MISTER JORDAN
Real Name: ? Jordan (presumably, first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Unrevealed (see comments)
Occupation: Ghost debunker, paranormal investigator
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Unidentified spirit, Wilbur Weems
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Office in an unidentified city; mobile
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery I#77/2 (February, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: Mister Jordan demonstrated such supernatural powers as levitation, intangibility and the ability to talk to ghosts.
History:
(Journey Into Mystery I#77/2 (fb) - BTS) - The true nature and past of Mister Jordan is unknown (see comments), but at some point he established an office and began investigating rumors of supposedly haunted homes, castles, and lighthouses; he did this all under the pretense that he was trying to find logical explanations for seemingly supernatural phenomena, to prove to the world that ghosts did not exist. In actuality, Mister Jordan's true agenda was to help out spirits by preventing the destruction of the places they were assigned to haunt.
(Journey Into Mystery I#77/2) - Wilbur Weems was moving out of his house because the night before, he thought he saw a ghost. Mister Jordan approached Weems, mentioned that he was passing through town when he heard about the alleged ghost sighting, and offered to pay Weems fifty thousand dollars if he found a real spirit in his home--Weems eagerly took him up on the offer. That night, as the two searched through the house, Mister Jordan proved to Weems that the "ghost" that he saw was merely the result of the moonlight shimmering through the clouds.
Some time later, Mister Jordan was conducting a lecture and said that he had never found any evidence of the existence of ghosts; he further went on to tell the audience that he would pay fifty thousand dollars to any person who could show him a real supernatural spirit. Immediately following the lecture, Mister Jordan received an urgent phone call concerning an old, ghost-ridden house that was about to be torn down by a frightened mob. Mister Jordan got in his car, and half an hour later he arrived at the haunted mansion.
The crowd claimed that they had heard and seen spooks inside, but Mister Jordan told them there was no need to destroy the home because he would prove it wasn't haunted, and he was willing to bet fifty thousand dollars that he was right. One of the men in the crowd--Joe--accompanied Mister Jordan inside; as the two men entered the house, they heard a frightening howling--Mister Jordan pointed out that the sound was only caused by the wind blowing down the chimney. Finding an old sheet laying on the floor, Mister Jordan speculated that the "spook" the people had seen was merely an ordinary dust-sheet that had been blown off a statue by the wind. Now thoroughly convinced by Mister Jordan's explanations, Joe went back outside and addressed the crowd, telling everyone that they had only imagined the "spooks". Feeling foolish, and determined not to be so quick to jump to conclusions in the future, the crowd dispersed. Mister Jordan waited behind in the house, where he spoke with the spirit who actually did haunt the mansion. The spirit thanked Mister Jordan and complimented him for his excellent job of deceiving the people ("Once again you have helped us by making people think that we do not exist!"). Mister Jordan said his farewell and assured the spirit he would return if he were needed again.
Mister Jordan returned to his office and relaxed, until he received another phone call regarding a haunted house that was about to be demolished. He told the caller that he'd be there soon, then he grabbed his hat, levitated off the floor, and walked through the office wall...
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Jack Kirby (art).
Judging from the ending, I guess
it was the intent of the story that Mister Jordan was a ghost himself;
however, there were a couple of instances that might tend to disprove
this:
1. Mister Jordan was shown interacting with material objects (e.g.
holding a flashlight and a telephone, driving a car), so it would seem
his immateriality wasn't a permanent condition.
2. While talking with the spirit, Mister Jordan mentioned that ghosts
were forbidden to leave the houses they were assigned to haunt, yet he
seemed to have no such limitations.
Maybe Mister Jordan's powers could be attributed to sorcery--levitating, passing through solid walls, and talking to spirits are all feats that have been performed by other mystics and magic users (Dr. Stephen Strange et al.); or, considering his name (perhaps an allusion to the biblical Jordan River), I guess it's also possible that he could have been "an agent for a Higher Power" (i.e. an angel).
It might be interesting to see Mister Jordan work with Rex Lane--they've both got similar occupations (albeit with different motivations). Perhaps Mister Jordan has some connection to the enigmatic Mister Black.
And a BIG Thank You to James Sharpe for the scans!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Mister Jordan has no known connections to:
Wilbur Weems has no known connections to:
A spectral being who "lived" in a dilapidated mansion, his home was in danger of being destroyed by a frightened mob until Mister Jordan convinced the crowd that the house really wasn't haunted. After the crowd dispersed, the grateful ghost thanked Mister Jordan for his help.
--Journey Into Mystery I#77/2
Wilbur Weems lived in an old weather-beaten house near the edge of a lonely marsh. One night, he thought he saw a ghost and ran from his home in terror. The next morning, as he was packing up his belongings to move out of the house, he was approached by Mister Jordan, who told him that if he found there really was a ghost, he'd pay Weems fifty thousand dollars, and he accepted the deal. Later that night, Mister Jordan convinced him that the "unearthly spirit" that he saw had only been the moonlight shimmering through the clouds, and Weems agreed that it was all probably just his imagination playing tricks on him.
--Journey Into Mystery I#77/2
images:
(without ads)
Journey Into Mystery I#77/2, p5, pan1 (main image)
Other Appearances: None
Last updated: 03/17/10
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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