All Select Comics #7
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAll Select Comics #7 is a notable late-Golden Age Timely Comics anthology that introduces — within a single Captain America story titled 'Masters of Evil' — a colorful ensemble of supernatural and historically named villains assembled by a sorcerer named Terdu, making this the first-ever use of a 'Masters of Evil' team concept in the Marvel/Timely universe, predating the far more famous Baron Zemo-led incarnation of the 1960s by nearly two decades. The story's premise — a cauldron-conjuring wizard pulling ghostly criminals from across history, including Captain Kidd, Bluebeard, Jack the Ripper, and Jesse and Frank James, to destroy Captain America — is a striking early example of Timely blending supernatural horror with superhero action at the tail end of World War II. The issue also reflects the transitional moment when Timely's wartime anthology format was beginning to strain under shifting postwar tastes, making it a small but telling document of the Golden Age in its final, inventive throes.
In "Masters of Evil," Cap and Bucky take on Terrible Tom Garrett’s gang, only to see the gangster flee into the woods and seek help from the sorcerer Terdu. With Terdu’s dark magic, the villain summons legendary criminals like Jack the Ripper and Captain Kidd from the past to oppose the heroes, using their infamous weapons to turn the tide. The story unfolds with a mix of pulp adventure and supernatural flair, as Cap and Bucky face off against history’s most notorious outlaws—each a ghost of the past, now brought to life. Art by Vince Alascia and Al Bellman brings the eerie, action-packed sequences to life, while Alex Schomburg’s cover captures the chilling essence of the sorcerer’s lair.
In "Masters of Evil," gangster Terrible Tom Garrett, fleeing Cap and Bucky, stumbles upon the eerie lair of sorcerer Terdu, who conjures legendary villains like Jack the Ripper and Captain Kidd to aid him in defeating the patriotic heroes. With the past's most infamous criminals unleashed, Cap and Bucky face a terrifying challenge—only to ultimately outwit Terdu and send his summoned rogues back to their time.
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The issue was published by Timely Comics with a cover date of March 1945, though the indicia carried a mistaken 'Spring 1944' date; the actual on-sale date has been confirmed through the Catalog of Copyright Entries as falling in late 1944/early 1945. Stan Lee served as editor-in-chief of the series, while interior art on the lead Captain America story was handled by penciler Vince Alascia and inker Allen Bellman — a standard Timely bullpen pairing of the era — with cover art supplied by Alex Schomburg, who produced virtually every cover across the run of All Select Comics. The issue was reduced to 36 pages from the earlier 52-page count, consistent with wartime paper-and-labor shortages affecting Timely's output at that time.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Timely Comics (Marvel's Golden Age predecessor), with a cover date of March 1945 and an actual on-sale date in late 1944/early 1945 per U.S. copyright records; the indicia mistakenly printed 'Spring 1944.'
- Contains the first appearance of a 'Masters of Evil' villain group in Marvel/Timely history — a supernatural assemblage conjured by the sorcerer Terdu to destroy Captain America and Bucky, decades before Baron Zemo's better-known team of the same name.
- First and only appearances of Terdu (a sorcerer-villain who dies in-issue), 'Terrible Tom' Garrett, and Gyp-the-Blood within the Marvel/Timely universe.
- First appearances within the Marvel/Timely universe of historicized villain figures Captain Kidd, Bluebeard, Jack the Ripper (given the identity of one Tom Malverne), Jesse James, and Frank James — all conjured as ghosts by Terdu's magic cauldron.
- Lead Captain America story ('Masters of Evil') was penciled by Vince Alascia and inked by Allen Bellman; the issue's cover was the work of Alex Schomburg, who drew nearly all covers for the All Select Comics run.
- The issue also features standalone anthology stories starring the original Human Torch (pencils/inks by Al Bellman) and the Whizzer ('The Discs of Death'), reflecting the series' omnibus superhero format.
- Stan Lee is credited as editor-in-chief on the issue per the Marvel Database, consistent with his editorial role at Timely during this period.
- The cover of All Select Comics #7 was later reprinted in the Fantagraphics anthology 'Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War' (2017), attesting to its recognition as a document of wartime comics culture.
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Reprinted in Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017)
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