''Journey into Mystery'' is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

series initially published by

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin ...

, then by its successor,

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

. Initially a

horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

anthology, it changed to giant-monster and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

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 Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...

and Larry Lieber and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential c ...

, and inspired by the mythological

Norse Norse is a demonym for Norsemen, a medieval North Germanic ethnolinguistic group ancestral to modern Scandinavians, defined as speakers of Old Norse from about the 9th to the 13th centuries. Norse may also refer to: Culture and religion * Nor ...

thunder god Polytheistic peoples from many cultures have postulated a thunder god, the personification or source of the forces of thunder and lightning; a lightning god does not have a typical depiction, and will vary based on the culture. In Indo-European c ...

. 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.

Publication history

1950s–1960s

The first ''Journey into Mystery'' series was initially a horror-fantasy anthology published by

' 1950s forerunner,

, with a first issue cover-dated June 1952. Artist

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Polish-born American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. He is also ...

, who would later become one of the main

war comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began inc ...

artists for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

, drew the story "The Hog" in ''Journey into Mystery'' #21 (January 1955). Issue #23 was the first to be approved by the

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

, 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).

Xemnu This article lists the known monsters in Marvel Comics. History In the earlier parts of Marvel Comics, issues such as ''Journey into Mystery'', ''Strange Tales'', ''Tales of Suspense'', and ''Tales to Astonish'' would detail stories of its differe ...

, a huge, furry alien monster, first appeared in ''Journey Into Mystery'' #62 (Nov. 1960). 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. ''Journey into Mystery'' #69 and the teen-humor title ''

Patsy Walker Patricia "Patsy" Walker is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson, Patsy Walker first appeared in ''Miss America Magazine'' #2 (November 1944), published by Marvel p ...

'' #95 (both June 1961) are the first modern comic books labeled "Marvel Comics", with each showing an "MC" box on its cover. Beginning with issue #83 (Aug. 1962), the title starred the Norse god superhero

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...

. The anthological stories, by now primarily

-fantasy, gradually diminished after this, with the Thor-spinoff backup feature "Tales of Asgard" beginning in issue #97 (Oct. 1963). They were dropped entirely with issue #105 (June 1964), when the "Thor" feature expanded from 13 to 18 pages. With the previous issue, the cover logo had changed to ''Journey into Mystery with the Mighty Thor''. Its final issue was #125 (Feb. 1966), after which the series was retitled ''The Mighty Thor'' in its

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

ed cover logo and simply ''Thor'' in its postal indicia

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

notice. Thor's evil adoptive brother

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi ...

was introduced in issue #85 (October 1962). Other adversaries for the new hero included the

Radioactive Man Radioactive Man may refer to: *Radioactive Man (comics), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe *Radioactive Man (The Simpsons), a fictional comic book superhero in ''The Simpsons'' :*''Radioactive Man'', a comic book series starring th ...

introduced in #93 (June 1963), the Enchantress and the

Executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or orderin ...

in #104 (April 1964), the

Absorbing Man Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Journey into Mystery'' #114, cover dated March 1965, created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist ...

in #114 (March 1965), and the Destroyer in #118 (July 1965). An oversized annual publication, featuring Thor, was released in 1965 and introduced the Marvel version of the Greco-Roman demigod

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

. Comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on '' Frankenste ...

noted that "the adventures of Thor were gradually transformed from stories about a strange-looking superhero into a spectacular saga."

Volume 2 (1970s)

A second ''Journey into Mystery'' ran 19 issues (October 1972 – October 1975). The title was one of four launched by Marvel Comics editor-in-chief

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

to form a line of science fiction and

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...

with more thematic cohesion than the company's earlier attempts that decade, which had included the series '' Chamber of Darkness'' and '' Tower of Shadows''. Whereas those titles generally presented original stories, these new books would instead adapt genre classics and other stories. With the four titles' debuts set to be staggered over the course of four months, Marvel premiered ''Journey into Mystery'' vol. 2 (October 1972), '' Chamber of Chills'' (Nov. 1972), '' Supernatural Thrillers'' (Dec. 1972), and, with a late start, ''

Worlds Unknown ''Worlds Unknown'' was a science-fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics in the 1970s, which adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon. Publication h ...

