Real Name: Tachzillo
Identity/Class: Unrevealed (1950s era; see comments)
Occupation: Mischief-maker
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: "Max Barnett" (see comments), Mexican villagers
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: A swamp somewhere in Mexico
First Appearance: Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6 (February, 1957)
Powers/Abilities: As some type of supernatural being, Tachzillo could alter his shape and form -- in one particular instance, he appeared to be a young boy; he could also possibly control the localized weather, particularly rain (see comments).
Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black
History:
(Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6 (fb) - BTS) - The past and true nature
of Tachzillo is unrevealed (see comments), but he dwelt within a
swamp somewhere in Mexico, where he ruled the marshland; the inhabitants
of a nearby village feared angering Tachzillo, so they avoided his
territory.
(Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6) - Escaped American convict "Max Barnett" came to the village, and when legal authorities approached, the armed fugitive demanded that one of the villagers guide him through the swamp; but none of the men cooperated, for they were afraid of Tachzillo -- behind the scenes, Tachzillo took on the form of a boy and agreed to guide "Barnett".
As the "boy" led "Barnett" through the swamp, they walked along a path of rocks and avoided stepping into any quicksand. The two finally reached a small island in the middle of the marsh -- the "boy" told "Barnett" that there was plenty of fruit and water on the island to hold him until the police moved on.
While "Barnett's" attention was diverted looking over his hideout, the "boy" began to walk away -- "Barnett" ordered the "boy" to stop, because he'd never be able to safely get back to the mainland without the "boy's" assistance, and he even fired a warning shot at him.
But then the "boy" disappeared in a billowing cloud of smoke, to reveal that he was actually Tachzillo -- the supernatural entity grinned because of the fate he had in store for "Barnett" before fading away entirely as a wisp of smoke; then a sudden downpour of rain began to flood the swamp (see comment), causing the waters to rise over the rocky path, and trapping "Barnett" on the island.
The years slowly passed, and the aged "Barnett" was still on the island -- as the "boy" had told him, there was plenty of water and fruit to sustain him, but the escaped convict realized that he was still in prison... a prison without bars.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Bill Everett.
Tachzillo's true form was only seen in one panel at the end of this 4-page story (see main image), otherwise he just appeared as the boy, which is why there's no height statistic for him.
The rainstorm that flooded the swamp and covered the path of rocks seems to be convenient -- possibly that was also the work of Tachzillo; of course, I'm only assuming those dark lines are falling rain (see second image of "Max Barnett" sub-profile) -- it could be that Tachzillo actually caused the rock path to sink.
With so few pages, Tachzillo's true nature was never fully explained, although one villager described him as "a fiery spirit of many shapes and forms" -- maybe he was a ghost, an immortal sorcerer, or perhaps another aspect of the Ahau (Mayan) god Wayeb.
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This story was featured on this issue's cover (also by Bill Everett), where Tachzillo appeared to have a more monstrous form -- a guess just having him appear as a little boy on the cover wasn't frightening enough to attract the interest of potential buyers/readers. In regards to "Max Barnett": He was actually the protagonist of the story, but since I didn't feel like continuously typing "unidentified escaped convict," I just arbitrarily gave him that name, so it's subject to change -- I chose it because the sound of it reminds me of "Bill Everett". |
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Tachzillo should not be confused with:
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He (see comments) was a convict who was serving a life-sentence for an unspecified crime in an American prison; unwilling to be incarcerated for the rest of his life, he somehow obtained a handgun and made his escape. With the police in pursuit, he headed south and crossed the border into Mexico. By the morning of the second day, he was deep in the interior of Mexico (see comment below), and the smell of cooking food attracted him to a tiny village. Displaying his gun, the famished "Barnett" intimidated the villagers and ordered them to bring him food and something to drink; after he gorged himself, "Barnett" declared himself to be the "big boss" and settled down, waiting it out in the village. But one day, about two weeks later, legal authorities had caught up to "Barnett's" trail and were headed to the village, and he ordered for one of the villagers to guide him to a nearby swamp so he could hide; however, none of the men would comply, for they feared Tachzillo the Terrible. Losing his patience with the superstitious villagers, "Barnett" was about to rough up one of the men when a young boy stepped forward and agreed to guide him. The boy led the fugitive on a path of rocks through the treacherous waters of the swamp, avoiding the quicksands, until they reached a small island. The boy told "Barnett" that the island had plenty of water and fruit for him to survive until the police moved on. Then "Barnett" noticed the boy walking back through the waters -- realizing he needed the boy to get back to the mainland, "Barnett" ordered him to stop, and even fired a warning shot at him. But suddenly, the boy disappeared in a billowing cloud of smoke, to be replaced by the grinning form of... Tachzillo the Terrible! As it started to rain (see comments), the path of rocks disappeared beneath the rising waters of the swamp, and "Barnett" realized that his young guide had been Tachzillo all along. An undetermined number of years later, the aged "Barnett" was still on the island -- he didn't dare leave, for fear of stepping in quicksand. The "boy" had told the truth, for there was enough fruit and water to sustain him, but "Barnett" was still serving a life-sentence... in a prison without bars. (Comment: Rather than just walking, "Barnett" probably stole a car along his way to get so far into Mexico.) --Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6 |
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The inhabitants of a tiny village deep in the interior of Mexico, they avoided a nearby swamp, for that was where Tachzillo the Terrible dwelt, and they feared angering him. One morning, escaped American convict "Max Barnett" (see comments) came to their village, and because he was armed, they were forced to obey him while he stayed there. But about two weeks later, legal authorities were catching up to "Barnett's" trail and were headed to the village; "Barnett" demanded for one of the villagers to guide him through the swamp, but none of the men would comply, because of their fear of Tachzillo. As "Barnett" was about to rough up one of the men, a young boy agreed to act as the fugitive's guide -- neither "Barnett" nor any of the villagers knew that the "boy" was actually Tachzillo in disguise. --Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6 |
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images: (without ads)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p4, pan5 (Tachzillo reveals his true
form to "Max Barnett")
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p3, pan5 (Tachzillo in the form of a
boy)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p3, pan6 ("boy" leads "Barnett" across
rocks to island)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13, cover (Tachzillo)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p2, pan6 (displaying handgun, "Max
Barnett" orders villagers to bring him food)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p4, pan6 ("Max Barnett" trapped on
island, as Tachzillo drifts away as a mist)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p4, pan7 (aged "Max Barnett", after
being stranded on island for years)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p3, pan2 ("Max Barnett" orders
villagers to guide him through swamp)
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6, p3, pan3 (villager warns "Max Barnett"
about Tachzillo)
Appearances:
Strange Stories of Suspense#13/6 (February, 1957) - unidentified writer,
Bill Everett (pencils/inks/letters), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 10/13/2026
Last updated: 09/15/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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