MANCHURIA MARY

Real Name: Unrevealed (first name is possibly Mary)

Identity/Class: Human (post-World War II era) (Korean)

Occupation: Guerrilla

Group Membership: Leader of her own band of guerrillas

Affiliations: Hai, Low Shu

Enemies: Battle Brady, Chu-Chu, Combat Kelly, Cookie Novak, Captain Rocke, Hu Sha, Sgt. Socko Swenski

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Comrade Mary

Base of Operations: Mobile in Korea

First Appearance: Battle Brady I#11 (February, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: Manchuria Mary was an excellent combatant in armed and unarmed combat. She usually had access to rifles and handguns.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'2")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 104 lbs.)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

History:
(Battle Brady I#11/4 (fb) - BTS) - Manchuria Mary was a Korean guerrilla operative during the Korean War. At one point, she raided the home of the South Korean woman Hu Sha and killed Hu Sha's mother. Finding a bottle of perfume Hu Sha had been gifted by an American soldier, Manchuria Mary took the bottle for herself.

(Battle Brady I#11/4) - The U.S. Army put out warnings about Manchuria Mary and ordered her arrest. The American soldiers Battle Brady and Sgt. "Socko" Swenski attempted to capture her but, as they didn't know exactly what she looked like, Manchuria Mary used a variety of different beautiful Korean woman to serve as her proxy in guerrilla activities. Although at least six of her guerrillas were captured by the Americans, Manchuria Mary evaded capture.

    One day, Mary was taking a bath in a river when she was discovered by Battle Brady and "Socko" Swenski. Brady assumed she was Manchuria Mary but Swenski was skeptical given their earlier encounters with her operatives. The two soldiers permitted Mary to dress and noticed she had a bottle of perfume. Once she was dressed, Mary used a rock to knock out both soldiers from behind. Hearing someone draw near, Mary withdrew to gather her fellow guerrillas. The person Mary heard approaching proved to be Hu Sha, who was seeking Mary for revenge over her mother's death. Hu Sha threatened to wipe out all of Mary's guerrillas with a grenade unless they dropped their guns. She demanded Manchuria Mary identify herself but none of the women would confess their true identity. Recognizing that Mary was wearing the perfume she'd stolen from her before, Hu Sha identified Mary for Brady and Swenski's benefit. Brady and Swenski took all of the guerrillas prisoner, including Mary.

(Battle Brady I#12/2) - While Brady and Swenski were still escorting Mary and her guerrillas back to their camp, the other guerrillas created a diversion to distract the two soldiers, enabling Mary to slip away into the wilderness. When they realized she escaped, Brady left Swenski to guard the other guerrillas while he pursued Mary but Mary dove off a cliff into river and rendezvoused with Communist agents who had horses waiting for her. By the time Brady returned to Swenski, the other guerrillas had overwhelmed him, tied him up and escaped.

    Mary captured Hu Sha and built a large fire pit, intending to throw Hu Sha in and burn her to death for turning her over to the Americans. However, Brady and Swenski had finally caught up to Mary. Using his lasso, Brady swung down and grabbed Mary, dangling himself and her above the fire pit. As her fellow guerrillas could not shoot Brady without sacrificing Mary's life, Mary was compelled to order her forces to surrender to Brady and Swenski. Mary and her guerrillas were once again taken prisoner.

(Battle Brady I#13/2) - Mary and her guerrillas escaped the army's stockade. As it was winter, she and her guerrillas donned heavy clothing and captured Brady and Swenski while the two men were on patrol. Mary brought Brady and Swenski to the side of a mountain and set up her guerrillas in a firing line. Mary ordered her guerrillas to begin firing at Brady and Swenski but to avoid actually striking them, wishing to prolong the two men's torment as they wondered which bullet would be the fatal one. Unluckily for the guerrillas, the noise of their bullets caused an avalanche of snow and rocks which crushed them, seemingly killing Mary and all of her guerrillas. Brady and Swenski survived by ducking into a cave just before the rocks fell.

(Battle Action I#10) - Manchuria Mary hijacked a truck carrying bulletproof vests and distributed the vests to the soldiers under her command. Her squad attacked Battle Brady and "Socko" Swenski and defeated both men but took them alive as prisoners. Tying up the men, they placed them on a road where another truck was scheduled to pass. When the truck stopped to avoid running over the two men, Mary and her soldiers emerged with guns drawn and claimed the truck as their bounty. Mary had the captured truck driven to a canyon where it could not be spotted from the air and schemed to continue her plot of using Brady and "Socko" to help steal US supplies.

    In the week that followed, Mary continued to use the bound-up Brady and "Socko" as human roadblocks to capture more US trucks full of supplies, continuing to deposit the trucks in the same canyon and increasing her supplies of US supplies and US Army prisoners. Finally, Mary determined they had enough bulletproof vests and ammunition to start her attack against the US front line. After Mary and her men marched off, leaving a small guard over the prisoners, Brady effected an escape. Knowing the Chinese forces were now bulletproof, Brady and the other escaped prisoners drove the trucks in a massive convoy and drove over the Chinese soldiers, crushing them to death. Examining the dead, Brady and "Socko" realized Mary had escaped and they would likely meet again.

