Marvel Mystery Comics #16
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Mystery Comics #16 (cover-dated February 1941) is a prime example of Timely Comics' Golden Age anthology model firing on all cylinders just as World War II began shaping American popular culture. Published under editor Joe Simon while Jack Kirby was contributing interior art, the issue assembles every major early-Timely character in a single 68-page package — Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Sub-Mariner (Namor), the Vision (Aarkus), the Angel (Thomas Halloway), Terry Vance, Ka-Zar, and Electro — making it one of the most character-dense single issues of the era. Its Human Torch lead story introduces the 'Suicide Squad,' a gang of Nazi fifth columnists tasked by the NYC mayor for the Torch to dismantle, an early example of the series weaving Axis villains into street-level superhero plots well before Pearl Harbor. The issue also contains a Vision story by Jack Kirby in which Aarkus battles escaped prehistoric circus creatures, a whimsical but confident early outing for a character who would inspire Roy Thomas and John Buscema's 1968 android Vision.
In "Pinhead and His Underworld Army," Namor, Luther, and Lynne race to the French coast during World War II, uncovering a secret Nazi operation to build an underwater tunnel for an invasion of Britain. With the threat of a second tunnel linked to Japanese forces, Namor prepares to summon the Torch to counter the growing danger. Written and illustrated by Bill Everett, with a striking cover by Alex Schomburg, this 1941 issue blends wartime intrigue with early Marvel adventure.
In the shadowed streets of 1941, the Torch is called to action when the mayor reveals a growing threat: a network of fifth columnists led by a mysterious figure known only as Pinhead. With the city under siege from within, the Torch must assemble a new force—the Suicide Squad—to confront the underground army and stop the chaos before it consumes the city.
In "The Nazi Invasion Tunnel," Namor, Luther, and Lynne race to the French coast in a desperate bid to stop the Axis powers from launching a devastating underwater assault on Britain. As they uncover a vast Nazi tunnel beneath the ocean, they realize the threat is even greater—Japan has a similar tunnel, and the tide of war may hinge on a secret only Namor can expose.
In the shadowy streets of 1941, Fred Rochell’s sudden death after falling behind on gambling debts sets off a mystery that pulls in Terry, Deadline, and their crew. With clues scattered like loose change, the investigation unfolds in just seven pages of classic detective flair.
In "Showdown with Rajah Sarput," Ka-Zar and his companion Zar return to the Belgian Congo, where they discover a ruthless man decimating the jungle's wildlife. Determined to protect the wild heart of the continent, the jungle king prepares to confront the threat—no matter the cost.
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The issue was produced by Timely Comics under editor-in-chief Joe Simon, with cover art by Alex Schomburg — one of his long consecutive run of covers for the title that made him synonymous with Golden Age Timely aesthetics. Interior stories were handled by the core Timely talent pool of that moment: Carl Burgos on the Human Torch, Bill Everett writing and drawing the Sub-Mariner, Jack Kirby scripting and penciling the Vision, Ray Gill (script) and Bob Oksner (art) on Terry Vance, Paul Gustavson on the Angel, Steve Dahlman on Electro, and Ben Thompson on Ka-Zar. The issue was physically released in December 1940 despite its February 1941 cover date, a standard newsstand practice of the era. It falls at the very end of the block collected in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 4, which reprints Marvel Mystery Comics #13–16.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Timely Comics with a cover date of February 1941 (released to newsstands December 1940); edited by Joe Simon.
- Cover art by Alex Schomburg, continuing his long consecutive run of covers for the title.
- Human Torch (Jim Hammond) lead story by Carl Burgos introduces the 'Suicide Squad,' a Nazi fifth-column gang, with the NYC mayor deputizing the Torch to bring them down — an early example of Axis antagonists in a street-crime context.
- Features a Vision (Aarkus) story written and drawn by Jack Kirby in which Aarkus battles prehistoric creatures that have escaped from a traveling circus during a storm.
- Sub-Mariner story written and drawn by Bill Everett continues the ongoing Lynne Harris subplot, with Namor taking her to Aquaria.
- Terry Vance story scripted by Ray Gill with art by Bob Oksner; the Angel story by Paul Gustavson; Ka-Zar story by Ben Thompson (in which Ka-Zar and Zar are rescued from a Nazi submarine by a British warship); and Electro story by Steve Dahlman — making this one of the fullest character rosters of any issue in the series.
- Electro (Professor Philo Zog's robot) appears here as part of his unbroken run from issue #4 through #19.
- The issue's contents were reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 4 (collecting issues #13–16), and the Vision story from this issue was also reprinted in the Mystic Comics 70th Anniversary Special (2009).
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics #4 (2009), Mystic Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (2009), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett - The Pre-War Years Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Simon & Kirby Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Human Torch by Carl Burgos Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Golden Age Marvel Comics Omnibus #2 (2020)
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