LINUS VERMEER

Real Name: Linus Vermeer

Identity/Class: Unrevealed (see comments) (1950s era)

Occupation: Reclusive millionaire

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Captain Mike Jordan

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean; formerly his mansion

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#69/4 (June, 1959)

Powers/Abilities: Vermeer was an aquatic humanoid, possessing a human torso, and a fish-like tail instead of legs. He was amphibious and could breathe conventionally while on the surface, and apparently had gills to extract oxygen while underwater. When out of water, he was confined to a wheelchair, and used a small blanket to conceal his "legs".

Self-described as "a very wealthy man," Vermeer owned a large coastal estate, and a chauffeur-driven limousine.

Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald
Other distinguishing features: Pointed ears

History:
(Strange Tales I#69/4 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Linus Vermeer is completely unrevealed (see comments), but at some point, the wheelchair-bound millionaire developed an obsessive compulsion to find the lost continent of Atlantis.

(Strange Tales I#69/4) - At his coastal estate, Vermeer met with Captain Jordan and chartered his ship for a thousand-mile voyage that was extremely important to him: Vermeer wanted to be taken to Atlantis! When the incredulous Jordan retorted that Atlantis was only a legend, Vermeer replied that Jordan and his crew would be paid in advance regardless, and that the success or failure of their voyage would affect only Vermeer himself; consequently, Jordan agreed to the business arrangement.

   One week later, after preparations were made, Vermeer's limousine pulled up to the dock, and his chauffeur wheeled him aboard Jordan's ship. Vermeer used Jordan's navigational charts to direct the course for the ship to take, and they set sail for the seemingly impossible destination--whenever he wasn't directing the journey, Vermeer would constantly sit in his wheelchair at the bow of the ship, longingly staring at the sea.

   As the days passed by, Vermeer increasingly became a topic of ridicule among the crew, who considered him to be "nuts" for wanting to look for a place that didn't exist. The days passed into weeks, and by the beginning of their fourth week at sea, the crewmen were getting annoyed by the ridiculousness of the foolish voyage, and they voiced their complaints to Jordan.

   But then suddenly, from the front of the ship, an excited cry rang out--it was Vermeer, who announced that they had reached the proper location, for the lost continent of Atlantis was 250 leagues beneath the sea's surface. As he sprang out of his wheelchair, Vermeer thanked Jordan and his crew for bringing him home (see comments)--Jordan and his men were stunned to see that Vermeer was actually a merman, who had flippers like a fish!

   Then Vermeer dived into the water and disappeared in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean; Captain Jordan and his men realized that somewhere in the depths below--further than any human could descend--was a mystery beyond belief.

Comments: Created by Carl Wessler and Jack Kirby.









With his depiction in the wheelchair (see main image), the bald-headed Linus Vermeer could probably be considered a visual prototype for Professor Charles Xavier.

Since Vermeer was sitting in the wheelchair most of the time, it was difficult to estimate his height.

This 4-page story--The World That Was Lost!--was told from the narrative perspective of Captain Jordan, thus the reader never learned anything more about Vermeer than Jordan himself knew.

The fact that Vermeer considered the ocean as his "home" would seem to imply that he wasn't originally some land-born mutant--possibly he had some connection to that underwater city that was the home of Alethea (see clarifications).

This story would also be reprinted in Tower of Shadows#9 (January, 1971).

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Linus Vermeer has no known connections to:

Captain Mike Jordan has no known connections to:

Linus Vermeer's estate

Located somewhere on the Atlantic Coast of the United States, it was a large mansion where the merman Vermeer lived while on land, although he apparently didn't consider it to truly be his home.

Later, while aboard Captain Jordan's ship, Vermeer was transported to a location a thousand miles away in the Atlantic Ocean; he then leapt overboard to return to his true home: the lost continent of Atlantis.

Following Vermeer's departure, the fate of his coastal mansion was unrevealed.

--Strange Tales I#69/4

Captain Mike Jordan

The commander of an ocean-going vessel, his services were hired by the wheelchair-bound millionaire Linus Vermeer, who wanted Jordan to take him on a month-long voyage to search for the lost continent of Atlantis. Although Jordan believed that Atlantis was only a legend, Vermeer agreed to pay him and his crew in advance, so Jordan accepted his offer.

Vermeer used Jordan's navigational charts to guide the ship where he wanted to be taken. When Vermeer wasn't busy plotting the ship's course, Jordan noticed that he would sit at the bow of the ship and stare longingly at the sea--Jordan felt sorry for the strange man, for he looked as lonely as the sea he searched, uselessly looking for a continent that didn't exist.

As the end of the month neared, Jordan listened to the complaints of his crew, who were becoming discontented with what they considered to be a foolish search. Suddenly, Vermeer cried out that the ship was directly above Atlantis, then he leapt out of his wheelchair and into the waters of the ocean, revealing himself to actually be a merman!

As the sea closed over the spot where Linus Vermeer plunged, Jordan and his crew realized that in the depths below, there was and mystery beyond belief, and they resolved that they would never again ridicule things they didn't understand.

--Strange Tales I#69/4

images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p1, pan1 (main image - Linus Vermeer, sitting in wheelchair)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p1, pan2 (headshot - Linus Vermeer)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p4, pan3 (Linus Vermeer, getting out of wheelchair; Captain Jordan and crewman [background])
Strange Tales I#69/4, p4, pan4 (Linus Vermeer reveals his true nature to Captain Jordan and his crew)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p4, pan5 (Linus Vermeer dives into ocean)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p1, pan3 (Linus Vermeer's mansion)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p2, pan1 (Captain Jordan, speaking to Linus Vermeer)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p2, pan4 (Captain Jordan)
Strange Tales I#69/4, p4, pan1 (Captain Jordan [center] with his crewmen)

Appearances:
Strange Tales I#69/4 (June, 1959) - Carl Wessler (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils), Christopher Rule (inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Ray Halloway (letters), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 08/28/2024
Last updated: 08/28/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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