Supernatural Thrillers #8
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSupernatural Thrillers #8 marks the first appearance of the Elementals — Hellfire, Hydron, Magnum, and Zephyr — four extradimensional demigods who command the classical forces of fire, water, earth, and air, and who would go on to anchor the entire second half of the Living Mummy's solo run and resurface years later to menace Ms. Marvel. The issue also represents a pivotal creative handoff on the series: with this number, Tony Isabella took over writing duties from Steve Gerber, reshaping the book from a street-level monster story into a dimension-spanning supernatural adventure that pushed N'Kantu well beyond the standard Bronze Age horror formula. The story's decision to use the Elementals as cosmic manipulators — making the Living Mummy an unwilling pawn and sending him after the mystically charged Ruby Scarab — gave the series an overarching villain-driven plot structure rare among Marvel's horror anthologies of the era. That narrative engine sustained the title through its final seven issues and gave the Elementals enough presence in the Marvel Universe to earn later appearances in Ms. Marvel and, in spirit if not in continuity, an MCU-adjacent namesake in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
In "Power Times Four!", N'Kantu the Mummy finds himself caught in a deadly game when he's summoned by the Elementals—ancient, elemental beings seeking to reclaim their lost dominion. Bound by their will, he's sent back to Earth to destroy the scarlet scarab, a mystical artifact that could be their undoing. Written by Tony Isabella and brought to life by Val Mayerik’s dynamic art and Glynis Wein’s vivid colors, this 1974 Marvel thriller blends supernatural stakes with a haunting sense of fate, all framed by Larry Lieber’s striking cover and Tom Palmer’s bold inks.
In "Power Times Four!", Living Mummy N'Kantu is thrust into the realm of the Elementals—Hydron, Magnum, Hellfire, and Zephyr—ancient beings who once ruled the world and now seek to return. Bound by their will, N'Kantu is sent back to Earth to destroy the scarlet scarab, a mystical weapon that could end them all. With Dr. Alexi Skarab, Ron McCallister, and Janice Carr caught in the crossfire, the fate of the world hinges on a mummy who never asked to be a pawn in an age-old war.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Supernatural Thrillers launched in 1972 as part of editor-in-chief Roy Thomas's push to build a line of thematically unified horror and science fiction anthology titles at Marvel, adapting literary classics before pivoting to original characters. N'Kantu, the Living Mummy — conceived by Steve Gerber and penciler Rich Buckler in issue #5 — proved popular enough to anchor the book from #7 onward under the new cover banner 'Supernatural Thrillers featuring The Living Mummy.' Beginning with issue #8, writer Tony Isabella assumed scripting duties while Val Mayerik — who had already brought a moody, atmospheric style to the art from #7 — continued on pencils and was occasionally credited as co-plotter, a collaboration that would define the look and direction of the series for the remainder of its run. The issue's cover was produced by Larry Lieber and Tom Palmer, with lettering by Tom Orzechowski and colors by Glynis Wein, under Roy Thomas's editorial oversight.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of the Elementals as a team: Hellfire (fire), Hydron (water), Magnum (earth), and Zephyr (wind) — four extradimensional, near-immortal beings created by Tony Isabella and Val Mayerik.
- First appearance of supporting characters Dann and Garrett (in flashback only), the ancient warrior and wizard who originally forged the Ruby Scarab to banish the Elementals from Earth.
- Tony Isabella takes over as series writer beginning with this issue, with Val Mayerik continuing as penciler/co-plotter — the creative team that would carry the Living Mummy through to the title's final issue (#15).
- The Elementals abduct N'Kantu into their extradimensional castle and attempt to coerce him into recovering the Ruby Scarab from Ahmet Abdol (the Living Pharaoh/Living Monolith); when he refuses, Zephyr mentally enslaves him.
- The issue contains a backup reprint of a short story originally published in Amazing Adult Fantasy #13, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
- The Elementals' debut origin claim — that they ruled Earth before Atlantis was built — was later retconned by Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9 (Scarlet Scarab profile), which placed their arrival on Earth at approximately 3500 B.C.
- The Elementals went on to appear in all remaining issues of Supernatural Thrillers (#9–15) and later crossed over into Ms. Marvel #11–12 (1977); a conceptually similar but narratively unrelated 'Elementals' group appears in the MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Amazing Adult Fantasy #13 (1962)
Reprinted in Dracula Lives #46 (1975), Frankenstein #10 (1978), Essential Marvel Horror #2 (2008), Marvel Horror Omnibus #[nn] (2019)
Key issues in Supernatural Thrillers
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