Journey into Mystery #93
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJourney into Mystery #93 is the first appearance and origin of Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man — a villain who would become a founding member of the original Masters of Evil and a recurring Avengers antagonist across six decades of Marvel continuity. The issue is a vivid time capsule of Cold War-era Marvel storytelling, rooting Thor directly in the geopolitics of the 1962 Sino-Indian War and reflecting the period's deep public anxiety about atomic power and nuclear conflict. It also contains a rare Silver Age moment in which Thor summons lightning bolts independently of Mjolnir, a detail that would be quietly set aside in later characterization. As one of the earliest Thor villain debuts, it helped establish the template — origin-driven, ideologically charged, threat escalating from a foreign state — that shaped the book's adversary roster through the mid-1960s.
In Journey into Mystery #93, Dr. Blake—on a medical mission in India—unexpectedly becomes Thor when a mysterious force empowers him to defend against a Chinese invasion. When a desperate Chinese scientist irradiates himself to challenge the god of thunder, he unleashes a terrifying new threat in New York. Written by Stan Lee and R. Berns, with dynamic art by Jack Kirby and inks by Dick Ayers, this gripping tale blends sci-fi suspense with mythic stakes. The cover, penciled by Kirby and inked by Ayers, captures the explosive clash of worlds.
In a 1963 tale from *Journey into Mystery* #93, Dr. Blake—on a medical mission in India—unexpectedly becomes Thor when a mysterious force awakens his latent power. When a Chinese scientist, driven by desperation and ambition, irradiates himself to challenge the god of thunder, the two clash in a battle that erupts in New York. The story unfolds with a mix of Cold War tension and mythic stakes, as the clash of science and legend sends shockwaves across continents.
In "The Man Who Wouldn't Die!" from Journey into Mystery #93 (1963), a selfish billionaire's attempt to secure his survival in a deep underground fallout shelter takes a terrifying turn when he stumbles upon a hidden colony of primitive humans—only to find himself trapped when the tunnel collapses. The story unfolds with tense isolation and primal danger, as the man confronts the consequences of his arrogance in a world he never expected to find.
Jo, a quiet man with a nervous demeanor, insists he saw a strange craft land in the woods—only to be dismissed as delusional by the local police. Unbeknownst to them, Jo is actually a Martian spy, quietly observing Earth to ensure the safety of his kind’s arrival.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 21 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 7.5 ▾ $500–$1,000 2 listings
CGC 7 ▾ $725–$1,000 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $29.99–$319 8 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Robert Bernstein under his Marvel pen name 'R. Berns,' penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers — part of the tight Lee-Kirby-Bernstein collaboration that produced many of the earliest Thor and Iron Man stories during this phase of the Silver Age. Bernstein, a veteran of EC Comics and DC who went largely uncredited during his Marvel tenure, used the pseudonym 'R. Berns' for all his work at the company; modern reprints have belatedly restored his full name to the credits. The story went on sale April 2, 1963, with a June 1963 cover date, meaning Lee and Kirby were drawing on the Sino-Indian War — which had concluded barely five months earlier — as essentially breaking news, tying Marvel's mythology to headlines in a way that was characteristic of the early shared universe.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and full origin of Radioactive Man (Chen Lu), a Chinese nuclear physicist who deliberately irradiates himself to gain power; cover-dated June 1963, on sale April 2, 1963.
- Created by Stan Lee (plot), Robert Bernstein as 'R. Berns' (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), and Dick Ayers (inks).
- The story is set against the backdrop of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, making it one of the most geopolitically specific early Marvel Thor tales.
- Chairman Mao Zedong appears in cameo — cited by the Grand Comics Database as the first appearance of a real-world figure of his stature in the Thor title.
- Radioactive Man's debut power set — which includes the ability to deflect Mjolnir with his radioactive aura and to hypnotize Thor via radiated light — differs significantly from his later standardized abilities; the hypnosis power is effectively dropped in subsequent appearances.
- The issue features a rare instance of Thor generating lightning bolts without contact with his hammer, a power that would rarely be depicted again.
- The story was reprinted in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965) and has since been collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1, Essential Thor Vol. 1, The Mighty Thor Omnibus Vol. 1, Thor Epic Collection Vol. 1, and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 1, among other editions; it was also retold and expanded in Thor: First Thunder #4 (2010).
- Radioactive Man went on to become a founding member of Baron Zemo's original Masters of Evil, first assembled in Avengers #6 (1964), cementing this issue's importance to Avengers villain history.
Cast · 4 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Strange Tales #51 (1956)
Reprinted in Creepy Worlds #35 (1964), Sinister Tales #20 (1965), Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965), Amazing Stories of Suspense #41 (1966), Fantastic! #14 (1967), Álbum Gigante [O Poderoso Thor] #7 (1968), Capitão Z (3ª Série) #10 (1968), Il Mitico Thor #4 (1971), Eclipso #29 (1973), Spider-Man Comics Weekly #11 (1973), Astounding Stories #108 (1974), The Mighty Thor #4 (1978), Star Wars Weekly #114 (1980), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #9 (1986), Marvel Masterworks #18 (1991), Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor #[1] (1999), Essential Thor #1 (2001), Biblioteca Marvel: Thor #3 (2001), Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor #1 (2003), The Mighty Thor Omnibus #1 (2010), Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor #1 (2010), Thor : L'intégrale #1962-1963 (2012), Marvel Famous Firsts: 75th Anniversary Masterworks Slipcase Set #9 (2014), Thor Epic Collection #1 (2014) + 7 more
Key issues in Journey into Mystery
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.