MERZAH
Real Name: Merzah (last name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human magic user (World War II era)
Occupation: Private Investigator, spy hunter
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Diana (personal assistant), Jose (valet)
Enemies: Matsu (foreign spy)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Merzah the Mystic
Base of Operations: New York City, mobile throughout the world
First Appearance: Mystic Comics I#4/7 (August, 1940)
Powers/Abilities: Merzah was gifted with the psychic abilities of thought transmission and telepathy. He was able to focus his thoughts and receive mental images of people, places and events to which he had no previous knowledge. His great mental power also granted him an undefined sixth sense that warns him of impending danger. He is able to send his thoughts from afar into a special radio called a telepathic recorder to communicate with Jose his valet. This device was shown to be a part of his car’s dashboard and could only receive his thoughts and not send them. His thoughts would translate into spoken words as they filter through the strange device’s speakers. He was a decent hand to hand combatant and marksman.
History:
(Mystic Comics I#4/7– Merzah and his assistant Diana travelled westward by train to San Carlos with plans for an unsinkable lifeboat. Suddenly his great mind detects impending danger and just as he begins to warn the porter to stop the train, the track on a trestle ahead is sabotaged sending many cars down a small gorge. Merzah and Diana having sat in the last car narrowly avoid death. The pair exits the car and began helping the dying and injured. Later, Merzah using his mystic powers of telepathy uncovers a plot by a Japanese spy ring lead by a man named Matsu who was trying to murder him for the lifeboat plans.
Later on in the evening, Merzah and Diana reach San Carlos and check into the Astor Hotel unknown that they had been followed by Matsu’s spies. The phone rings and Diana answers it and is told to tell Merzah to come to 98 Pearl Street if he wants to find Matsu. Merzah accompanied by Diana and Jose his valet take a car and drive off to the location. Merzah instructs Jose to watch the telepathic recorder in the car in case there is any trouble so he can be contacted. Arriving at the location, Merzah and Diana enter the house but are confronted by Matsu and his gang and after a brief struggle they are hit over the head with clubs and tied up and taken upstairs. After regaining consciousness, Merzah uses his telepathy and contacts Jose through the telepathic recorder to come to his aid. On his way to help, the car has an unexpected blowout forcing Jose to quickly change the flat.
Matsu decides to take Merzah and Diana to another location on Long Island and Jose arriving in time is telepathically told to follow slowly behind the car. At the new location Merzah and Diana are taken upstairs and locked in a room. Merzah is able to access a hidden flashlight from his clothes and shines it out the bedroom window as a beacon and telepathically tells Jose to follow beam and climb up the wall to the room above. Jose arms himself with a tire iron and sneaks up on two of Matsu’s spies and clubs them over the head and quickly scales the wall and enters into the room where Merzah and Diana were being held. Jose in his haste to free Merzah, knocks over a lamp and the noise alerts some guards outside patrolling the grounds. Merzah mind senses the danger and runs over to the window in time to prevent a couple of sword wielding spies from entering. The trio, under Merzah’s advice takes the hallway and a running gun battle erupts. Merzah and Jose punch their way past a couple of spies and Diana now armed with a pistol disarms another one using a Tommy gun. Merzah gives chase as Matsu jumps out a nearby window to escape. Diana is told to stay behind with the captive spies and call the police to come and deal with them. Merzah and Jose now in their car begin to chase Matsu. Using his telepathy, Merzah is able to follow and catch up. Taking up a rifle, Merzah proceeds to shoot at the fleeing limo. The gun shots cause Matsu’s car to veer off the road and it impacts with a large tree which ends his life in a fiery crash. With Matsu dead and his gang arrested Merzah is able to deliver the lifeboat plans safely. Merzah is later sent a telegram congratulating him on his good work and keeping America safe for Democracy.
Comments: Created by Russ Lanford
The story was poorly scripted and lacked any real character development. Was this the reason he only had one comic book appearance. More than likely this was the case as most of the characters that have appeared in Mystic Comics were experimental as Timely tried to create the next great hero like Captain America, Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Merzah the Mystic was an interesting concept character and if the story had been written better he could have been granted more appearances.
One of the opening captions on the first page states, “Right here in America- There are more than 300,000 foreign spies.” This statement was highly inaccurate and probably based on propaganda and fear of foreigners. Communism and Fascism were heavily scrutinized by Americans thanks to the FBI under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover tended to exaggerate the dangers of subversives, and many believe he overstepped his bounds in his pursuit of eliminating those he viewed as treats.
Profile by AvatarWarlord72
CLARIFICATIONS:
Merzah the Mystic has no known connection to:
Diana and Jose have no known connections to:
Diana was Merzah’s assistant and traveled with him all over the world on his missions. Little is known about this mysterious dark haired lady but she did display great skill in using a gun.
Jose was Merzah’s valet and often tagged along with Merzah and Diana on missions. His past history is unknown and his appearance and name suggests of Pilipino heritage. He was a competent hand to hand combatant and an excellent driver.
--Mystic Comics I#4/7
images:
Mystic Comics I#4/7, p1, pan1 (Merzah the Mystic)
Mystic Comics I#4/7, p8, pan5 (Merzah, Diana and Jose)
Appearances:
Mystic Comics I#4 (August, 1940) - Russ Lanford (artist)
Last updated: 10/28/06
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. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com