'' (May 1973). The first five issues of ''Journey into Mystery'' vol. 2 featured such adaptations as

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

's "Dig Me No Grave", by writer Thomas and penciler

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

, in issue #1;

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" by Thomas and

Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author. He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Con ...

and penciler Kane, in #2; and H. P. Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" by Goulart and penciler

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the George Alec Effinger George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Writing career Effinger was a part of the Clarion class of 1970 and had three stories in the first Clarion anthology. ...

Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include ''Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlight ...

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early lif ...

, and

Steve Skeates Steve Skeates (; born 1943) is an American comic book creator known for his work on such titles as ''Aquaman'', ''Hawk and Dove'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', and ''Plop!'' He has also written under the pseudonyms Chester P. Hazel and Warren Savin. ...

, and pencilers such as

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, a ...

Ralph Reese Ralph Reese (born May 19, 1949) is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the ''Flash Gordon'' strip for King Features. Prolific from the 1960s to the 1 ...

, and P. Craig Russell. Most issues also included a reprinted story from Marvel's 1950s predecessor,

. By issue #6, however, the magazine became a reprint title featuring science-fiction and giant-monster tales from the first ''Journey into Mystery'' series, as well as from the "

pre-superhero Marvel Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a ...

" anthologies ''

Amazing Adult Fantasy ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'', retitled ''Amazing Fantasy'' in its final issue, is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived with superhero features in 1995 and in the 2000 ...

'', ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

'', '' Strange Worlds'', and ''

Tales to Astonish ''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a science-fiction anthology tha ...

''.

1990s series

As a consequence of the company-wide crossover " Heroes Reborn", Thor ceased to be the focus of his own series, which was restored to ''Journey into Mystery'' beginning with issue #503 (Nov. 1996). The feature "The Lost Gods" ran through issue #513, followed by issues starring Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu and the

Black Widow Black widow may refer to: Spiders * Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus'' American species * ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow * ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...

for three issues each, and reluctant vampire

Hannibal King Hannibal King is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the 1970s comic book '' The Tomb of Dracula'', issue #25 (Oct. 1974). King was played by Ryan Re ...

for two, ending with issue #521 (June 1998).

2010s series

The ''Thor'' title resumed its original numbering in 2009 with ''Thor'' #600, including the intervening issues of ''Thor'' in its count while disregarding the 1990s ''Journey Into Mystery'' issues. Starting with issue #622, the series for a second time had its title restored to ''Journey Into Mystery'', which accompanied the launch of a new title, ''Mighty Thor.'' Thor's supporting cast returned as the focus of a run written by

Kieron Gillen Kieron Michael Gillen (; born 30 September 1975) is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for '' Phonogram'' and '' The Wicked + The Divine'', both co-created with artist Jamie McKe ...

, who had written ''Thor'' from #604 to #614, and drawn by

Doug Braithwaite Doug Braithwaite is a British comic book artist. Career Braithwaite started out working on British comics, like '' 2000 AD'' and '' A1'', but is best known for his Marvel Comics work on the ''Earth X'' sequels, ''Universe X'' and ''Paradise X'' ...

. Starring was the Thor antagonist

, who had been reincarnated as a child following his sacrifice in the series ''

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

''. Gillen's run was favorably reviewed, with one critic writing: In Gillen's final issue, a letter from

Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...

, who portrays Loki in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

, was published, in which he praised Gillen for his take on the character. With issue #646, the focus of ''Journey into Mystery'' changed with its rebranding under the

Marvel NOW! Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...

imprint. Written by

Kathryn Immonen Kathryn Immonen (; Kuder) is a Canadian comic book and webcomic writer. She has written a number of comic books for Marvel Comics since 2007, in collaboration with her husband Stuart. Biography In 2007 Immonen began working for Marvel Comics wr ...

and drawn by Valerio Schiti, the series began starring the Marvel Asgardians, with the

Lady Sif Sif is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted commonly in association with the superhero Thor. Based on the Norse goddess Sif, she was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby a ...

as its lead character. The series was cancelled with issue #655 (Oct. 2013).

