Everybody loves to talk about the first issues of classic comic books, but I’ve always found it fun to example the last issue. Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Marvel Mystery Comics #92 awaits!

MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #92

Writer:  Uncredited
Penciler: Uncredited
Inker: Uncredited
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Uncredited
Editor: Stan Lee
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $8,250.00
Release Date: February 16, 1949

Previously in Marvel Mystery Comics: The first issue of Marvel Mystery Comics introduced the world to both The Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner, as well as the original Angel, The Masked Raider, and the Golden Age Ka-Zar. Not only was it the first brick in the foundation of one of the most successful publishing companies of all time, it gave that company its name. Given that The Torch debuted in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, it might seem odd to modern comic book readers that it took until the final issue for the character to get a full-on origin.

The truth is? It actually didn’t. The story begins with Jim Hammond being notified that his creator, Professor Horton (called Albert here, but historically known as Phineas) has died. To honor his achievements, they tell the story of the man’s creation of a perfect synthetic man (and the comic adds in illustrations).

Having spent a great deal of time rifling through back issues in the past forty-odd years, I was very surprised to find that the writer AND the artist of this issue’s lead story are uncredited. Indeed, other than Stan Lee himself and the pencils of a young Mike Sekowsky in an adventure of The Witness, none of the creators behind this comic are fully known. That said, the art here is more sophisticated than Carl Burgos’ original version, but… that doesn’t actually come across as a positive thing. Somehow, the more civilized pencils make the Torch seem less like a force of nature and more like a standard-issue super guy. When Phineas Horton calls in his colleagues, they all agree that an android who catches fire when exposed to air is a danger that must be destroyed! They bury the nascent Human Torch in concrete to keep him away from humanity.

It… doesn’t work.

A panicked Torch races through the streets, unsure of who or what he is, even encountering a fire battalion who tries to put him out. Eventually, he ends up leaping into the pool of Professor Horton, who is being shaken down by mobsters. Their leader, a man named Sardo, takes possession of the android, in the hopes of using him as part of their arson racket. Instead, they free the Torch, who slowly gains control of his flame-powers as he goes, and takes his first heroic steps for a second time.

This telling does add some embellishment to the original story, which is amusing, since the retelling of stories with new information is modern Marvel Comics’ schtick, just as much as DC Comics is resetting reality with a massive crossover. The police arrive, having realized that the Torch is innocent of any wrongdoing. Having taken down the mobsters, the police department ferries him back to Horton’s home, where he shows his excited “father” his new abilities.

The story wraps up with Hammond saying farewell to his creator, even shedding a tear (a good two decades before The Vision did, I might add) for the deceased. The rest of the comic consists of the aforementioned Witness story, a text piece, and a final adventure of Captain America and his sidekick, Golden Girl.

Visually speaking, it’s interesting, featuring Golden Girl in her red, white, and blue costume, while Captain America’s waist stripes only go halfway around. That costume detail has, in retcon, been designated as the costume variant of the William Burnside Captain America, but the true ret-connoisseurs remember that the timing of this story means it’s Jeff Mace under the mask. The (almost certainly unintentional) retelling of a story from the first issue makes Marvel Mystery Comics #92 a more interesting read than many Marvel books of the era, shaking out to 3 out of 5 stars overall. Depending on how you think about it, Marvel Mystery either had its numbering continued by the first volume of Marvel Tales, or underwent a title change when it became a horror book, but either way, Marvel Mystery Comics went out very much the way it came in.

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