From high Olympus, home of the ancient gods, comes Mercury the fleet. Jupiter, father of the gods, sends Mercury to earth to save mankind from self-destruction, for Mercury has been chosen to battle the devil who is spurring man to this disastrous end— Pluto, Prince of Darkness!!! Jupiter muses: "Poor foolish little mortals. They are so easily tempted by visions of glory—visions that stir them to kill their own kind—a periodical madness that keeps that keeps them from achieving true greatness."
"I know your thoughts, noble Jupiter. I share your sorrow. Surely there is one of us who can halt Pluto's ghastly pastime," says Minerva.
"A wise suggestion, gentle Minerva. But who among us could hope to oppose that devil, Pluto?" asks great Jupiter. "I'd hate to pick that fire-eater Vulcan. Pluto and he are alike in so many ways, I couldn't trust him...Plump Aeolus is but a contented bag of wind—no match for the dark prince...The huntress Diana for all her ferocity is still but a woman...and Pluto knows women...Handsome Apollo is intelligent and brave. He might be the man for the job. But he's irresponsible and vain...Pluto would snare him easily..." Jupiter's voice trails off.
"There must be someone in our midst of nimble wit and body...someone to outsmart that dark rascal Pluto," sighs Minerva as she kneels by Jupiter’s feet.
"Somebody nimble of body—I have it! By the eternal! My son—my own son can do it!" proclaims all-wise Jupiter.
"Mercury!" the name rings through the heavens. Answering his father’s call, Mercury finds a council of the gods awaiting him as majestic Jupiter outlines the task the fleet young god must fulfill.
"Long have I hoped for this chance. I go!" Mercury informs his father.
"Let one quotation from modern mortals serve as parting words, son. I want you to lick the pants off that demon Pluto!" says Jupiter.
"It's in the bag, all wisest!" replies a smiling Mercury! And so an immortal leaves Olympus for the world of man—to save a civilization gone mad.
Comments
Mercury is one of Kirby’s first attempts at a mythological theme. The light touch that Kirby brings to Olympus is different from the ever-serious halls of Asgard in Thor, but it captures the tongue-in-cheek attitude the Greeks could adopt for their gods. Making Pluto a Satanic figure works effectively to give Mercury a reason for fighting (and readers an excuse to come back for more stories). But sadly there were no more stories. Red Raven Comics was cancelled in favor of Human Torch Comics. The same basic plotline and characters were used later for the Hurricane strip, but Hurricane is treated as a separate character.
Mercury was the fastest of the gods and served as Zeus’s herald. This may have inspired Kirby’s to use the god as an emissary of Zeus. And of course he was the most easily recognized of the Greek gods with his winged helmet, caduceus, and winged sandals. Mercury had inspired the design for DC’s Flash. But unlike the other Golden Age speedsters, Mercury had other powers to use against crime. The ancient Mercury was also associated with magic and the supernatural.
It’s a standing question whether the two heroes Mercury and Hurricane are one and the same, but Marvel’s continuity has resolved the issue by stating that they are both versions of the same person, the Eternal Makkari.
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