JOE SYKES
Real Name: Joe Sykes
Identity/Class: Human ghost (1950s era)
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None;
formerly two colleagues (names unrevealed)
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed location
(likely Florida, USA, see comments)
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#22/3
(February, 1955)
Powers/Abilities: As a ghost, Joe Sykes is
invisible and intangible, and can go through walls. Although he is a
ghost, he does not believe in ghosts; this may change over time. He may
be bound to the house where he became a ghost. While human, he had
sleep apnoea (snoring).
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 0 lbs. (as ghost);
formerly 175 lbs.
Eyes: White/intangible (as
ghost); formerly blue
Hair: White/intangible (as
ghost); formerly blond
History:
(Journey into Mystery I#22/3 (fb) - BTS) - An
abandoned and derelict old mansion with a graveyard inside its boundary
garnered a reputation for being haunted. Joe Sykes managed to secure a
bet of $50 with two colleagues that he could spend a night inside the
house, refuting the notion of ghosts.
(Journey into Mystery I#22/3) - The trio arrived by
car at the house during the windy night. Joe leaped forward, keen to
get his money, but the others were cautious, considering the house more
spooky in the moonlight. They offered to cancel the bet, but Joe
derided them, so the duo went off to watch from the car to make sure
Joe didn't sneak out. Joe briefly explored the dusty interior and
covered furniture. Lighting a candle, he went upstairs and found a
bedroom but a loud wailing sounding like "Nooooo" briefly scared him.
He dismissed it as wind. Overconfident, he lay on the bed with its
ornate monk-like carvings and fell asleep. Outside, a lightning storm
raged with one lightning bolt crashing through the window, apparently
turning him into a ghost. At dawn, his two friends came in to look for
him but found no trace; Joe called out to them and stood in their
midst, but they could not see him and left scared, thinking Joe had
snuck out after all. Inside, Joe stood alone and called angrily out
that ghosts did not exist and that he had won the bet.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Larry Woromay.
Joe Sykes left no dead body behind? Did his friend
rush his exploration of the house and not find it or did the unusual
bed form part of a process that completely transformed Joe's body into
an invisible ghostly state? It seems clear that he is a ghost, so maybe
the lightning disintegrated his body.
The mansion has trees with what appears to be Spanish
moss (actually a bromeliad) hanging from the branches; these are common
in Florida. Of note is that while there are diagonal lines drawn to
simulate wind and rain, the Spanish moss on the trees in the graveyard
hang straight down. Hmmm...
Apparently, $50 in 1955 is equivalent in purchasing
power to about $624 in 2026, according to the US Inflation
Calculator. Wouldn't you sleep in a haunted mansion during a lightning
storm for that...?
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Joe Sykes has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#22/3, p4, pan7 (main image)
p3, pan5 (headshot)
p4, pan1 (lightning bolt)
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#22/3 (February, 1955) - uncredited writer, Larry
Woromay (art), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 10/31/2026
Last updated:
10/31/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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