Number 2019: The Masked Marvel’s mind control

Public Domain Superheroes has this to say of The Masked Marvel: “Masked Marvel was a hero whose secret identity was unknown. He fought crime with the help of a trio of assistants known as ZL, ZR, and ZY. He operated out of a glass-domed mountaintop headquarters. He had a number of gadgets and weapons such as a telepathically controlled plane, a zeppelin, a paralyzing ray gun, and a televisor - a device which let him see anywhere in the world. The Masked Marvel had undefined levels of super strength that included feats such as lifting a dinosaur over his head and may have possessed some form of telekinesis to operate his plane.”

I am disappointed! This episode of The Masked Marvel, from Detective Eye #1 (1940), is missing those three assistants, and some of the other tools of his trade. But it sure appears he must have some form of mind power to fly his plane without controls, because all he has is a stick between his legs that he manipulates with his palm. (Uhhhh, that sounds funny.) What I should say is a word of advice to artists: If asked to draw an airplane’s cockpit, look at a photo of a cockpit. Don’t try to fake it.

Credit for the non-reference-using art is given by Grand Comics Database to Robin King.

For more Masked Marvel and more of what history there is on the character, just click the thumbnail:

Number 1902: Masked Marvel to the rescue

Crooks threaten to blow up 10,000 people and some buildings. Yet instead of getting after the terrorists and thwarting their evil plans, the police chief allows the Masked Marvel to go after them. “I’d hate to lose ten thousand people,” says the chief. “Maybe I’m foolish, Marvel, but I’m betting on you -- the lives of ten thousand people are in your hands!” Gee, shouldn’t the chief notify the mayor, or the FBI or somebody? I think that top cop may be overstepping his bounds.

But of course the Masked Marvel comes through. Without trying to ruin the story for anyone, you can see how this one is going to end long before the last page.

The Masked Marvel was created by artist Ben Thompson in 1939 for Keen Detective Funnies. This story, reprinted from Keen Detective Funnies #24, comes from the Marvel’s own comic book, Masked Marvel #1 (1940). Like the Fantom of the Fair, who we showed in April,* the Masked Marvel has no origin, no discernible reason for wearing a mask, and what powers he has are ambiguous. As Toonopedia.com explains: “ . . . he didn't even have a wimpy secret identity or, in fact, any secret identity at all. He just showed up out of nowhere, did a good deed or two, and went back where he'd been. Since he had no outside life, it's a mystery why he even bothered to hide his face . . .  The character got around by flying, but not under his own power — he used an ordinary-looking airplane . . .  He also wasn't particularly invulnerable. In fact, he had no defined super powers at all. He was occasionally seen to carry a gun.”

With that sort of lead-in I’ll bet you readers can’t wait to read this pulse-pounded thriller! The best I can offer, in my feeble attempt to justify posting this, is that Masked Marvel, although short-lived, was one of the very early costumed heroes.

*Pappy’s #1878.