Journey Into Mystery #79: "The Man Who Played Dead!"

Journey Into Mystery #79
"The Man Who Played Dead!"
April, 1962

Story: Unknown
Art: Don Heck

A father comes home from work one day and finds a dummy right outside his
door.  He shows his wife the gift-wrapped present, with his wife
wondering where it had come from, and his son asking if they could keep
it.

The enclosed card reads only "Guess who".  The wife figures that it must
be a gift from one of their friends, most likely Bob, who would do this
sort of thing.  The father plans to check it out with his friend
tomorrow, while his smiling son plans to learn how to throw his voice --
just like a professional ventriloquist.  When the family is fast asleep,
the "dummy" sees its chance.  It is not an easy task to pretend to be a
pile of wood, and his joints are as stiff as boards.  The next few
minutes will make the ordeal worthwhile.  Once inside someone's home, it
becomes a simple matter to rob them.  After opening the safe, he pauses
only to inspect its contents, and takes the jewelry.

As he leaves through the front door, the "dummy" knows that the family
will wake up in the morning, and realize that they were the dummies.
Back at his apartment, the mask is removed, and the midget lights up a
cigar.  Folks have made fun of him in the past, but once he is done with
his "dummy" routine, he'll become a rich little man.  Another family find
a dummy at their doorstep, with the real surprise occurring while they're
fast asleep, and their valuables are stolen.

The day comes when the midget reads about J.P. Bentley's return from
Europe, and the ancient Egyptian necklace worth one million dollars.  If
he succeeds in stealing the necklace, he will be set for life.  The
gift-wrapped dummy is found at the doorstep of J.P. Bentley by a butler.
Figuring that it must be a present from the men at the factory, the
industrialist and his wife instruct the butler to place it in their son's
room.  They are sure that Tommy will enjoy it when he returns from
boarding school.  Leaving Charles in charge, the Bentleys step out for
the evening.  After a long wait, the "dummy" figures that the butler must
have gone to sleep.  The safe is tougher to crack than it looks, but he
is determined to open it.

Just as he reaches for the million dollar necklace, the "dummy" is
discovered by the butler.  When Charles attempts to call the police, the
"dummy" hurls the necklace at his face, stunning him.  When they wrestle
for the gun, it goes off, and the butler is now dead.  The sound of
police sirens are soon heard, and the midget burglar figures that he must
have tripped a silent alarm.

With no time for an escape, he runs to the boy's room, and pretends to be
a dummy until the officers leave.  The door is broken open, the butler's
body is found, and the police officers begin their search of the house.
One of them comes across the dummy on the bed, with the midget relieved
that they don't suspect him.  The officer smiles at the sight of the
dummy, then places it in a trunk with the rest of the toys.  As the
lawman resumes the search, the midget is now locked inside the trunk, and
has no air to breathe.  All he can do now is cry out for help -- before
they go.  If he does... he'll be arrested for murder.  If he doesn't...
he'll suffocate.  Either way, he's done for.  It is then that the midget
criminal realizes that he's really been -- a dummy.

This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl #14 (December, 1971).

"The Man Who Played Dead!" is a good title, but I would have gone with
"The Dummy!"

On the splash page, the large figure of the dummy hovers over the shadows
of the city.

I'm surprised that the true nature of the "dummy" had not been discovered
by any of his targets.  I'm guessing that the present had been discovered
late at night, when the family was about to turn in, and the burglary
could occur without much risk.

Charles the Butler wears a green suit and resembles Earth's Mightiest
Butler... Edwin Jarvis.

In reading this story, I'm reminded of the classic Twilight Zone episode
with Cliff Robertson as the doomed ventriloquist.

If I were casting this story for live-action television in the 1960s, I'd
pick Richard Deacon ("The Dick Van Dyke Show") for the part of Charles
and Michael Dunn ("The Wild, Wild West") as the "dummy".

Far from being a babe in Toyland, the midget soon finds himself inside a
trunk, and out of luck.

