Daring Mystery Comics #2

Date: February 1940
Marvel Digital Link: Read Online
Marvel Wiki Link: Daring Mystery Comics #2

• Voyage To Sunev:  Zephyr Jones tries to reach Mars but ends up on a nearby planet called Sunev. A planet inhabited by winged humanoids. By the end of the story, Zephyr and his pal Corky, gives the bird people the gift of guns. Gee, I wonder how that worked out for them.

Impressing The Girl Moment: Zephyr & Corky show the bird lady their guns.

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• Origin Of The Phantom Bullet:  The Phantom Bullet’s 1^st story starts out decent enough. We get an origin story, some minor insight into the lead character and a mystery that could involve more bird people.  Then BANG! At that moment, you realize you’re reading a Golden Age comic. Why you may ask? Isn’t the possibility of bird people crazy enough?  Not when the mystery criminals are African Salvages that also happen to be HALF APE with seven toes. WTF? Really? No Really.

Golden Age Wackiness Moment: Not bird people, but African Salvages with a secret.

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• King Of The Jungle: Is Trojack, Ka-Zar long lost brother? Or is Trojack, Ka-Zar on a parallel earth? Either way, this tale is simple and not bad for a Ka-Zar rip-off.

WTF? Moment: Violence in the Golden Age

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• Six-Gun Dynamite: A text story with decent twist. Remember to handle that dynamite with care folks.

Sadness Moment: Poor Horse

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• Introducing K-4:  The choice of storytelling by the writer ruins any chance for this tale to be interesting. I found myself begging it be over.

Shoot Me In the Head Moment: A boring story about pilots in the war.

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• Who In Reality Is Mr. "E"?: After the last two tales, Mr. E is refreshing. Mr. E faces what could be considered Timely/Marvel's first true super-villain, named The Vampire. Also, there appeared to be a history between the two. At one point, Mr. E called him his arch enemy. Good Read.

Hardcore Moment: The Vampire actually kills. Bring on the Super-Villains.

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• Enter The Laughing Mask: The Laughing Mask is basically like ever street hero introduced so far, but he seems different. As in he seems to have some sort of "real" powers or maybe I just hoping for some.

What Goes Bump In The Night Moment: The Laughing Mask freaks out some gangsters 

Marvel Mystery Comics #4

Date: February 1940
Marvel Digital Link: N/A
Marvel Wiki Link: Marvel Mystery Comics #4

Marvel Mystery Comics #4 is another mix bag of tales. The new characters that Timely are introducing are just not catching on. Seriously, could you become a fan of a non-hero named the Ferret?  Sadly, the Ferret is a ripped off of other characters that have already been introduced. But not all is lost. Ka-Zar is by far becoming my favorite story to read due to the strong characterization in its supporting cast.

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Daring Mystery Comics #1

Date: January 1940
Marvel Digital Link: Read Online
Marvel Wiki Link: Daring Mystery Comics #1

Timely launches its second comic book called Daring Mystery Comics. Unfortunately, none of these characters are worth the pages given to them.  Obviously, Timely is trying to throw anything on the wall to see what sticks. This issue was actually painful to read and I suggest just skimming thru it. 

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Marvel Mystery Comics #3

Date: January 1940
Marvel Digital Link: N/A
Marvel Wiki: Marvel Mystery Comics #3

Marvel Mystery Comics #3 is a mix bag of success and failure. Namor and Ka-Zar are the only two characters that remain consistent with their original tale. The Human Torch and the Angel have no sense of direction and seem to be all over the place.  So is the wonder of the Golden Age.

To find out my thoughts on this issue read more:

Marvel Mystery Comics #2

Date: December 1939
Marvel Digital Comic Link: Marvel Mystery Comics #2
Marvel Wiki: Marvel Mystery Comics #2

After the huge success of Marvel Comics #1, Timely (Marvel) decides to rename the comic to Marvel Mystery Comics #2.  The reason behind this is unknown, as far as my research goes.  All five major characters from Marvel Comics #1 continued to appear in this issue with a new character called American Ace. After reading this issue, I can see why the Human Torch & Namor grabbed most of the attention, as they are truly unique heroes for the time.

To find out my thoughts on this issue read more:

Marvel Comics #1

Date: October 1939
Marvel Digital Comic Link: Marvel Comics #1
Marvel Wiki: Marvel Comics #1

Marvel Comics #1 was cover dated October 1939, two years before America enters World War II. Most readers associated the Golden Age with our heroes fighting the Nazis. Yet in Marvel Comics #1, the Human Torch and the Angel are fighting racketeers, Namor is fighting with the human race and the Masked Raider is fighting cowboys. For added fun, there are two stories that take place in the jungle and an awful short story about a racecar that could blow up. 

To find out my thoughts on this issue read more: