Marvel Mystery Comics

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Marvel Mystery Comics (first issue titled simply Marvel Comics) is the first publication of Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics.

In 1939, pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman expanded into the newly emerging comic book field by buying content from comics package Funnies, Inc.. His first effort, Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), featured the first appearances of writer-artist Carl Burgos' android superhero, the Human Torch; Paul Gustavson's costumed detective The Angel; Al Anders' Western hero the Masked Raider; and the jungle lord Ka-Zar the Great, with Ben Thompson adapting a character from Goodman's eponymous pulp magazine.

As well, it contained the first generally available appearance of Bill Everett's mutant anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner, created for the unpublished movie-theater giveaway comic, Motion Picture Funnies Weekly earlier that year, with the eight-page original story now expanded by four pages. Also included was Thom Dixon's non-continuing-character story "Jungle Terror," featuring an adventurer named Ken Masters, and a two-page prose story by Ray Gill, "Burning Rubber", about auto racing. A painted cover by veteran science-fiction pulp artist Frank R. Paul featured the Human Torch.

The Torch and the Sub-Mariner would continue to star in the long-running title even after receiving their own solo comic-book series shortly afterward. The Angel, who was featured on the covers of #2 & 3, would appear in every issue through #79 (Dec. 1946).

Other characters introduced in the title include the aviator the American Ace (#2, Dec, 1939), with part one of his origin reprinted, like the first part of the Sub-Mariner's, from Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1; the Ferret; and writer-artist Steve Dahlman's robot hero Electro (appearing in every issue from #4-19, Feb. 1940 - May 1941).

In 1949, with the popularity of superheroes having waned, the book was converted into the horror anthology Marvel Tales from issue #93-159 (Aug. 1949 - Aug. 1957), when it ceased publication. Note: This is a different Marvel Tales than that published by Marvel in starting in the 1960s and primarily reprinting Spider-Man stories.

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