Steve Chung
"The Man Who Played Review!"

Journey Into Mystery #79: "The Speed Demon"

Journey Into Mystery #79
"The Speed Demon
April, 1962

Story: Unknown
Art: Steve Ditko

In the case of Speedy Simms, being fast is no good if you can't get to
where you want to go.

The first star in the night's sky appears, and it is the first one the
adult has seen since the disappearance of Speedy Simms.  When you wish
upon a star, your wish will come true, and he wonders if his did.  The
man remembers when he made that wish a few years ago...  To him, it seems
only yesterday that he was a young boy.  The arrival of Speedy Simms in
his hot rod caused the local baseball game to be interrupted, with each
kid diving for safety.  The man behind the wheel was enjoying himself too
much to care, and his reckless driving threatened the entire
neighborhood.  At sixty miles an hour in only eleven seconds, the auto
cuts around street corners, and causes a pedestrian to drop her grocery
bag.

Fortunately for Speedy, the police had never caught him speeding, and he
longed for a place without speed limits.  The local beat cop vowed to
catch him speeding -- and throw the book at him.  For Simms, a little
speed did him plenty of good.  The days pass, with the hot rod narrowly
missing the pedestrians on either side of the crosswalk.  Laughing at the
wheel, he longs for a place where he and his car could go speed racing
all the time.  Chip narrowly misses being hit and Speedy's car just makes
the red light.  Each day brought matters closer and closer towards a
conclusion.

The first star in the night sky appears, with Chip's friend telling him
to make a wish.  The boy agrees, and wishes to have the wish he'd have
tonight.  The following days find the boys' street baseball games going
off without a hitch.  They had all wondered what happened to Speedy
Simms, but he had disappeared, and Chip had a wildly impossible idea
about it.  For all he knows, Speedy Simms could be racing his hot rod
along an open stretch... ZOOOM

A stretch which never, ever ends...  The now elderly driver can only
wonder when he will stop... when it will end.  When??  When??  He had
always wanted a place where he could race his automobile forever, with
nothing to keep him from doing so...  and this... was exactly what Chip
had wished for him.  Speedy Simms is now driving rings along the giant
ring of Saturn.  ZOOOMMM!

This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl #14 (December, 1971).

On the splash page, "The Speed Demon" appears to be waving jauntily from
his hot rod, but is he waving more from panic than from pleasure?

Speedy Simms seems to get his wardrobe at the same place that the burglar
who shot Uncle Ben got his own ensemble.

The beat cop who admonishes Simms in the story might have been the same
one who would later tell Spider-Man to stop a fleeing robber, and fail.

The 1962 Ditko Hot Rod must have gotten excellent gas mileage, especially
if the driver ever found themselves on Saturn.  (Holy Hot Wheels,
Batman!)

Steve Chung
"The Speed Review"

Journey Into Mystery #66: "The Return Of The Hulk!"

Journey Into Mystery #66
"The Return Of The Hulk!"
March, 1961

Story: Unknown
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Dick Ayers

The Hulk... the inhuman creature from another world, who threatened the
Earth.  The giant alien had been defeated once, but read on for... "The
Return Of The Hulk!"

The Hulk has escaped from a prison planet in a distant galaxy.  The ship
was unable to reach the alien's planet of origin, and traveled as far as
the solar system -- where it crashed.  An Earthman located his
half-buried body at the edge of a hidden swamp...  The electrician has
had experience with difficult tasks -- but maybe he should be able to
bring this dormant giant back to life.  Unaware of the creature's true
nature, he worked tirelessly until the Hulk began to stir.  It was at
this moment that the electrician became his prisoner.  With its
tremendous power of the mind, the Hulk planned to hypnotize all of the
planet's inhabitants, and turn them into mindless slaves to serve him.
It took only forty-eight hours for the alien to carry out his threat...
with the Hulk commanding his slaves to build him a spaceship powerful
enough to return him back to his homeworld.

While the rest of the planet remained under hypnosis, the Hulk released
the electrician from his trance, and told him the fate of his world.
When the spaceship is launched, Earth will be thrown off its axis... the
vibrations will cause the world to explode.  In order to save his planet,
the electrician came up with a plan...  Two wires within the control
panel of the spaceship would prove to be mankind's salvation.  The next
morning, the Hulk entered the craft, and prepared for launch.  When the
controls were activated, the resulting short circuit glued the alien
creature to the control panel.  The electrician guided the spaceship from
a remote control center on Earth.  The ship now launched at a fraction of
the intended thrust, so that the planet would not be harmed.  It headed
for the sun, where it would remain in orbit, and would stay there until
the end.  When the Hulk left the planet, his hypnotic influence was
broken, and mankind awoke with no memory of what had occurred.  Only the
electrician who had brought the Hulk to life knew what had happened.  The
latest satellite to be seen in the sky was the intended prison for the
giant from another world.

Three months later, a small asteroid passed within a hundred yards of the
spaceship.  The Hulk sees his chance and goes for it.  With the last of
his mental power... he sends the energies out towards the passing
asteroid.  With it under his control, the asteroid strikes the ship at
just the right angle, and the new course is set for Earth.  While the
world slept, the Hulk had returned to the United States.  Upon landing,
the electrical current which had held the alien captive was gone, and the
Hulk was now free to walk the Earth once more.

With his hypnotic powers diminished from controlling the asteroid, the
alien giant would be able to hypnotize only one man.  Seeing carnival
wagons before him, the Hulk lumbers closer, and confronts the owner of
the once-thriving carnival.  In seconds, the man is enslaved, and is told
what to do.  The carnival finds its way into the town of Pineville, where
the citizens feast their eyes upon a most unusual sight.  When asked by
the townspeople what the old man is hauling behind him, he tells them
that it is a robot.  He is its creator and there will be a demonstration
at the theater this evening.  They are all invited to attend and the
admission is free.

The townspeople gathered inside the theater to witness the robot
firsthand.  When everyone has taken a seat, the old man turns towards the
hairy giant, and tells his master that his command has been fulfilled.
They hear him call the "robot" master.  They hear him say that it was the
robot who commanded him.  They now wonder what the heck it was they have
just walked into.  The Hulk's voice is now heard within the theater, and
the townspeople now know fear.  Before they can even escape, the Hulk
blocks the exit with his giant form, and addresses the captive audience.

Now with the townspeople trapped within the theater, the Hulk convinced
them of their peril, and began to lift up the building from its
foundation.

Now aware of the extent of the Hulk's strength, and after hearing his
threat to turn their home into a desolate valley, the townspeople have no
choice but to obey.  If they wish their town to be spared, they must
follow his instructions.  While the alien creature kept an entire town
captive, the electrician who had defeated the Hulk has lost sight of the
spaceship circling the sun, and wonders what happened to it.  In
Pineville, the town is fenced off with barbed wire, and roadblocks are
erected to prevent both entry and exit.  Once the town had been secured,
the Hulk sent the townspeople for much-needed supplies, for he was about
to construct something which has never been seen upon the planet.  The
giant star-reflector will provide him with the necessary energy for mass
hypnosis.  News of Pineville sealing itself off from the outside world
reaches the electrician, who knows that the supplies could be for a type
of reflector.  He realizes that this must be the handiwork of the Hulk.

Since he was the only one who remained unhypnotized the last time, this
time, the electricians warnings fall upon deaf ears.  Both the police and
the military regard him as a nuisance.  The press are not interested in
the news he has brought them.  Only the electrician stands a chance of
foiling the Hulk's plans.  Twelve hours later, he arrives at Pineville,
and sees the giant alien using the reflector to absorb energy from the
stars.  The Hulk will soon be able to enslave the planet once more, but
the electrician must stop him, or else mankind is doomed.

RRRRRRR  RRRR  RRRR  As he crawls from under the fence, the Earthman
finds himself in danger, as the alarm alerts the Hulk to his presence.
Seeing the one who had defeated him last time, the Hulk confronts the
electrician who would dare to oppose him.  The Earthman turns to flee,
with the hairy giant lumbering after him.  With only a moment to come up
with a plan, he tries to hide behind a statue, with the Hulk's mighty
fist shattering it into so much debris.

The electrician heads for the oil refinery, with the alien creature close
behind.  The electrician climbs up one of the large drums, where they
will have their final meeting, and where his plan must succeed.

With nowhere else to run, the Earthman must confront the onslaught of the
Hulk.  The electrician listens to the beating of his heart pounding
loudly in his ears.  He is now at the alien's mercy, and the Hulk has no
mercy.  The Earthman hears the words he has hoped for...  Instead of
crushing the life from him, the giant from another world plans to
hypnotize the electrician's very atoms -- and make them come apart.  He
will be disintegrated -- reduced to nonexistence.  The moment the Hulk
focused his attention upon the Earthman -- the very moment he applied his
devastating mental energy -- the electrician pulls out his "weapon" and
aims it towards him.  The hairy giant sees what he's holding -- screams
in fear, and begs for him to put it away.

Although he continues to plead in vain, the electrician keeps his
"weapon" trained upon the Hulk... whose very existence endangers the
entire world -- the universe itself -- and he must be destroyed...  With
his destruction, mankind will be able to continue on without fear.  Now,
he is gone... forever.  It had been his only chance.  He had hoped that
the Hulk would not use his great strength -- but rely instead on his
hypnotic power.  When it was used, the power was sent back at him by a
simple mirror.  Before leaving Pineville, he makes a promise to the
townspeople...  If anyone learns what took place there, the valley would
be crowded with curious tourists.  The electrician keeps his promise and
remains silent.  Back home, the reporters who had rebuffed him hear him
admit that there's no such thing as the Hulk.

This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl #14 (December, 1971) as
"The Return of the Titan!"

The Grand Comics Database says that the job number came from Tom Lammers
and Ger Apeldoorn via the Atlas/Timely Discussion Group.

On the cover of Monsters On The Prowl #14 by Gil Kane, the startled
citizens are up to their nostrils in trouble from the "Return Of The
Titan!"

In the 1970's, the original Hulk was renamed "Xemnu The Titan".

The sight of the hairy white Hulk reminds me of the red hairy monster
from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

With the metal helmet perched upon his head, the Hulk looks like the
world's largest Bar Mitzvah celebrant in the known universe.

With the alien giant's lumbering gait, the whole planet is his bottle,
and the entire Earth is one hairy foot away from its destruction.

Only in a Marvel Monster story can an electrician come upon a white hairy
giant in a swamp, and the first thing on his mind is to restore him to
life.

The unnamed electrician is a pipe smoker, and this quality probably
doesn't endear him to the authorities when he tries to tell his story.

After hearing about the odd assortment of supplies being brought into the
valley town, the electrician figures out that it can only be a reflector,
and his alien foe is behind it.

The anonymous Earthman should go on some game shows and seek out his
fortune.

Even when making his way under a fence in the dark, the electrician
manages to hang onto his hat.

Xemnu The Titan has fought the likes of the Incredible Hulk, the
Defenders, and the She-Hulk.

If the hairy alien giant from another world hadn't had his name changed,
would we be reading about Bruce Banner's adventures as "The Terrible
Titan"?

Steve Chung
"The Review Of The Hulk!"

Journey Into Mystery #71: "I Brought The Roc Back To Life!"

Journey Into Mystery #71
"I Brought The Roc Back To Life!"
August, 1961

Story: Unknown
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Dick Ayers

A tiny town in Europe became the sight of much alarm.  A giant winged
shadow fell upon the land.  It came closer -- closer -- until at last...
it hovered above the hapless people, and began to dive.  At that moment,
a train was speeding through the alps of Switzerland.  As one passenger
smokes his pipe, he hopes that his plan will be accepted so that the
planet will be saved.  The seated passenger remembers how it all began...
He had just gotten married to Anne, who was happy as the wife of an
archeologist, and who looked forward to their honeymoon in the Middle
East.

