Marvel Mystery Comics #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Mystery Comics #4 (cover-dated February 1940) is one of the most event-dense single issues in Timely Comics' formative run. It marks the first time the android Human Torch adopts the civilian alias Jim Hammond — the name that would follow the character through decades of Marvel continuity — while the cover, painted by Alex Schomburg, gives Prince Namor his first-ever cover appearance and simultaneously places a Nazi swastika flag on a comic book cover for the first time, a pointed anti-fascist statement issued months before U.S. entry into World War II. The issue also introduced two brand-new features — the robot hero Electro, the Marvel of the Age and the hardboiled detective the Ferret — expanding Timely's roster at a moment when the publisher was still figuring out what a superhero universe could be. Taken together, these firsts make the issue a structural pivot in early Marvel history: it deepened the identities of the two headline characters while adding the kind of genre variety that would sustain the anthology format for nearly a decade.
In "New York Hit by Green Flame," Ka-Zar confronts De Kraft in the Belgian Congo, where the villain's past crimes come roaring back as the jungle itself seems to turn against him. Written and drawn by Ben Thompson, this 1940 issue delivers a tense, atmospheric clash of vengeance and survival, with Alex Schomburg's striking cover capturing the moment’s primal dread.
In "New York Hit by Green Flame," Torch faces a chilling threat as the mysterious Dr. Manyac unleashes green flames across the city, demanding a ransom to prevent further destruction. With the streets ablaze and panic rising, Torch must race against time to stop the mad scientist’s plan—before the flames consume everything.
In "Butch the Giant," the Angel confronts a monstrous threat in the treacherous Devil's Playground, a lawless realm teeming with danger. Armed with courage and resolve, he faces the giant whose cruelty threatens to consume the world beyond.
When Nazi submarines disrupt oceanic travel and commerce, Betty turns to the Sub-Mariner, enlisting his underwater fleet and aerial subs to protect the seas—a high-stakes mission where the depths themselves become a battleground.
In "The Claim Jumpers," two prospectors find a fortune in gold on their land, only to face danger from local crooks eager to steal their discovery. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, this 1940 western tale captures the tension of the frontier, where trust is scarce and every shadow could hide a threat.
In this 1940 tale from *Marvel Mystery Comics* #4, Professor Zog unleashes his brilliant, sentient robot Electro with a noble mission: to rescue a kidnapped child actress and help rid the world of crime. With a mind far beyond human reach and a purpose forged in hope, Electro takes on his first test of justice in a world still learning what it means to be protected.
In "Quest for a Crime Boss," our hero finds himself caught in a dangerous game when a criminal underworld, furious over his "crime doesn't pay" articles, escalates to robbery and murder in pursuit of precious jewels. With the city on edge and the trail leading through shadowy alleys and hidden lairs, he must track down the mastermind behind the spree before the next victim falls.
In "Fourth Episode [Return of the Oman]," Ka-Zar confronts De Kraft in the heart of the Belgian Congo, where the villain's past crimes come roaring back. With the jungle’s people torn between fear and loyalty, Ka-Zar must face the man who destroyed his family—before De Kraft’s deadly schemes claim more lives.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 19 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.5–$3,450 4 listings
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
Published by Timely Comics (the forerunner of Marvel) and on sale around January 31, 1940, the issue carried interior art and scripts by the characters' original creators: Carl Burgos on the Human Torch, Bill Everett on Sub-Mariner, and Paul Gustavson on the Angel, with Steve Dahlman — credited under the pen name 'Dahl' — both writing and drawing the debut Electro installment, and writer Stockbridge Winslow and artist Irwin Hasen launching the Ferret. The cover was produced by Alex Schomburg, who had only begun working for Timely the previous month with Marvel Mystery Comics #3, and who would go on to define the visual identity of Timely's covers through the mid-1940s. Notably, the issue carried no indicia — an irregularity it shared with the other Timely release that same month, Daring Mystery Comics #2 — leaving its publication details partly reconstructed by later historians.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First time the Human Torch uses the civilian alias Jim Hammond (spelled 'Hamond' in the original printing), a name that persisted in Marvel continuity through the modern era.
- First cover appearance of Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, depicted on an Alex Schomburg bondage cover also notable as the first comic book cover to display a Nazi flag.
- First appearance of Electro, the Marvel of the Age — a remote-controlled robot created by Professor Philo Zog — who went on to appear in every issue of Marvel Mystery Comics from #4 through #19, and was later revived in the 2008 miniseries The Twelve.
- First appearance of the Ferret (Leslie Lenrow), a hardboiled private detective created by writer Stockbridge Winslow and artist Irwin Hasen, who ran in the title through issue #9.
- First and last Golden Age appearance of the villain Doctor Manyac and his army of cold-flamed 'Green Flames'; they did not reappear until the Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (2009).
- The Sub-Mariner's story, 'The Sub-Mariner Goes to War,' shows Namor being persuaded by Betty Dean to intervene against Nazi U-boat activity — an early narrative turning point in which the formerly antagonistic Namor begins aligning with Allied interests, while vowing not to take outright sides in the human conflict.
- Interior art credits include Carl Burgos (Human Torch), Bill Everett (Sub-Mariner), Paul Gustavson (the Angel), Steve Dahlman (Electro), and Al Anders (Masked Raider), making this one of the most creator-rich single issues of Timely's early run.
- The issue was reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 1 and in the 1974 Flashback reprint series (#26), giving modern readers access to all featured stories.
Cast · 4 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Gibi #168 (1940), Gibi #210 (1940), Fantasy Masterpieces #9 (1967), Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics #1 (2004), Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (2009), Golden Age Marvel Comics Omnibus #1 (2009), Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics #1 (2011), Marvel Firsts: WWII Super Heroes #[nn] (2013), Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett - The Pre-War Years Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Human Torch by Carl Burgos Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Flashback #26
Key issues in Marvel Mystery Comics
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.