Marvel Tales #96
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Tales #96 (cover-dated June 1950) is a landmark pre-Code horror anthology that sits at a pivotal transitional moment in Marvel's corporate lineage: the series itself was the direct continuation of the Golden Age superhero flagship Marvel Mystery Comics, retooled from issue #93 onward into a horror and fantasy anthology as superhero popularity waned. The issue's lead story, 'The Return of the Monster,' is a nine-page Frankenstein continuation penciled by a young Gene Colan — one of the earliest confirmed horror credits for an artist who would later define Marvel's Bronze Age gothic tone on Tomb of Dracula and Daredevil. Most significantly, the closing story 'The Terror That Creeps,' written by Stan Lee with art by Werner Roth, stands as the first full Golden Age comics appearance of the Heliopolitans — Marvel's pantheon of Egyptian gods, a mythology that would eventually encompass characters such as Bast and Khonshu and extend into modern Marvel films and television.
In "The Return of the Monster," a horror publisher becomes the unwilling pawn in a supernatural scheme when Satan himself sends an emissary to curse him with a deadly pact: the first person he sees must die, dooming him to execution. With the weight of a demonic curse and a life hanging in the balance, the publisher finds himself trapped in a nightmare he never imagined. Penciled by Mike Sekowsky and featuring a striking cover by Syd Shores and Joe Maneely, this 1950 issue delivers a chilling tale of fate and fear in a 10-cent comic from Marvel’s early days.
In "The Return of the Monster," Clifford Armstrong sets out to uncover the truth behind the legend of Frankenstein’s creature, only to find himself drawn into a chilling mystery when he meets Nina Frankenstein. Taken to her father’s isolated castle, Cliff discovers the mad scientist is being coerced into resurrecting the monster—forcing him to confront the horror he once feared.
In "The Mask of the Mind!" from Marvel Tales #96 (1950), the seemingly benevolent Dr. Hill keeps a terrible secret—beneath his kind demeanor lies a man who steals from the dead, hiding his true face behind a grotesque mask. The story unfolds with quiet dread, as the line between healer and monster blurs in the shadows of the cemetery.
In "Don't Shake Hands with the Devil," a horror story publisher finds himself cursed when Satan’s emissary demands he read a scroll of suffering—only to be doomed by a deadly curse that forces him to kill the first person he sees, setting off a chain of events that may end in execution. The story unfolds with chilling precision, blending supernatural dread and moral peril in a tale where the price of publishing fear may be far greater than imagined.
In "The Witch's Son!" from Marvel Tales #96 (1950), a young boy risks everything to free bears from their cages, hoping to save an old woman condemned as a witch. When she reveals her true nature, her gratitude takes a surprising turn—she grants him a powerful spell to protect him.
In "The Terror That Creeps," a desperate man races against disbelief to warn the world that the ancient Sphinx is not stone—but moving, inch by inch, toward the edge of the desert, where it will rise again to fulfill its dark purpose in the name of the god Set. Written by an unknown hand and illustrated in stark, shadow-drenched panels, the story unfolds like a fever dream of myth and dread, where the line between legend and imminent danger begins to blur.
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The Marvel Tales series was edited by Stan Lee, who served as editor-in-chief of the entire Timely/Atlas line, and the book represents an early example of publisher Martin Goodman's trend-chasing strategy: with superhero sales collapsing by 1949, Goodman pivoted his leading title into horror-fantasy territory to compete with EC Comics and the broader industry shift. The cover of issue #96 was painted by veteran artist Syd Shores, with the distinctive Atlas-style side-panel preview boxes on the cover drawn by Joe Maneely; Gene Colan, who had been working as a freelancer after the Timely staff was largely let go in 1948, contributed pencils to the lead Frankenstein story — work that, like most Atlas-era art of the period, went uncredited on the printed page.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1950 (release date March 5, 1950) by Marvel/Atlas; cover-dated June 1950; 52 pages at a 10-cent cover price.
- The series Marvel Tales (Vol. 1, 1949–1957) was the direct continuation of Marvel Mystery Comics, which had been Timely's superhero flagship title; beginning with issue #93 (August 1949), it converted entirely to a horror, fantasy, and science-fiction anthology format.
- Lead story 'The Return of the Monster' (9 pages) is a contemporary continuation of the Frankenstein legend, penciled by Gene Colan — an early-career freelance credit for the artist who would later become one of Marvel's defining Bronze Age talents.
- The closing story 'The Terror That Creeps,' written by Stan Lee with art by Werner Roth, contains the first full Golden Age appearance of the Heliopolitans (Marvel's Egyptian god pantheon), depicting a man's futile attempt to warn the world that the Great Sphinx is moving toward empowerment by Set.
- Additional stories include: 'The Deadly Dwarf!' (art by Vern Henkel); 'The Mask of the Mind!' featuring the character Dr. Benjamin Hill / the Scavenger (first appearance); and 'Don't Shake Hands with the Devil' (pencils by Mike Sekowsky), a morality tale about a horror publisher and a Satanic emissary.
- The issue also introduces Nina Frankenstein (Earth-616) — the last living descendant of Victor Frankenstein — and her father (who dies in the story), marking their first appearances in Marvel's shared continuity.
- Cover art is by Syd Shores; the distinctive Atlas-format side-panel illustrations on the cover were drawn by Joe Maneely. Stan Lee is credited as editor-in-chief.
- Three stories from this issue were reprinted in later Marvel publications: 'The Case of the Cat' in Marvel Boy #1, 'The Witch's Son!' in Tomb of Darkness #11, and 'The Terror That Creeps' in Crypt of Shadows #14.
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Reprinted in Marvel Tales #95 (1950), Marvel Boy #1 (1950), Terrific Mystery #34 (1952), Spellbound #44 (1964), Crypt of Shadows #14 (1974), Tomb of Darkness #11 (1974), Vault of Evil #15 (1974), Where Monsters Dwell #32 (1974), Thor e i Vendicatori #165 (1977), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes #1 (2007), Crypt of Horror #4 (2007)
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