They first traveled by plane to Cairo... where they enjoyed the romantic
view, and each other as well.  After spending a few days in Cairo, they
went out into the desert, and spent the time exploring through old ruins.
Hours later, Anne noticed that one particular sand dune was different
from the others they've seen.  It had a perfectly geometrical shape.
After getting out of the car, the archeologist begins to dig, and wonders
what enormous prize may be buried there.  Thirty minutes later, the
buried object has been unearthed.

It is a gigantic egg, one which could have only come from the Roc.  A
fictional bird from ancient legend, the Roc was supposed to have been
able to haul away elephants to feed its offspring.  This egg provides
proof that such a bird had existed.  The married couple head back for
Cairo to hire a crew.  As their jeep continued on its way toward the
city, the giant egg becomes exposed to both air and sunlight...  As the
minutes turn into hours, the sun continues to warm the colorful egg...
Soon, there are the sounds from within the enormous shell...  After
several pronounced movements, the egg is hatched, and the Roc has come
into the world once more.

Now maturing at a fantastic rate, the Roc is now able to become airborne.
WHOOSH  The archeologist and his wife are gathering their crew together
in Cairo, but Anne sees something happening at the end of the square.
John turns to see the people pointing up towards the sky, and sees the
giant Roc.  After it spies a warehouse, and senses the food within, the
giant bird dives earthward.  The warehouse is destroyed and the Roc feeds
upon the stored grain.

The grain is gone and the young bird is still growing.  As the Roc leaves
the city, the archeologist knows that they have just caused the return of
a nightmarish creature upon the world.  The bird's wings enable it to
travel at high speed, where it soon reaches the Mediterranean Sea...
BANG!  BANG!  BANG!  After opening fire upon the Roc, the sailboat's crew
are forced to jump into the water, and their craft is seized by two
powerful talons.

As the men swim for their lives, they watch the Roc fly away with their
sailboat.

It is at the Coast of Spain, where the Roc is seen once more, and the
humble ship is dropped.  CRASH  The people scatter and are thankful that
no one had been injured.  They see that the giant bird is now heading
inland.  The archeologist and his wife have been called to a N.A.T.O.
base, where they make their report on their monstrous discovery.  Several
armed jets are readied for the attack against the Roc.  At a bull ring in
Spain, a toreador is using his skill against an oncoming bull.  Before
the moment of truth can be realized, the audience watch as the giant bird
is about to attack.

Now fully matured, and with the wingspan of a battleship, the Roc makes
its descent upon the stadium.  The roar of jet fighters are heard
overhead, with the pilots catching sight of their enormous target.  The
giant bird is able to outfly the jet planes, whose weapons fail to stop
him.  The parachuting pilots are fortunate enough to have escaped with
their lives.  The Roc has proven mightier than modern military weapons,
and may be the mightiest creature in the world today.

Europe is now the official hunting ground of the Roc.  Citizens are
barely able to flee a bridge before it is carried off by the giant bird.
The flying monster returns to the mountains, where the remains of ships,
aircraft, and buildings have been formed into the beginnings of a giant
nest.  Anne regrets that their honeymoon has been ruined by the Roc, but
her husband suddenly realizes the answer.  A scientific conference is to
be held in Switzerland, and he must attend it at once.

After heading for the train station, John boards the train heading for
Switzerland.  While the Roc continues to pillage the countryside, the
archeologist has his chance to speak with the world's foremost
scientists.  After delivering his plan to the learned men, the nations of
the world agree to work on the project together.  Engineers, materials,
and a location are soon arranged for John Avery's project to begin.  Now
united in their sense of purpose, scientists, engineers, and construction
workers began the task at hand.  While men work on a way to rid
themselves of the Roc, the enormous terror has made its way to France.

