, Torch, I'm sure people will assume a sky-fire message is yours without having the sign it in flame, too.

The Sub-Mariner
After being told by his American ex-girlfriend (ex because she sucks) to give up the fight against Torch, he runs away to the Antarctic to heal after the fight, Torch's flames burned off his foot wings, so he can't fly. On the way there, an American decides that he hates Namor and follows him with a hired navy crew to the Arctic in the hopes of killing Namor. Namor actually handily gets his ass kicked, now a new battle starts between Namor and literally a single American.

The Angel
I think I've said it before, but if The Angel is going to tackle more paranormal threats I am 100% down. In this story, The Angel is presumably still following the girl he's obsessed with, but a bunch of creepy ghouls are roaming the countryside stealing women and snatch the wrong girl, bringing the ire of the Angel on them. This is interesting though, since he did save the girls with the help of townsfolk, however during his escape the Angel falls to the bottom of the volcano cave the ghouls were keeping the gals in and has come head to head with monsters. For the first time I'm excited for the next Angel story!

Electro: The Marvel of the Age
After returning from planet Ligra, Dr. Zog and Electro return to the States for more protecting. At the same time, a psychotic ex-brain surgeon has finished his formula for artificial blood, creating a race of ghouls to collect more corpses to create ghoul armies and take over the world. Electro almost didn't win, but don't worry because he did. Weird we got ghouls back to back, but I ain't complainin'!

The Masked Raider
In this story the Masked Raider comes across a dieing taxman, who relays to him that his murderer is stealing his identity and the taxes of the folks of Two Forks. Raider goes to put an end to it, but the murderer blames him for it! Oh no! Then the Raider, who's assumed to be a murderer, also kidnaps the sheriffs daughter to force him into a plan to capture said murderer. Aaand it works! Also bonus story points for Lightning being useful again

Terry Vance: The School Boy Sleuth
I guess Marvel decided nobody liked Ferret Mystery Detective, so they decided just to tell the same story again, except this time we have Terry Vance, boy of a hundred hobbies (they won't let you forget that) and his pal monkey Mr. Watson. This first issue was fine, kind of just a kid-Sherlock Holmes deal, I wasn't terribly impressed although it was a kind of fun little mystery. And I love animal pals.

Adventures of Ka-Zar the Great
Imagine if Ka-Zar while fighting 'London' Jack in the plane, just horribly crashed it, killing both of them and ending this comic run. Because that's what probably should have happened. Not to say the plane fight wasn't somewhat thrilling it's just, I don't think flying planes works like riding a bike, especially if the last time you were in a plane you were a literal baby. Anyway, good stuff. Ka-Zar is at his best when there aren't native tribes to be awful to and about lol

[Simon Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely lame. Out of all the issues yet, this issue continuously disappoints throughout its substories.

The climatic confrontation of The Human Torch and Submariner ends like a bitter handshake.

There’s illogical and dullness filling this issue.

The front page says the Submariner combats the nazis and they do look like sinister nazis on the front page but then in his branch of his story, there’s no mention of nazis and they are portrayed as good guys looking to subdue the escaped Submariner.

Ghouls that are perishable as flies. Risen corpses that behave like brainwashed humans. It’s just silly.

I’m waiting patiently for the first issue where there isn’t a robbery or a damsel in distress.

[Britt Halliburton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The villains take cues from every plot of The Masked Raider in our Human Torch story, wherein they try to take over a business. However, it’s much better written and Torch is great. By contrast, Raider’s stories are becoming indistinguishable and every issue the characters look the same. Namor has another great story with a new adversary, who owns a super tech boat. Angel now has underground ghoul people, and Electro has zombie ghoul people. Ferret is gone, thankfully, but is replaced with equally uninteresting boy detective. Ka-Zak was okay, I like the premise, but the execution felt rushed. This would have made an excellent two parter, though Ka-Zar hating criminals makes no sense.

[Dylan Torres · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first crossover in Marvel ends in a draw, it’s completely lame but I understand they just wanted to get back to their individual plot lines. I don’t love that Burgos made Torch a police officer but it does help establish why he’s always there when a crime happens, Namors story is coming along pretty nicely and has been the most coherent of this era. Angel and Electro were both basic but had enough supernatural atmosphere to keep me reading. Masked Raider is only a few issues from disappearing and he won’t be missed.

[Hafeez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This issue consists of:
1. The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner: The Result of the Famous Battle in Comic Magazine
2. The Gasoline Profiteering Racket (The Human Torch)
3. Hostilities Renewed (The Sub-Mariner)
4. The Ghouls of the Blue Ridge Mountains (The Angel)
5. Master of the Living Dead (Electro)
6. Tiger Trail (short story)
7. Treachery in Two Forks (The Masked Raider)
8. The Murder of a Man Without a Will (Terry Vance)
9. A Visit From Scotland Yard (Ka-Zar)
10. Our Hall of Shame

[cowboylikejoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5🌟

So... the battle between the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch ended quite bizzarely. The Angel is, as usual, a magnet to pretty blonde women. Ka-Zar only works once a human plane arrives out of nowhere for whatever cause. I quite liked Terry Vance's childlike murder mystery. Nevertheless, I guess it's time I part my ways with Marvel Comics — at least for now — and probably try some other classics.

[Alexis Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t very good human torch was the best story out of the comic though

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pretty good Marvel series, mostly just love and enjoy the Human torch and Kazar comics😄😻👍