War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery

During the " War of the Realms" storyline in 2019, the title was used for a limited five–issue run written by

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

, Justin, Travis and

Clint McElroy Clinton Emil "Clint" McElroy, Jr. ( , born August 10, 1955) is an American podcaster, comic book writer and former radio personality. He is known for his work on the podcast ''The Adventure Zone'', as well as for hosting several FM radio shows ...

. The series was drawn by André Lima Araújo with covers from Valerio Schiti. In the limited series, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Sebastian Druid, Death Locket, Thori the Hellhound, and Balder the Brave go on a quest to save the earth.

Collected editions

* '' Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Journey Into Mystery'' ** ''Volume 1'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #1-10, 272 pages, 2008, ** ''Volume 2'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #11-20, 272 pages, 2009, ** ''Volume 3'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #21-30, 272 pages, 2010, ** ''Volume 4'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #31-40, 272 pages, 2012, * ''Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor'' ** ''Volume 1'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #83-100, 280 pages, 1991, ** ''Volume 2'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #101-110, 224 pages, 1994, ** ''Volume 3'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #111-120 and ''Journey into Mystery Annual'' #1, 256 pages, 2001, ** ''Volume 4'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #121-125 and ''Thor'' #126-130, 240 pages, 2005, * '' Essential Thor'' ** ''Volume 1'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #83-112, 536 pages, 2001, ** ''Volume 2'' collects ''Journey into Mystery'' #113-125; 'Journey into Mystery Annual'' #1; ''Tho''r #126-136; and ''Thor Annual'' #2, 584 pages, 2005, * ''

Origins of Marvel Comics ''Origins of Marvel Comics'' is a 1974 collection of Marvel Comics comic book stories, selected and introduced by Marvel writer and editor Stan Lee. The book was published by Fireside Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and was Marvel's first ...

'' includes Thor story from ''Journey into Mystery'' #83, 254 pages, 1974,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

, *''Bring on the Bad Guys'' includes Thor stories from ''Journey into Mystery'' #112-113 and 115, 253 pages, 1976, Simon & Schuster, *''Fear Itself: Journey into Mystery'' collects #622-626, ''Thor Spotlight'', and ''Fear Itself Spotlight'', 136 pages, 2012, *''Journey into Mystery: Fear Itself Fallout'' collects #626.1, 627-631, 136 pages, 2012, *''Journey into Mystery: Terrorism Myth'' collects #632-636, 120 pages, 2012, *''Journey into Mystery/New Mutants: Exiled'' collects #637-638, ''Exiled'' #1, and ''New Mutants'' #42-43, 120 pages, 2012, *''Journey into Mystery: The Manchester Gods'' collects #639-641 and ''The Mighty Thor Annual'' #1, 120 pages, 2012, *''The Mighty Thor/Journey into Mystery: Everything Burns'' collects #642-645 and ''The Mighty Thor'' #18-22, 216 pages, 2013, *''Journey Into Mystery Featuring Sif – Vol. 1: Stronger Than Monsters'' collects #646-650, 120 pages, 2013. * ''Journey Into Mystery Featuring Sif – Vol. 2: Seeds of Destruction'' collects #651-655, 112 pages, 2013,

In other media

*In the 2011 film ''

'', a billboard features the words "Journey into Mystery". *In the pilot episode for '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

Jemma Simmons Jemma Anne Simmons is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the 2013 pilot episod ...

asks Grant Ward, "Are you excited to be coming on our journey into mystery?" *The fifth episode of the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

series ''

'' is titled "Journey into Mystery."

References

{{Thor, state=collapsed 1952 comics debuts 1966 comics endings 1972 comics debuts 1975 comics endings 1996 comics debuts 1998 comics endings 2011 comics debuts 2013 comics endings Comics magazines published in the United States Atlas Comics titles Comics by Jack Kirby Comics by Stan Lee Defunct American comics Fantasy comics Magazines established in 1952 Magazines disestablished in 1966 Magazines established in 1972 Magazines disestablished in 1975 Magazines established in 1996 Magazines disestablished in 1998 Magazines established in 2011 Magazines disestablished in 2013 Marvel Comics titles Mystery comics Thor (Marvel Comics)