Paying no heed to the scurrying crowds of people, the Roc lands in Paris,
and begins to tear through the cobblestones.  The passengers on an
underground subway train escape before it is pulled up  through the
tunnel, and is flown away.

After days of construction, the countdown begins... Nine...Eight...
Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One... Zero!  BAROOM
Now, the rocket-powered spaceship made in the shape of the Roc has
levelled off at five thousand feet...  If one giant bird was bad, then
two will finish off the human race.  The original Roc has sighted the
disguised spacecraft, and follows the decoy into outer space.  The
remote-controlled craft fires off its boosters, with the chase continuing
throughout all of space and time.  The decoy will continue its flight for
untold ages to come, and the Roc will spend the rest of its life in
pursuit of it.  When his wife asks why the Roc would follow another bird,
John Avery tells Anne that she gave him the idea when she mentioned their
honeymoon.  No matter how dangerous or powerful the creature, it must
have the urge to mate, and the fake Roc will continue to lead it away
from the planet.  Now, the archeologist is free to spend time with his
own mate, and celebrate their honeymoon.  And the part of this story will
not interest you, dear readers.

This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl #10 (April, 1971).

On the cover of Monsters On The Prowl #10 by Marie Severin, the
archeologist regrets his discovery, which has brought the Roc back to
life.

The giant bird has a yellowish-greenish tinge to its plumage.

Since his wife enjoys searching through things, it makes sense that she'd
enjoy an archeological dig.

The uncovered Roc egg is as colorful as an Easter egg.

The monstrous creature goes against the grain in a warehouse, as well as
being a believer in shipping, and receiving.

A mythological Roc against the modern machinery of the military fares
rather well, leaving the pilots with a bird's-eye view of their intended
target.

In building its nest, the towering bird believes in playing some bridge.

The inhabitants of a small village have about a windmill's chance of
getting away.

If commuters thought that their subway trains ran at a snail's pace, they
didn't know the half of it.

The Roc succeeds in worming away the city of light's main source of
public transportation.

The rocket-powered spacecraft fires off its engines from its "talons".

A Roc on the land is worth two in outer space.

With the threat to Earth ended, the archeologist is now able to get on
with his own mating game.

Steve Chung
"I Brought The Roc Back To Review!"

Journey Into Mystery #71: The Painting"

Journey Into Mystery #71
"The Painting"
August, 1961

Story: Unknown
Art: Steve Ditko

Simon Squeed was a man who was into buying oil paintings for profit.  He
will soon be taking a trip from his dingy garret in Paris, and find
himself in an interesting story.

He has made more than enough money to retire on, but Simon Squeed does
not want to give up his con man career just yet.  He has heard about a
gypsy in Bessarabia who possesses a priceless painting, and Squeed plans
to con him out of it.  A trip by jet for Simon Squeed would be like a
walk around the block for you or me.  He finds the gypsy, who insists
that his painting is not for sale.  After feasting his eyes upon the oil
painting, Squeed insists upon paying twenty-five dollars for it.  When
the gypsy refuses the offer, the con man offers to raise the price to
thirty dollars, and knows that he could sell the painting for thousands
of dollars easily.  The gypsy regards the persistent man as a fool and a
thief.  Simon Squeed now resorts to other methods, such as pointing the
gypsy out to a policeman, and insisting that he tried to pick his pocket.
The lawman takes the word of the famous art dealer over the hapless
gypsy, and takes him to the station house.

With the gypsy in custody, there is no one to stop Simon Squeed from
entering the wagon, and taking the oil painting for himself.  Inside his
hotel room, he feasts his eyes upon the masterpiece once more, and thinks
about the fortune he'll be making on the open market.  The following day
finds no sign of the art dealer, and since he has not come forward to
press charges, the gypsy is released from jail.  Seeing that the oil
painting has been taken from his wagon, the gypsy heads for the hotel,
and heads for Squeed's room.  After opening the door to the hotel room,
he smiles.