(Combat Kelly I#15/4) - The Korean woman Chu-Chu was used to bait Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak in a trap using Chu-Chu's father as leverage to ensure her aid. Chu-Chu pretended to be leading Kelly and Cookie away from the Chinese army but instead led them directly into the Chinese military's clutches. The military brought Kelly and Cookie to Manchuria Mary, who declared she'd use one of them to drive a hijacked U.S. Army truck loaded with ammunition into her mountain stronghold. Kelly offered to perform the task but Mary refused to accept him as a volunteer, instead insisting Cookie would be the one to drive the truck for them. Mary sent two Chinese soldiers to accompany Cookie in the truck but while heading to the stronghold, Cookie discovered a note Kelly had secretly written on his shirt telling him to crash the truck into the stronghold. Cookie obeyed and jumped out of the truck before it hit the building, destroying Mary's stronghold. Mary heard the explosion and saw a smile on Kelly's face. Realizing he and Cookie had outsmarted her, Mary was about to kill Kelly when Chu-Chu returned. Having discovered her father was dead, Chu-Chu was no longer loyal to the Communists and she threw a knife at Manchuria Mary, striking her in the heart. Kelly and Chu-Chu left Manchuria Mary for dead.

Comments: Created by Hank Chapman and Syd Shores.

    Manchuria Mary was normally a Battle Brady foe, yet popped up in a single Combat Kelly adventure. I wonder if Hank Chapman forgot which series had which gorgeous diabolical mastermind? Mary and Kelly behaved as though they were long-time adversaries but it's their first published meeting.

    This profile was completed on 10/23/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Manchuria Mary should not be confused with:

• CHU SAN - Spy Fighters foe--Spy Fighters I#11
• COMRADE CHINA - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#14
• HAN RIVER HELEN - Iron Mike McGraw foe--Marines in Battle I#1
• KAESONG KATIE - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#10
• KIMA - Doug Grant foe--Spy Cases I#15
• KOREA KATIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#13
• LEE-SIK - Iron Mike McGraw foe--Marines in Battle I#1
• LING - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#28
• MUKTONG MOLLIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#19
• NITA - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#15
• GENERAL OLGA - Buzz Brand foe--Battle Action I#11
• PANTHER LADY - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#8
• THE PEARL OF PYONGYANG - Battle Brady foe--Battle Action I#8
• PUSAN POLLY - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#24
• RED MARY - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#21
• RED POPPY - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#17
• THE SNAKE LADY OF SINYONG - Combat Casey foe foe--Combat Casey I#18
• SWEET LOTUS - Doug Grant foe--Spy Cases I#14
• THE WASP - Battle Brady foe--Battle I#25
• YALU RIVER ROSIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#7
• other "Manchuria" or "Mary" characters, groups, items, races or events, or any other beautiful Asian Communist women

Hai

Hai was one of the members of Manchuria Mary's band of female guerrillas. Hai participated in Manchuria Mary's firing squad that attempted to torment Battle Brady and "Socko" Swenski, deliberately firing missed shots at them. Unfortunately for the guerrillas, their bullets caused an avalanche which crushed them. Although Manchuria Mary survived, Hai was likely killed in the avalanche.

--Battle Brady I#13/2

She was probably one of the unidentified guerrillas seen in Battle Brady I#11/4 and 12/2.

Low Shu

Low Shu was one of the members of Manchuria Mary's band of female guerrillas. Low Shu participated in Manchuria Mary's firing squad that attempted to torment Battle Brady and "Socko" Swenski, deliberately firing missed shots at them. Unfortunately for the guerrillas, their bullets caused an avalanche which crushed them. Although Manchuria Mary survived, Low Shu was likely killed in the avalanche.

--Battle Brady I#13/2

She was probably one of the unidentified guerrillas seen in Battle Brady I#11/4 and 12/2.

images: (without ads)
Battle Action I#10, page 4, panel 6 (Mary, main)
Battle Action I#10, page 5, panel 3 (Mary, face)
Battle Brady I#13/2, page 4, panel 1 (Hai)
Battle Brady I#13/2, page 4, panel 3 (Low)

Appearances:
Battle Brady I#11/4 (February, 1953) - Hank Chapman (writer), Syd Shores (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Battle Brady I#12/2 (March, 1953) - Hank Chapman (writer), Syd Shores (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Battle Action I#10 (March, 1953) - Hank Chapman (writer), Syd Shores (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Battle Brady I#13/2 (April, 1953) - Hank Chapman (writer), Syd Shores (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Combat Kelly I#15/4 (August, 1953) - unidentified writer, Dave Berg (artist), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/20/2026
Last updated: 10/23/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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