MALLON

Real Name: Mallon (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human (1960s era) (see comments)

Occupation: Store detective

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: "Chief"

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Morgan's Department Store, an unidentified American city

First Appearance: Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1 (August, 1956) (see comments)

Powers/Abilities: A senior citizen, Mallon displayed no paranormal physical abilities.

Described by his supervisor as a "stubborn bulldog," the tenacious Mallon was a skilled and dedicated investigator with twenty years of experience.

The elderly Mallon mysteriously vanished to parts unknown before he could learn that he was being forced to take a mandatory retirement.

Height: 5' 8" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: White
Hair: Blue

History:
(Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Mallon is largely unrevealed, but for twenty years he was employed by Morgan's Department Store, where he worked as a store detective in the business' protection department.

(Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1) - At exactly 12:06 PM, March 14, 1962 (see comments), three shoppers (John Dexter, Bill Miller and Abigail Simpson) were riding the escalator up from the street level of Morgan's Department Store--when they were half-way up, they suddenly vanished into thin air.

   At 12:18 PM, the police arrived to investigate the disappearance of the trio, but the lawmen were stumped and could find no clues. At 11:24 AM the next day, FBI agents arrived and went over every inch of the now motionless escalator; they also interrogated everyone who had been in the store when the three vanished. By 3:41 PM, March 26, the FBI agents had not found any clues, but they vowed to continue their investigation. The escalator was put back in operation.

   After getting approval from his supervisor, Mallon began his own investigation into the matter--he wanted to find out about the lives of the three missing shoppers and exactly what they were in the store for when they disappeared. By April 3rd, when he had done all the leg-work and conducted endless interviews, Mallon sat at his desk and sifted through the facts he had gathered; he found one common link between the three vanished shoppers: By disappearing, they had been spared from experiencing heartbreaking events that had occurred in their lives. Mallon had the fanciful thought that perhaps the three had been helped out by somebody or something, and that they were happy now, wherever they were... but he understood that such things didn't really happen.

   Exasperated by the only case in the store that he couldn't clear up, Mallon rode up the escalator as a final farewell to the case--at exactly 10:46 AM, when he was half-way up, Mallon disappeared, just like the other three...

   At that moment, in the store's protection department, Mallon's supervisor was about to terminate the elderly store detective's employment because Mallon had reached the mandatory age of retirement--the supervisor felt badly because the job had been Mallon's whole life, and the news would surely break his heart...

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Steve Ditko (artist).

Although this 4-page story -- The Moving Stairs! -- was published in 1956, for some reason it was set in the "future" year 1962.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Mallon has no known connections to:

"Chief" has no known connections to:

Abigail Simpson has no known connections to:

John Dexter has no known connections to:

Bill Miller has no known connections to:

"Chief"

"Chief" (real name unrevealed) was Mallon's supervisor at Morgan's Department Store. When three shoppers mysteriously vanished while riding the store's escalator, Mallon requested to investigate the disappearances himself; "Chief" saw there was no point in denying the "stubborn bulldog's" request, so he agreed to let him do so.

Later, "Chief" regretfully had to terminate Mallon's employment, for the elderly store detective had reached the mandatory age of retirement--"Chief" was unaware that Mallon himself had just disappeared on the escalator before "Chief" could deliver the heartbreaking news to him.

--Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1

Vanished shoppers

A trio of shoppers at Morgan's Department Store, they mysteriously disappeared while riding the UP escalator. Mallon's subsequent investigation later determined that they had a common link: They had all vanished just before they could learn of personal tragedies which occurred in their respective lives.

Abigail Simpson was a spinster who spent her whole life building a school/day-care center for the children of working mothers.

While Simpson was in the store purchasing school supplies, a freak fire broke out in the school--although no one was hurt, the school building burned to the ground.

John Dexter was a famous engineer who constructed many bridges and dams, and the dedicated hard-worker considered these projects to be his whole life.

Dexter had been feeling under the weather lately, and he went to the store to purchase some pills--Dexter's doctor was about to warn him that he needed to quit his demanding job, or else he was headed for a breakdown.

Bill Miller was a G.I. hero who had just returned home.

Miller was in the store to buy a ring for the girl he left behind--while he had been stationed overseas, the girl had fallen in love with another man.

--Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1

images: (without ads)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p2, pan4 (Main Image - Mallon watching shopper on escalator)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p3, pan4 (Headshot - Mallon reviewing the findings of his investigation)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p4, pan4 (Mallon has a fanciful thought about the fate of the three vanished shoppers)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p4, pan6 (store employees see Mallon disappear as he rides UP escalator)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p2, pan5 (Mallon speaks to "Chief" at his desk)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p4, pan7 ("Chief" at Mallon's desk with some bad news)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p1, pan1 (Bill Miller, John Dexter, and Abigail Simpson disappear while riding UP escalator)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p3, pan2 (Abigail Simpson)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p3, pan6 (John Dexter)
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1, p4, pan2 (Bill Miller)

Appearances:
Strange Tales of the Unusual#5/1 (August, 1956) - unidentified writer, Steve Ditko (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 04/01/18
Last updated: 04/01/18

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters