Top Notch Comics #5 for Sale - First Appearance of Kardak the Mystic - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Top Notch Comics (Archie, 1939 series)
Issue: #5
Publication date: May 1940
Key date: 1940-05-00
On-sale date: 1940-03-15
Indicia publisher: M. L. J. Magazines Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Kardak the Mystic - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of John Cardy - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Jane Barlow - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Streak Chandler - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Shanghai Sheridan - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Edd Ashe; inks: Edd Ashe	Keith Kornell, Blane Whitney, The Wizard
1	The Mosconian Menace: Part 3	comic story	11	script: Will Harr; pencils: Edd Ashe; inks: Edd Ashe	Joe Higgins, Keith Kornell, Lee Sampson, The Shield, Blane Whitney, The Wizard, Jane Barlow First
2	The Knighting of Galahad	comic story	6	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: Lin Streeter; inks: Lin Streeter	Sir Galahad (introduction); King Arthur (introduction); Sir Kay (introduction); Lynette (introduction); Round Table Knights (introduction); Sir Gilbert (villain, introduction, death)
3	Origin of Shanghai Sheridan	comic story	6	script: Joe Blair; pencils: Irv Novick; inks: Irv Novick	Shanghai Sheridan First
4	Dances of the Wild West	text article	2	script: Harry Shorten
5	Gas-Men of Mars	comic story	6	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: William Wills; inks: William Wills	Streak Chandler First
6	The Court-Martial of Wings Johnson	comic story	8	script: Joe Blair; pencils: Ed Smalle; inks: Ed Smalle	Wings Johnson; Von Schiller (villain, death); Nazis (villain)
7	-	comic story	1	script: Kin Platt; pencils: Kin Platt; inks: Kin Platt; letters: Kin Platt	Noodle; Mom
8	On the Island of the Devil Devil Doctor	comic story	6	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: Mort Meskin; inks: Mort Meskin	Dick Storm; Burton (villain, introduction); a tribe of headhunters (villain, introduction)
9	The Kidnapping of Sally Iver	comic story	6	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: Gerry Thorp; inks: Gerry Thorp	Bob Phantom, Walt Whitney
10	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
11	The Mosconian Menace: Part 4	comic story	5	script: Will Harr; pencils: Elmer Wexler; inks: Elmer Wexler	Keith Kornell, Blane Whitney, The Wizard
12	Conquest of the Mocha Men	comic story	6	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: C. A. Winter; inks: C. A. Winter	John Cardy First, Kardak the Mystic First

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] ISBN 978-1-60699-987-5	2017	On eBay ›
The Golden Age Firsts of MLJ Comics: Volume 1 ISBN 978-1721232918	2018	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #45 of 27#6 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com