Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Martian [presumably, see comments]) (Pre-Modern era)
Occupation: "Treasure-hunter"
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: His fellow Martians
Enemies: Melvin Burns
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mars;
temporarily somewhere on Earth
First Appearance: Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 (May, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: Possibly reptilian, this humanoid extraterrestrial had scaly orange flesh and large pointed ears, but displayed no paranormal abilities.
He traveled to Earth in a flying saucer, which was equipped with a mutation apparatus.
Height: Unrevealed (6'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
History:
(Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 (fb) - BTS) - Desiring to
capture an Earthman they could put on display in their zoo, Martians
sent one of their race to Earth to acquire that "treasure".
(Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1) - At night, the Martian "treasure-hunter" landed his spacecraft in the clearing of a forest and began his search for an Earthman; he was sighted by dishonest gambler Melvin Burns (who was hiding after being caught cheating in a poker game).
Burns introduced himself as a gambler, and mentioned to the Martian that he hardly ever lost. The alien told Burns that on Mars, they had the secret of never losing, and that if he (Burns) helped him obtain the certain "treasure" for which he was searching, he would give Burns the secret of always winning when he gambled--Burns immediately took the Martian up on his offer.
The two boarded the Martian's flying saucer, and as they began the flight to Mars, the alien took Burns into a separate chamber and subjected him to a mutation apparatus--the device gave Burns the power to predict the outcome of games of chance.
The Martian then thanked Burns for helping him obtain the "treasure"; but Burns was confused, and wondered what he had done to help the alien find it.
The next thing Melvin Burns knew, he found himself locked in a cage on Mars; as other Martians gathered around to see their zoo's newest exhibit, the Martian told the "brainless Earthling" (Burns) that he was the "treasure"!
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
This 5-page story--Melvin and the Martian!--was done with Melvin Burns as the protagonist, and the Martian played a secondary role.
Like many other "Martians" claiming to be from Mars, this Martian and his fellow beings may not be natives of that planet, and may have just been using it for a base of operations; they may actually come from another world outside Earth's solar system.
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This story was redone a few years later and was originally scheduled to be a "Tales of the Watcher" back-up in Silver Surfer I#8 (September, 1969); however, that back-up feature was dropped from the series with that issue, so the reworked story was published in Marvel Super-Heroes I#23 (November, 1969) instead. Although it was essentially the same story, the Martians looked different and had green skin-coloring, Melvin had a mustache, and the mutation apparatus was replaced with "a certain foul-tasting potion". This profile was completed 01/21/2025, but it was saved for the March 2025 Mars event. |
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Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Martian and his fellow Martians have no known connections to:
Melvin Burns has no known connections to:
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A spacecraft used by the Martian to travel from Mars to Earth; its top speed was unrevealed, but it apparently traversed the distance between planets in a seemingly short time. One chamber of the vessel contained a mutation apparatus, which the Martian used to stimulate the brain of Melvin Burns. The Martian used the flying saucer to return to Mars with his "treasure"--the captured Melvin Burns--who would be displayed in a cage at the Martians' zoo. --Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 |
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A device within a chamber of the Martian's flying saucer, it consisted of a helmet and a separate control panel. The Martian used it to stimulate the brain of gambler Melvin Burns--the device apparently gave Burns some sort of precognitive power, which the gambler planned to use to predict the outcome of games of chance. --Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 (Comment: This was never specifically identified in the story, but the Marvel Index referred to it as a "mutation apparatus".) |
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A professional gambler, he hardly ever lost... but that was only because the crooked and sneaky Burns cheated--he played games of chance with loaded dice and marked cards, and paid off jockeys to throw horse races. One night, Melvin was in a gambling den, playing poker with some rough-types, and winning every hand; but when they discovered that the cards were marked, Melvin turned off the lights and fled the building, then hid in the woods. After his pursers gave up the chase, Melvin came out of hiding... but then he saw a flying saucer landing in a clearing, and a Martian emerged from the spacecraft! He watched as the alien visitor seemed to be searching for something. Figuring there was some angle that he could use to make this close encounter pay off for him, Melvin introduced himself to the extraterrestrial as a gambler who hardly ever lost. Upon hearing this, the Martian told Melvin that he came to Earth seeking a certain "treasure," and if Melvin helped him obtain it, he would share with him the Martians' secret of never losing. Intrigued by the alien's proposition, Melvin immediately took him up on his offer (...plus, once he knew the secret, Melvin figured he could also steal the Martian's treasure). The two boarded the alien's spacecraft, and as they began the flight to Mars, the Martian took Melvin into a separate chamber and subjected him to a mutation apparatus. The procedure gave Burns the ability to accurately predict the outcome of games of chance. But Melvin was confused when the Martian thanked him for his help in obtaining the "treasure," and wondered what he had done to help the alien find it. The Martian explained to the "brainless Earthling" that he (Burns) was the "treasure"! The next thing Burns knew, he found himself locked in a cage on Mars, where other Martians gathered around to see their zoo's newest exhibit. And as the Martian sun sank in the distance, Melvin Burns sadly realized that he had lost out on the biggest gamble of his life. --Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 |
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images: (without ads)
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p3, pan2 (main image - Martian outside flying saucer; Melvin Burns [background])
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p3, pan6 (headshot - Martian)
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p3, pan3 (Martian picks up a rock; Melvin Burns [background])
Amazing
Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p5, pan5 (Martian [right]; three other Martians
[left], Melvin Burns in EARTH MAN cage [background])
Marvel Super-Heroes I#23/2, p1, pan1 (Martian)
Marvel Super-Heroes I#23/2, p6, pan1 (Martian [right]; two other
Martians [left], Melvin Burns trapped in EARTHMAN transparent cylinder
[background])
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p3, pan1 (Martian's flying saucer; Melvin Burns [foreground])
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p4, pan6 (interior of flying saucer; Melvin Burns, Martian at control console)
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p5, pan2 (mutation apparatus helmet worn by Melvin Burns; Martian at control panel)
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p5, pan3 (Melvin Burns feels effects of mutation apparatus; Martian [background])
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p2, pan4 (Melvin Burns gets caught cheating)
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1, p4, pan2 (Melvin Burns introduces himself to Martian)
Appearances:
Amazing Adult Fantasy I#12/1 (May, 1962) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (artist), Artie Simek (letters)
Marvel Super-Heroes I#23/2 (November, 1969) - Stan Lee (writer/editor),
Tom Palmer (artist), Artie Simek (letters) - original story redone
First posted: 03/19/2025
Last updated: 03/20/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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