KEN
MASTERSKEN
MASTERS
Real Name: Ken Masters
Identity/Class: Human (1940s
era)
Occupation: Explorer, pilot
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Professor
John Peter Roberts, Tim
Roberts
Enemies: John
Crafton, Crafton’s henchmen (Mike, Slug), indigenous peoples of
the Americas
Known Relatives: None
Aliases:
None
Base of Operations: Citrusville,
Florida
First Appearance: (Historic) Amazing Mystery
Funnies II#6 (June 1939);
(Marvel) Marvel Comics#1 (October, 1939)
Powers/Abilities: Handy with various firearms, Masters was an experienced brawler.
He possessed the knowledge associated with earning a geology degree.
He had
access to various expensive state-of-the-art planes, as well as
Professor Roberts’ hypnotic diamond; how the gemstone’s mesmeric
properties worked remains unrevealed.
Height:
6’
Weight: 166 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special, Amazing Mystery
Funnies II#6, Marvel Comics#1) - Adventurer Ken Masters worked closely
with museum and plantation owner Professor John Peter Roberts, as well
as the professor’s nephew Tim Roberts, near Citrusville,
Florida. The trio went on several expeditions, taking sacred objects
from indigenous peoples to use as attractions in the professor’s museum.
They often clashed with neighboring plantation owner and rival treasure
hunter John Crafton.
(Amazing Mystery Funnies
II#6) - In early 1939, the trio traveled to the rainforests of southern
Mexico to find the Golden Idol of Nahapatan.
While Masters followed a map they’d procured, Tim discovered a mountain
bridge used by indigenous peoples. Crossing it and following a sacred
river, they briefly fought a “tiger” (see comments) then
discovered buildings used by a still-thriving Mesoamerican culture. Tim
was captured by indigenous warriors, and it took Masters days to track
them to a hidden Mesoamerican city. Sneaking inside the city, Masters
and the professor saw the Mesoamerican leader planning to kill Tim, so
they fired handguns, causing the indigenous warriors to scatter. Tim
grabbed the idol, and the three escaped through an underground tunnel.
Masters noted that as soon as they returned to Florida, he would discuss
future expeditions.
(Marvel Comics#1) -
Following Masters’ leads, Professor Roberts left to meet with an
Amazonian tribe rumored to have hypnotic diamonds. After the tribe
learned of the professor’s plunderous
plans, they took him captive.
In the
summer of 1939, after three months without word from the professor,
Masters flew Tim to South America in a sportster plane, unaware his
rival Crafton had sabotaged the plane and followed them with his
henchmen. Crashing in the rainforest due to Crafton’s meddling, Masters
carried Tim to safety when they were discovered by indigenous warriors,
who led them to the camp where the professor was being held. Crafton and
his men followed, though one of his men was shot by a poison arrow.
Masters
and Tim were placed in the same hut where the professor was held, but
the professor already had an escape plan. They followed a hidden tunnel
to a cave housing thousands of hypnotic diamonds. As the professor began
to take the diamonds, Crafton arrived and demanded he be given the
treasure. When the indigenous people attacked, Crafton and his remaining
henchman were apparently killed by poison arrows. Masters used the
confusion to get Tim and the professor out of the diamond cave. Taking
Crafton’s plane, the three escaped, and Roberts revealed he had pocketed
one of the hypnotic diamonds.
Comments: Created by Tohm
Dixon
How can
characters from Marvel Comics#1 appear in comics from other companies?
In the early days of the comic book industry, creators played fast and
loose with concepts like intellectual property, and companies hired
creator packages, often including completed work. As a result, Namor
the Sub-Mariner, Ken Masters, Doc Doyle, Super Baby, and others all
appeared in comics from other companies during the Golden Age.
Interestingly, Masters appeared in books from Centaur Comics, and
several Centaur Comics characters (by this point in the public domain)
were revived by Malibu Comics for the Protectors universe, which was
later purchased by Marvel.
It should
go without saying, but Masters’ adventures were from a different time.
In both adventures, Masters helped a plantation owner kill indigenous
people and steal objects of great religious importance. Ages like fine
milk.
In their
Mesoamerican adventure, Professor Roberts referred to a large cat that
attacked Tim as a “tiger,” but it would likely have been a jaguar. He
also referred to the hidden civilization as “Aztecs.” The civilization
modern historians call the Aztecs were actually the Mexica, a Nahuatl-speaking
people with a powerful civilization in the Valley of Mexico (now Mexico
City). The Mexica were one of dozens of different cultures and
civilizations that existed in Mexico and Central America. The hidden
civilization apparently persisted to the present day without any Spanish
colonial interference. It could theoretically be the same one
encountered by Clark Savage Jr. in Doc Savage#2 (1972).
In the
Centaur Comics adventure, Tim called the professor “Uncle Peter,” and in
the Marvel adventure, he was called “Uncle John.” Presumably his name is
John Peter Masters.
Roberts’ plantation was connected to Citrusville, famous for being a hub of weirdness, in the Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special.
This profile was completed 08/11/2021,
but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th
anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Kevin Garcia.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ken Masters has no known connections to:
Tim and John Peter Roberts have no known connections to:
A plantation owner, museum
owner, and college professor, John Peter Roberts was easily drawn to
objects of value, even to the point of putting himself and his nephew in
mortal danger.
--Amazing Mystery Funnies
II#6, Marvel Comics#1
Nephew of
Professor Roberts, Tim was a headstrong adventurer who looked up to Ken
Masters and enjoyed figuring out mysteries.
--Amazing Mystery Funnies
II#6, Marvel Comics#1
Professor Robert’s neighbor and rival, Crafton often sent men from his plantation to spy on Roberts.
When Masters left for South America to find the missing Roberts, Crafton had his lackeys sabotage Masters’ small plane, preventing it from making a safe landing.
Crafton and his men--Mike and Slug--went to the Amazon as well, but soon encountered indigenous warriors.
All three
were killed by poisoned arrows following the confrontation.
--Marvel Comics#1
Marvel Mystery Handbook (2009), page 53, second profile main image (Ken
Masters main image)
Marvel Comics#1 (1939), page 45, panel 4 (Ken Masters)
Marvel Comics#1 (1939), page 48, panel 4 (Prof. Roberts)
Marvel Comics#1 (1939), page 46, panel 11 (Tim Roberts)
Appearances:
Amazing Mystery Funnies II#6 (Reprinted in Masked Marvel#1, Sept. 1940)
Marvel Comics#1 (Oct. 1939)
Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special
First Posted: 09/01/2020
Last updated: 08/11/2020
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 www.g-mart.com
for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