The oil painting is there, just as he expected it to be.  It can never be
taken from him, for it is an enchanted picture.  Mr. Squeed knows this
now.  In trying to frame the gypsy painter, the oily con man has put
himself into the picture.

This story was reprinted in Amazing Adventures #24 (May, 1974).

According to the Grand Comics Database, page 2 of the story had been
edited.

This story was also reprinted in Where Creatures Roam #6 (May, 1971).
(Holy May Day, Batman!)

The job number came from Tom Lammers and Ger Apeldoorn from the
Atlas/Timely Discussion Group.

On the splash page, Simon Squeed is holding onto the oil painting, and
tries to ward off the approach of the giant shadowy gypsy before him.

Squeed is a little man in a business suit and carries a cane.

The gypsy is a big bull of a man with a bushy mustache and beard,
earrings, black hat, red shirt, and baggy purple pants with brown boots.

This Review Is Dedicated To Dave Blanchard and Tom Lammers.

Steve Chung
"The Painting Review"

Journey Into Mystery #18: "The Man Who Went Back!"

Journey Into Mystery #18
"The Man Who Went Back!"
(October, 1954)

Story: Unknown
Art: Peter Tumlinson

They had tried to stop the old man, but it was too late.  Before they
could call the police, Jeff Martin would soon sink into the waters below.
Minutes pass, and the elderly man is startled to see that he is still
alive, carried along by the river's current.

Once on shore, he finds himself in a section of town that he knows quite
well, or does he?  The barber shop is a new sight to him, but the cigar
store has been closed for more than ten years.  His reflection is that of
a man some ten years younger, and the calendar on the wall reads 1944.
Since the swim has taken him back some ten years, Jeff Martin intends on
using his knowledge of securities and investments to make a fortune in
the stock market.  Thanks to his memory, Martin realizes his fortune in
ten year's time.  No longer penniless, Jeff Martin wants the love of a
good woman.  After thinking over the matter, he heads for the waterfront,
but is followed by two men.  Before they can catch up to him, Jeff Martin
dives off the pier.

He floats and swims in the water for a long time.  As time passes, Jeff
Martin feels himself grow stronger, and dives again and again.  The
skyline of New York is seen overheard, with several skyscrapers
disappearing from view.  Twenty-five year old Jeff Martin is now back in
1899, and his first stop is the local race track.  The others in the
crowd are impressed by his knowledge of horses.  At the Wall Street
Exchange, Jeff Martin also knows success.  Only one thing could go wrong
for him... Two men are following him and his date, and he had noticed
them back at the exchange.  Peering out of his apartment window, Martin
figures that they must have lost money because of his predictions.
Figuring that his life is more important than any sum of money, he
decides to leave again.

Now back in 1919, Jeff Martin is once again a young man, and is startled
to find that the woman he had wanted to marry was now a five-year old.
There is no money in the bank since he came from a time before his
fortune was made.  He plans to return on his twenty-fifth birthday and
learn what he can before becoming a young millionaire.  At the local
library, he studies the ebb and flow of the stock market, as well as the
big winners at the track from twenty years ago.  Now on his way to the
waterfront, Jeff Martin is pursued by the two men once again.  Before
they can reach him, he had dove into the river once more.

Taking some valuables from his apartment, he tries to reach the
waterfront without being seen.  The two men have spotted him once more,
and order him to stop.  Seeing that he's carrying a gun, they duck behind
a crate, just as Jeff Martin opens fire.  Before he can dive off the
pier, Martin is caught by a bullet, and is struck down.  They regret
having to shoot him, but know that this is the way with tax evaders.
Jeff Martin had never paid a cent, but he hadn't realized when he arrived
in 1899, there was no such thing as an income tax.

This story was reprinted in Giant-Size Werewolf #3 (January, 1975).

According to the Grand Comics Database, Pete Tumlinson drew a couple of
issues of Journey Into Mystery (#18, #20, #26) and Kid Colt Outlaw (#14,
#16, #17, #19, #22, #23, #24.)

Steve Chung
"The Review Who Went Back!"