Merlin the Magician

"Quick, General Nevsky!  Put me in your biggest cannon!  I MA WON A NONNAC LLEHS!"
~ Merlin the Magician



From National Comics # 16

 MERLIN
Real Name:  Jock Kellogg 
First Appearance: National Comics # 1 (July 1940)
Publisher:  Quality Comics
Creator:  Dan Zolnerowich (credited to pen name "Lance Blackwood")

Recommended Links:
* Link to Public Domain SuperHeroes Page
* Link to Wikipedia Page

"Garbed in his magical cloak, Merlin, descendant of the ancient magician of King Arthur's court, today uses occult powers to aid democracies in their fight against oppression."

When London resident and "handsome playboy" Jock Kellogg ran out of money, he received a telegram from  

a dying uncle.  Expecting a fortune, he instead learned that he was a descendant of the fabled Merlin from the time of King Arthur and inherited Merlin's magic cloak.   Later realizing the cloak truly did grant him magic  powers, Jock, now calling himself Merlin the Magician, confronted the god of war Mars.  Charged by a mysterious maiden who was the embodiment of Peace to save the people of the world, Merlin again challenged and even defeated Mars, temporarily bringing peace to the world.

 Alas, it would not remain this way, and Merlin began fighting against evil.  Merlin fought gods and other mystical beings, traveled to the land of the dead and opposed oppressing armies as well as performed more mundane tasks like helping orphans, fighting crime and recovering stolen jewels.

Merlin initially performed magic in a variety of ways including magic words and gestures, but as of National Comics # 12, he started speaking his spells backwards, like a few other magicians of the era.
Merlin appeared in National Comics # 1-26.

The following is from National Comics# 1.

Tor the Magic Master

"I'd better be prepared to pit my magic against any trouble."

~ Tor the Magic Master

TOR THE MAGIC MASTER
Real Name:  Jim Slade
First Appearance: Crack Comics # 10 (February 1941)
Publisher:  Quality Comics
Creator:  Fred Guardineer

"Jim Slade the roving press photographer secretly is Tor the Magic Master and matches his occult powers against saboteurs and enemies of America."


Jim Slade was a press photographer who, when he put on a fake mustache, tuxedo and red cape, became Tor the Magic Master.   As "Jimmy" Slade traveled the world taking pictures, he inevitably stumbled onto some trouble that Tor handled.  In his initial four appearances, he was the standard magician but later started using backward spells, similar to other magicians of the time (creator Fred Guardineer being the common denominator with these other mystics.)

Tor appeared in Crack Comics #10-26.


The following is Tor's second appearance in Crack Comics # 11.

Margo the Magician

"Say-yyy!  I am a magician...Dad's magic trick of hypnosis should work!!"

~ Margo the Magician

MARGO THE MAGICIAN
Real Name:  Margo Webster 
First Appearance: Uncle Sam Quarterly #2 (Winter 1941)
Publisher:  Quality Comics
Creator:  Bill Bydem (probably a pen name)

Daughter of the Great Presto, Margo learned her father's power of mass hypnotism after he was shot by Japanese soldiers in Shanghai.  While dying, he whispered the secret to her.  Using her new abilities, she rescued her brother Jimmy and set off to get food for starving Chinese from a Japanese army supply train.  

She was successful and, as Japanese planes started bombing the area, we were asked, "What will happen next?"  Sadly, we do not find out as we never see Margo the Magician again, even though we are teased by a next issue blurb.  This was her sole appearance.