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!"