The Terror

The Terror
Mystic Comics #5 - 10 (March 1941 – August 1942)

Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride. A rampaging giant gorilla unexpectedly breaks into the isolated laboratory of scientist Dr. John Storm and attacks him. The doctor is saved when his dog, Rex, inexplicably transforms into a skull-faced, super powered creature and kills the gorilla. Dr. Storm analyzes Rex's blood and extracts from it an unidentifiable serum that he believes must have been responsible for the dog's transformation. Seconds after the doctor has reached this conclusion, an amnesic car crash victim comes stumbling into the apparently not so isolated laboratory and collapses.

Unfortunately for the injured and unconscious man, Dr. Storm decides to test this mysterious serum out on him. Unfortunately for the good doctor, he is attacked minutes later by a group of vicious thugs who want him to use his scientific knowledge to aid their criminal ends. Unfortunately for the thugs, who are beating Dr. Storm to death for refusing to help them, the human guinea pig wakes up, and, angered by what he sees, is transformed into… The Terror.

Despite an origin story that chucks credibility under the wheels before it even builds up a full head of steam, The Terror was Mystic's longest running character, taking on Nazis, thugs and mobsters, and dispatching them mercilessly, until the title ceased publication.

The first Terror adventure was written by Phil Sturm, with art by Timely regular, Syd Shores.