"TED GREY"
Real Name: "Ted Grey" (see comments)
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Knights of Camelot
Enemies: Dragon
Known Relatives: Tommy (son)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unidentified American city;
temporarily 6th Century England
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#81/2 (June, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: "Ted Grey" was an ordinary man who walked through a mysterious fog and was temporarily transported back to the Age of Camelot.
While in the past, "Grey" used the accoutrements of a knight (including scale-mail, a helmet, a sword, a shield, and a lance) along with a whistle, and he displayed great gallantry when he slew a dragon.
Height: 5' 11" (by
approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Blond
History: (Journey into Mystery I#81/2) - The past of "Ted Grey" is unrevealed, but one Sunday morning, he took his son Tommy to the zoo--although Tommy was excited about going, he insisted on taking along his storybook --When Knights Were Bold (see comments)--and his whistle. The father and his son were looking at the caged animals, but Tommy was more interested in his storybook because he thought none of the zoo animals were wilder than the animals in the book; "Ted" asked his son to show him what he meant, so Tommy had his father hold his whistle while he turned the storybook's pages and showed "Ted" a picture of a knight standing over a slain dragon. After giving the illustration a cursory glance, "Ted" told his son that dragons weren't real, only legends made up by superstitious people.
As the father and son continued walking through the zoo, they came upon a sudden swirling bank of fog. "Ted" lost track of Tommy as the mist got thicker and thicker, then he came to a clearing when the fog thinned; but "Grey" found that the zoo--even the whole city--had disappeared, for where once there had been skyscrapers and streets, there was now fields and mountains! "Ted" continued to walk and came upon the outskirts of a medieval castle, where he saw knights on horseback. "Grey" asked one of the knights where he was, and learned he had somehow been transported back in time to legendary Camelot! Thinking he had merely fallen asleep, "Ted" was convinced he was dreaming. He came upon some wounded knights gathered around the mouth of a cave, and he learned there was a dragon within. Still holding Tommy's whistle (which he thought might come in handy), "Grey" volunteered to slay the dragon, so he borrowed armor and a lance from one of the knights--supposing it was just a dream, "Grey" figured the worst that could happen was that he'd wake up just before the dragon grabbed him.
But as he entered the dank and dark cave, "Grey" could feel his confidence slipping away when there came a horrifying roar and a huge burst of flame, then he stood face-to-face with the monster. He removed his helmet and blew the whistle, and the shrill sound reverberated from the cave walls; the startled dragon drew back from the harsh blare which pained its ears, unable to use its flames. "Grey" then raised his lance and hurled it at the dragon, slaying the monster.
With the dragon dead, "Grey" returned the armor to the knights and received a reward for his noble deed--a sack containing twenty gold nuggets. Still convinced he was dreaming, "Grey" decided that if he couldn't wake himself up by fighting a dragon, maybe he could do so by walking back through the fog. "Grey" returned to the fog bank, and as he walked through it, he noticed the sack of gold disappearing. He continued on until he emerged out of the fog, finding himself back at the zoo. Tommy came running up and gave his father a hug, relieved to see him again. "Ted" asked Tommy to show him the storybook picture with the knight and dragon again--this time "Ted" took a closer look at the illustration, and he saw that the knight's face was identical to his own!
As he thought over the events that had transpired, "Ted Grey" knew that his whole adventure in Camelot had to have been a dream...and yet...
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Jack Kirby (artist)
This character was never identified in the story (Tommy only called him "Dad") so I took the liberty of giving him a name -- I named him in honor of Jack Kirby, and used one of Kirby's earlier pseudonyms.
There have been other instances when a mysterious fog transported people through time (e.g. Dan Cooper, "Monster in the Mist"), but considering "Ted Grey's" destination, maybe Merlin had something to do with this particular fog.
This issue of Journey into Mystery was published after Fantastic Four I#4, so it's possible that this story took place in the early days of the modern-era Marvel Universe. Also, Fantastic Four I#17 depicted a man in an armored costume (whom the Thing briefly mistook for Doctor Doom) who was advertising a movie called When Knights Were Bold, the same title as Tommy's storybook -- maybe Tommy's book was a merchandising tie-in for that film.
