An untitled Red Raven story.
Written by Martin Bursten, penciled by Jack Kirby & inked by Louis Cazeneuve.
An aircraft, caught in a storm, crash lands on an island in the clouds. The island is populated by a race of bird-men, who rescue an infant from the wreckage, the lone survivor. They bring him to their King, who raises him as a son to adulthood. The King gives him mechanical wings, names him the Red Raven, and sends him back into the world of men to "eradicate the elements which make for unhappiness in their world"*. He encounters Zeelmo, an underworld boss determined to harness the Raven's power for his purpose of hoarding the world's gold. The Red Raven brings an end to Zeelmo's gang and rescues a woman Andreva.
17 pages.
First appearance and origin of the Red Raven.
An untitled Human Top story.
Written by Dun Barr, penciled & inked by Dick Briefer.
10 pages.
Mercury in "Mercury in the 20th Century"
Written by Martin Bursten, penciled & inked by Jack Kirby.
8 pages.
"The Death Switch"
Written by Herbert Martin.
A text story.
2 pages,
An untitled Comet Pierce.
Penciled & inked by Jack Kirby.
7 pages.
An untitled Officer O'Krime story.
2 pages.
Magar the Mystic in "Re-Creator of Souls"
10 pages.
An untitled Eternal Brain story.
Penciled & inked by R. Louis Golden.
8 pages.
Comment: of all of the new concepts attempted here in this issue, nearly all would be permanently scrapped. The publication itself would be retitled to the Human Torch as of issue #2, with an entire new cast of features. The Red Raven would return nearly 28 years later, true to his origin, as a supporting character in the pages of X-Men (1963) #44. The character of the Human Top would be reworked 23 years later as a villain, being an antagonist of Giant-Man's in Tales to Astonish (1959) #50.
Cover art by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon.