The first Witness debuted in the eight-page story "The League of Blood" in the superhero anthology series "Mystic Comics" #7 (Dec. 1941), during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. A costumed superhero in this incarnation, the character was created by writer Stan Lee, who wrote the stories under the pen name "S.T. Anley", and an unknown artist. This version of the character appeared in one story each in "Mystic" #7–9 (Dec. 1941 – May 1942).