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Cream to Off-White pgs; Universal holder; Unrestored
classic Simon & Kirby bondage/torture cover; last Angel cover


A young Jack Kirby & Joe Simon gave the Angel a wild send-off with this classic example of their early work. The struggling hero would be around for a few more issues, but Marvel Mystery Comics #12 marked the Angel's final cover appearance as the book shifted to featuring the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. The visionaries still set the tone for the chaos that would ensue on this comic’s covers throughout the wartime era.

Meanwhile, the contents reveal more about the future of Marvel Comics. The Human Torch and Sub-Mariner are each in the midst of multi-part stories, with the Torch clearing his name and returning to the police force after being framed by a female crime lord. Prince Namor is already battling Nazi U-boats in this issue that hit the stands in Aug., 1940. (The anti-hero wipes out a British ship, too, and kidnaps a lady surface-dweller.) There's also the title's first appearance of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a story about Electro the Robot. FDR would soon become a regular presence in the comics as WWII erupted.