''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 panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series initially published by

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitud ...

, 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 ...

. Initially a horror comics 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 imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

stories in the late 1950s. Beginning with issue #83 (

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...

d Aug. 1962), it ran the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

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 ...

and Larry Lieber and artist

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

, 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.

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 kno ...

, who would later become one of the main war comics 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 the ...

, 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, 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, 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'' #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

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 ot ...

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, educatio ...

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 introduced in #93 (June 1963), the Enchantress and the Executioner in #104 (April 1964), the Absorbing Man in #114 (March 1965), and the

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

in #118 (July 1965). An oversized

annual publication Annual publications, more often simply called annuals, are periodical publications appearing regularly once per year."Annuals", in '' Encyclopedia of library and information science'' (1968), vol. 1, pp. 434–447. Although exact definitions may v ...

, 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 the ...

. 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 ''Frankenstei ...

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 possibly ...

to form a line of science fiction and horror

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 categ ...

with more thematic cohesion than the company's earlier attempts that decade, which had included the series ''

Chamber of Darkness ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...

'' and ''

Tower of Shadows ''Tower of Shadows'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969 to 1975. It featured work by writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wal ...

''. 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's "Dig Me No Grave", by writer Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, 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 and penciler Kane, in #2; and H. P. Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" by Goulart and penciler Gene Colan, in addition to anthological horror stories by writers including

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 antholog ...

, Steve Gerber,

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, 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, an ...

, Ralph Reese, 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" anthologies '' Amazing Adult Fantasy'', '' Strange Tales'', '' Strange Worlds'', and '' Tales to Astonish''.

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 for three issues each, and reluctant vampire Hannibal King 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, 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 characteriz ...

''. 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!

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

. Written by Kathryn Immonen and drawn by

Valerio Schiti Valerio or Valério is a male given name in several languages, derived from the Roman surname ''Valerius'', which itself is derived from the Latin verb ''valere'' - "to be strong". ''Valerio'' also appears as a family name or surname. Valerio is ...

, 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 (Marvel Comics), Thor. Based on the Norse mythology, Norse List of Germanic deitie ...

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 and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and ...

, Justin, Travis and Clint McElroy. 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 ''Marvel Masterworks'' is an American collection of hardcover and trade paperback comic book reprints published by Marvel Comics, with the main goal of republishing classic ''Marvel Comics'' storylines in a hardcover, premium edition, often with ...

: 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'' 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 publi ...

, *''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. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, an ...

'', S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Jemma Simmons asks Grant Ward, "Are you excited to be coming on our journey into mystery?" *The fifth episode of the

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

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)