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
"Ted Grey" has no known connections to:
Tommy has no known connections to:
The dragon has no known connections to:
The son of "Ted Grey," he was excited when his father took him on a trip to
the zoo one Sunday morning; but Tommy still insisted on bringing along his
storybook, When Knights Were Bold,
and his whistle. During the zoo visit, Tommy was more interested in
his book than in the zoo
animals. His father wondered what he found so fascinating, so Tommy
asked him to hold his whistle while he turned the book's pages; then Tommy
showed "Ted" a picture of a knight and a slain dragon, and "Ted" told him
that dragons weren't real.
While Tommy accompanied his father as they continued their walk through the
zoo, they stepped into a strange fog bank and became separated--unknown to
Tommy, his father had been transported through time to Camelot.
Shortly thereafter, Tommy saw his father emerge from the fog After his
adventure slaying a dragon himself, "Ted" told Tommy that maybe he spoke too
soon when he said there were no such things as dragons, because anything was
possible; Tommy assured his father that he wasn't scared ("I'll
bet if there are any dragons, you can lick 'em, Dad!").
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
None identified, they were a group of knights in 6th Century England.
The knights were gathered around the mouth of a cave, where dwelt a menacing
dragon they were trying to slay. But the knights were unsuccessful,
and they had been wounded by the creature; then they met "Ted Grey," who had
been transported back through time.
They loaned "Grey" armor and weapons, and after he killed the dragon, they
gave "Grey" a reward for the deed--a sack containing twenty gold nuggets.
(Maybe King
Arthur, the Black
Knight, and the other Knights of the Round Table were busy on some
quest, and these guys were some of the lesser knights of Camelot.)
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
A large fire-breathing monster, it dwelt in a cave near Camelot in the 6th
Century; it menaced the area when it roamed the countryside and destroyed
livestock. Some of the knights of Camelot attempted to slay it, but
they were unsuccessful and were left wounded by the monster.
But the dragon met its match when it faced"Ted Grey," who had been
transported from modern times. When the dragon blew flames at him,
"Grey" blew a whistle, and the shrill blare of it was painful to the
monster's ears. The startled dragon was momentarily unable to utilize
it fiery breath, which gave "Grey" the chance to kill it with his lance.
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
A mysterious mist, it somehow transported "Ted Grey" through time and space,
taking him from a modern-day American zoo to 6th Century England.
After slaying a dragon, "Grey" walked back through the fog and returned to
his own time.
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
A toy whistle owned by "Ted Grey's" son, Tommy handed it over to his
father to hold for him while he turned the pages of his storybook.
"Ted Grey" was still holding the whistle when he was transported through
time and space to Camelot; it later proved useful when he confronted a
dragon. "Grey" blew the whistle, and its shrill blare pained the
dragon's ears and rendered it incapable of using its flames, which gave him
the opportunity to slay the monster.
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
One of the illustrations in Tommy's storybook, When Knights Were Bold, it depicted a knight standing over a slain dragon. "Ted Grey" took a cursory glance at the picture before he was transported back in time to Camelot. After "Grey" slew a dragon and returned to his own time, he took a closer look at the illustration and saw that the face of the knight was identical to his own.
--Journey into Mystery I#81/2
images: (without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p1, pan1 (Main Image, "Ted
Grey" (in armor))
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p1, pan2 (Headshot, "Ted
Grey")
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p5, pan5 ("Ted Grey"
confronts dragon)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p5, pan6 ("Ted Grey" hurls
lance at dragon)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p2, pan3 (Tommy at zoo,
reading storybook)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p6, pan7 (Tommy reunited with
his father)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p3, pan7 ("Ted Grey" first
sees castle and knights on horseback)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p3, pan8 (knight tells "Ted
Grey" he's in Camelot)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p4, pan2 (three knights tell
"Ted Grey" about dragon)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p5, pan3 (dragon in cave
("Ted Grey" in foreground))
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p6, pan1 (slain dragon on
ground, as "Ted Grey" collects reward)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p2, pan7 ("Ted Grey" first
enters fog (Tommy in background))
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p6, pan6 ("Ted Grey" emerges
from fog, returns to his own time at the zoo)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p4, pan3 (Tommy's whistle in
"Ted Grey's" hand)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p5, pan4 ("Ted Grey" blows
Tommy's whistle to frighten dragon)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p2, pan5 ("Ted Grey" takes a
cursory glance at illustration in Tommy's storybook)
Journey into Mystery I#81/2, p6, pan8 ("Ted Grey" later
takes a closer look at illustration in Tommy's storybook)
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#81/2 (June, 1962) -
unidentified writer, Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Last updated: 11/03/16
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