Our story begins in ancient mysterious Egypt, whose lost civilization historians believe was far superior to ours of the twentieth century. Among Egypt’s secrets, which were forever swept away in the swirling waters of the Nile, is reincarnation, the re-birth of the dead. Thus for thousands of years the key to the secrets of re-incarnation were buried with Egyptian civilization, almost forgotten until Hercules, Son Of Power, drew his last breath in the form of mortal man. To his castle in Valhalla glides the soul of Hercules, which smiles down as a nation guides itself through many stormy years. Then one day, a mad dictator makes his bloody bid for fame. The dictator's power-mad voice echoes throughout the world; it's the cry of WAR! Once again the War Lord Mars is on the march. Up in Valhalla, Hercules decides to act! Jupiter, King of the Gods, grants Hercules his wish and the soul of Hercules descends to hover over the Earth. In the heart of a crowded metropolis, the wail of a new born babe coincides with the appearance of a phantom-like flickering shadow. Even in the early months, the strength of the new arrival alarms his parents. The baby, Martin Burns, grows older and stronger. As a young boy his amazing strength puzzles him. On his 14th birthday, while asleep at home, Martin's mother is paid a visit by a mysterious cloaked stranger, who presents Martin's mother with a gift for the boy. Martin's mother leaves the package in his room while he sleeps. Martin awakes in the dead of night and is startled to see a mysterious shadow in his room. The shadow speaks: "Fear not, Martin. I am but a shadow; your body is but a vessel which holds the soul of Hercules. On your strong shoulders rests the fate of your race; you shall be the marvel of your age, the boy with the strength of twenty men...the Marvel Boy." Martin leaps up from his bed and opens the gift he has been given by the shadow. It is a uniform in which to go forth and defeat the forces of evil in the world. And he does so with great fervor for a single magnificent adventure.

Comments

    The new hero of 1940 could have been a winner; his strip had it all: youthful protagonist, superhuman strength, reincarnation, Egyptian magic, and mythological origins. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s Captain Marvel, um…actually Marvel Boy. Daring Mystery Comics needed a hit; Fawcett’s hero had appeared a few months before. Possibly Timely wanted an answer to Captain Marvel, courtesy of Simon and Kirby. Marvel Boy appeared before the readers of Daring Mystery Comics in a striking Kirby cover, billed as a “new sensational feature.” But he made only two appearances in Daring Mystery Comics and USA Comics. Go figure.

    Hercules was a great favorite of comic creator-- at least three companies, including Timely, had Hercules strips, not to mention Captain Marvel’s Hercules-derived strength. The Egyptian origin angle was even more popular in 1940: Captain Marvel, Hawkman, and Ibis the Invincible all derived from ancient Egypt. But Marvel boy has two similar but distinct origins. In Daring Mystery, Martin Burns is Hercules reincarnated; in USA, young Martin accidentally receives the strength of Hercules when Hercules’ mummy falls on him. Marvel Boy’s costume differs in each appearance and some sources record two separate Marvel Boys in the Golden Age.

    The story’s underpinnings mix Hercules, Valhalla, and Egypt in an eclectic uneasy mythological stew, reflecting the free and reflect the free-and-easy attitude comic book authors took to myths, legends, and folklore. But comics were creating their own mythologies and earlier works were ransacked for ideas, not closely followed. Besides, classical peoples tolerated inconsistencies in their myths and often synthesized different cultural traditions, giving us a Celtic Zeus and an Egyptian Mercury.

    Martin Burns has not made any appearances in the post-Golden Age, but Timely published an unrelated Marvel Boy strip in the 1950s, drawn by Bill Everett. And Marvel has currently created a new Marvel Boy.