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Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Mysterious Traveler, The

Tagged: Comics, Publication, Radio.

1. Weekly US radio show (1943-1952). This mixed Horror and suspense with crime and detection. It was narrated by the Mysterious Traveler, played by actor Maurice Tarplin. Many of the tales were written by pulp writer Robert Arthur. The Traveler, a phantom commuter on a train, introduced each show with the words: "This is the Mysterious Traveler inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little." His closing line was: "I take the same train every week, at the same time." Like other similar shows, The Mysterious Traveler was killed by the advent of Television. [SH/RT]

2. The Mysterious Traveler Magazine, US digest-size pulp anthology Magazine (5 issues November 1951-September 1952; #5 retitled The Mysterious Traveler Mystery Reader), published by Grace Publishing Company and ed Robert Arthur. Based on 1, this contained a mixture of mystery and horror. Despite reprinting stories by Ray Bradbury, John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie, August Derleth, Sax Rohmer, Dorothy L Sayers and Edgar Wallace, it was not a success. [SH/RT]

3. US Comic book entitled Mysterious Traveler Comics, published by Trans-World Publications, notable for an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, with artwork and cover by Bob Powell. 1 issue (November 1948). [SH/RT]

4. US comic book entitled Tales of the Mysterious Traveler (13 issues 1956-1959) published by Charlton Comics and based on 1, with each story introduced by the gaunt-faced phantom. The major contributor was artist/writer Steve Ditko. The title was revived briefly in 1985 but ran for only 2 issues (Vol 2 #14-#15); these also featured work by Ditko. [SH/RT]



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