Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s. Beginning with issue #83 (cover dated Aug. 1962), it ran the superhero feature "The Mighty Thor", created by writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and artist Jack Kirby, and inspired by the mythological Norse thunder god. The series, which was renamed for its superhero star with issue #126 (March 1966), has been revived three times: in the 1970s as a horror anthology, and in the 1990s and 2010s with characters from Marvel's Thor mythos. The title was also used in 2019 for a limited series as part of the "War of the Realms" storyline.
This article is about the Atlas/Marvel comic book series. For the Loki episode, see Journey into Mystery (Loki).Journey into Mystery
Monthly
- (vol. 1)
June 1952 – February 1966
(vol. 2)
October 1972 – October 1975
(Thor vol. 1 cont.)
November 1996 – June 1998
(vol. 1 cont.)
June 2011 – October 2013
- (vol. 1): 125
(vol. 2): 19
(Thor vol. 1 cont.): 20
(vol. 1 cont.): 35
- (vol. 1)
Stan Lee
Larry Lieber
(vol. 2)
Roy Thomas
Steve Englehart
Ron Goulart
Steve Skeates
George Alec Effinger
Gardner Fox
John Albano
Marv Wolfman
Kevin Frost
(Thor vol. 1 cont.)
Tom DeFalco
(vol. 1 cont.)
Kieron Gillen
Kathryn Immonen
- (vol. 1)
Jack Kirby
Steve Ditko
(vol. 2)
Gil Kane
Ralph Reese
Jim Starlin
Billy Graham
Sam Kweskin
Gene Colan
Win Mortimer
P. Craig Russell
Rich Buckler
(Thor vol. 1 cont.)
Mike Deodato
Sal Buscema
(vol. 1 cont.)
Doug Braithwaite
Richard Elson
Carmine Di Giandomenico
Valerio Schiti
- (vol. 1)
Joe Sinnott
Vince Colletta
(vol. 2)
Tom Palmer
Ralph Reese
Frank Giacoia
Ernie Chan
Dan Adkins
Mike Esposito
(Thor vol. 1 cont.)
Al Milgrom
(vol. 1 cont.)
Allen Martinez
- (vol. 2)
George Roussos
(Thor vol. 1 cont.)
Marie Javins
Steve Oliff
(vol. 1 cont.)
Ulises Arreola
Ifansyah Noor
Jordi Bellaire
Publication history[edit]
1950s–1960s[edit]
The first Journey into Mystery series was initially a horror-fantasy anthology published by Marvel Comics' 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics, with a first issue cover-dated June 1952.[1] Artist Joe Kubert, who would later become one of the main war comics artists for DC Comics, drew the story "The Hog" in Journey into Mystery #21 (January 1955).[2] Issue #23 was the first to be approved by the Comics Code Authority, which led to restrictions on horror comics. The title was caught in the collapse of Atlas' distributor, and publication was suspended for a year between issues #48 (Aug. 1957) and #49 (Nov. 1958).[3] Xemnu, a huge, furry alien monster, first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #62 (Nov. 1960).[4] The character reappeared in issue #66 (March 1961). Since then the character has been a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, and was renamed Xemnu the Titan.[5] Journey into Mystery #69 and the teen-humor title Patsy Walker #95 (both June 1961) are the first modern comic books labeled "Marvel Comics", with each showing an "MC" box on its cover.[6]