Mystic Comics #5 (1941)
by Bob Davis
I have to wonder: if Blazing Skull was on the cover instead of Black Marvel, and if his creator Bob Davis hadn’t died in a car crash in 1942, would this issue be more famous?
It’s amazing that THIS story, and not Captain America #1, is the first one I’ve covered so far that directly addresses War World II.
Although we’re definitely in alternate timeline territory here, because the focus is entirely on a mysterious superweapon being used by the Axis.
We then move to the Mediterranean sea, where a guy saves a civilian ship by WRESTLING A TORPEDO.
The man hides beneath the water until it’s dark enough, and when he emerges we see that HE’S A SKULL ON FIRE.
I’m not exactly surprised that he’s spotted immediately, considering HE’S A SKULL ON FIRE.
Sneaking onto the ship, he discovers a secret message from Berlin. He has to take off his skull mask to read it; I guess the fact that it’s on fire doesn’t help his vision.
Again: points for looking cool, Blazing Skull, but maybe don’t put so much faith in your stealth when your mask is constantly emitting light.
He then infiltrates the Nazi-occupied France. Once again, isn’t it weird that Blazing Skull is here much earlier than Captain America?
A surprising amount of time is spent on the rather mundane journey throughout France, but we eventually learn that Blazing Skull’s origins are tied to the Orient.
The secret weapon hinted at the beginning of the story is an “enervating gas”.
Blazing Skull then infiltrates the castle that the Nazis are using for the creation of the gas…
…and then BLOW UP THE LAB with nitroglycerine!
You’d expect him to get away, but the Nazis capture Blazing Skull (!!!) and even torture him.
But the torture is interrupted because their boss, identified as “Der Leader”, shows up.
Yeah this is blatantly Hitler. Don’t know why they went through the trouble of calling him Leader… which IS the translation of Fuhrer after all.
Hitler was famously being punched by Captain America on his first cover, but remember that Cap doesn’t ACTUALLY meet Hitler in that comic.
Which means that Blazing Skull even met Hitler before Captain America!!!
It’s more than a little underwhelming, however, considering that Blazing Skull doesn’t get to punch Hitler. He only hurts his feelings.
In the very next panel we’re told that Blazing Skull escapes that night, and that’s how the story ends.
Historical significance: 1/10
Not exactly a legacy character, even though a Ghost Rider connection would’ve been easy!
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
Shockingly low for the times.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
Quite a disjointed story, wasting too many panels establishing the war. Which I don’t think was really necessary even in early 1941.
It does pick up a little once he’s in action: the war background definitely elevates him over the standards of the time. The action is not impressive enough to go any higher, though.
How close is this to the modern character? 2/10
As you will soon see, once they bring him back they basically only keep the looks and forget absolutely everything else.
Blazing Skull is firmly established to be a war superhero. In his second story, he saves Winston Churchill from Nazis!!!
But he only lasts five issues, with his last Golden Age appearance being Mystic Comics #9 from 1942. By that time he’s already moved away from war stories and sports a new look, with a non-flaming mask that is basically the same of Red Skull’s.
He would be completely forgotten for 30 years. He’s next seen in 1972 during the Kree-Skrull War on the pages of Avengers #97 by, who else, Roy Thomas.
Although technically speaking this is not really him, just a simulacrum created by Rick Jones.
Incredibly, Blazing Skull does not appear in the Roy Thomas 1975 Invaders series.
He does show up in the 1993 miniseries though, again by Roy Thomas.
His origin story, which is barely addressed in the Golden Age, is greatly expanded.
It involves a race of Skull Men who wear masks of burning skull, which you have to admit is the coolest looking hidden society ever.
He’s also retconned into being a journalist, while in the Golden Age he was a district attorney.
We see him again in 1995’s Midnight Sons Unlimited #9, in a Dan Slott story.
It’s a fun story. You might expect Blazing Skull to be a dark and brooding hero, but he’s a bit of a jokester.
Which doesn’t stop him from being absolutely terrifying when he has to.
He has to wait until 2004, which is the first time he shows up in the present and not in a continuity insert.
Unfortunately it’s during the absolutely atrocious Chuck Austen run, so he’s nothing like Blazing Skull. He’s just Ghost Rider without the bike.
2004 is definitely a busy year for Blazing Skull, since he also appears in the New Invaders series that lasts 9 issues.
Unfortunately he’s still stuck in his new characterization of being nuts and trying too hard to be funny.
In 2008 he has a small part in The Last Defenders.
He last showed up in 2012 on the pages of, of all things, the Howard The Duck series “Marvel Zombies Destroy!”.
Allegedly, he dies in that series being eaten by the zombified goats of an alternate reality’s Thor, saving Howard’s team from zombified Nazis.
I’ve seen character return from more ridiculous deaths… but not by much.
But honestly, this version of Blazing Skull has nothing to offer: he’s basically Deadpool with fire powers and Ghost Rider’s head. If they bring him back he better be the classic version, or he’s better off staying dead.