Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 147: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction & Horror Comics!

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 132

January 1957 Part I

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Adventure Into Mystery #5

Cover by Bill Everett

"The People Who Weren't" (a: Bill Everett) ★★★

(r: Weird Wonder Tales #9)

"Change Your Face, Sir?" (a: Joe Orlando) ★★1/2

"The Death Sentence" (a: George Roussos) ★★

"Foster Was Afraid!" (a: Werner Roth) ★

"The Unseen!" (a: Sol Brodsky) ★★

(r: Vault of Evil #2)

"No Place to Hide!" (a: John Forte) ★★

(r: Vault of Evil #18)

Explorer Evan Moore comes across a beautiful desert village, lorded over by the gracious King Hanim. The King offers kindness, food, and drink (as well as his gorgeous daughter, Princess Nara), but it's the huge chest of gems that catches the adventurer's eye. With the help of Nara's handmaiden, Inez, Moore grabs the jewels and the two head off for a life of luxury and love. Unfortunately, the guards give chase and the pair are forced to split, promising to meet up outside the city. Once in the clear, Moore turns to discover the paradise was a mirage. His gems turn to sand and he mourns the life he might have made with the gorgeous mirage, Inez. Not too far away, Inez thinks exactly the same thing about mirage Evan!

We don't get very many stories illustrated by the great Bill Everett anymore, so I'll grab hold of anything and be happy, but I thought pulpmeister Carl Wessler did a really good job capping what might have been just another "explorer turns thief and gets his in the end" fantasy; I didn't see the final panel twist coming. "The People Who Weren't" might just be one of the most generic titles in the post-code Atlas era. 

In a "small Central European nation," its dictator rules with an iron fist and no conscience, but the rebels are gaining confidence and power. When he orders the five men leading the opposition to be rounded up and executed, Professor Norov uses his incredible machine to change their faces and they lead the army that marches on the palace. The dictator orders Norov to change his face and that of his aide or else the inventor's family will be put to death. With no other option, Norov performs the operation but, as we discover from the final panel, the doc has a bit of a funny bone, even while staring down death. Some decent art and that unexpected finale make "Change Your Face, Sir?" an enjoyable yarn, one that tones down the preach and accents the science fiction.

Seth Beech is on trial for his life, accused of murdering kindly old Dr. Malkin while guiding him through the mountains and caves of Kentucky. If convicted, Beech will receive "The Death Sentence." But Beech argues on the stand that he didn't kill the professor--the egghead slipped and fell in a cavern after the pair had made an incredible discovery: a Martian communicator! The jury finds Beech guilty, laughing at his story, and the condemned man is taken out of the courtroom. That's when the spaceships land!

Mopey Bill Foster walks through the streets of his city, convinced there's no such thing as happiness. He stops in at a tavern and strikes up a conversation with a kindly "fat man" and confides everything: he's just not a happy guy and, when it comes down to it, is anyone? Is there a place where one can go to find a bit of sunshine? The stranger insists there is such a place and it's called Arcady; if Mopey Bill would follow him, he'll take him there. Foster agrees and is led to a cave; in that cave is a metal room, and in that metal room is a group of people looking just as miserable as Bill.

"This must be the place!," exclaims Bill. Without really knowing why, Bill suddenly gets cold feet, believing the fat man was lying, and flees the cave. He heads back to the tavern where (surprise, surprise, surprise!) the bartender tells him there was no fat man. Bill exits the bar, realizing he'll have to look for happiness deep down in the recesses of his soul. For it's only there that man can find... the truth! Just about as sappy as a Cowsills tune, "Foster Was Afraid!" is a patchwork of several Atlas fantasy tropes: the aliens, the kindly scientist, the kindly hick, and, especially, the bathetic message fade-out. We're never told why Foster is feeling depressed, but I sure wanted to reach into the panel and, rather than offer my hand in support, slap the guy a few times and tell him to snap out of it. Of course, the man's deep melancholia may come from the fact that he's drawn so lazily by Werner Roth.

In the three-pager, "The Unseen!," Mason has a hard time convincing his townsfolk he witnessed the crash of a UFO in the woods. After a search party turns up nothing, the villagers mock Mason and send him on his way. Sitting at home, he tries to ponder what it all means as his dog (who's been possessed by the invisible alien) smiles and gives a wink to the audience. 

Eager to please the woman he loves, simple-minded thief Ernst steals the King's crown and informs Berta he has to make tracks as he's got "No Place to Hide!"--the royal guardsman saw his face. They agree to meet up at a later date and Ernst flees, taking refuge in the home of an old man who informs his guest that he has three bottles sitting on his fireplace. A drink from bottle #1 will send Ernst 100 years into the future; #2 will send him back into the past; and #3 will give him eternal life. Ernst tries to buy the "future" bottle from his host but the man is unwilling, so the ungracious thief grabs a bottle and takes a swig. Unfortunately, it sends him into the past! Calamity ensues. There are a couple more twists to "No Place to Hide!" but the story gets way too complicated by the climax. The panel where the old man explains he just happens to have these magical bottles sitting up on his shelf is hilarious and almost makes wading through the rest worth it.-Peter

Astonishing #57

Cover by Bill Everett & Carl Burgos

"Inside the Furnace!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

(r: Crypt of Shadows #17)

"The Black Boxes!" (a: Dick Ayers) ★

"The Unknown Ones!" (a: Al Williamson & Roy Krenkel) ★★1/2

"They Lurk in the Cave!" (a: Werner Roth) ★1/2

(r: Crypt of Shadows #17)

"He Can't Lose!" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★

"The Strange Power of Mr. Dunn!" (a: John Romita) ★1/2

(r: Tomb of Darkness #14)

Astonishing #57 opens with two complete and utter disasters. The first, "Inside the Furnace!," stars an old miser who socks away fifty grand in a black bag beneath his basement floor and, while counting his money one day, discovers a doorway to another time and place. There he finds a young man holding a bag containing fifty grand and decides to steal the satchel. Even as he races from the scene of the crime, he scratches his head and tries to remember where he's seen the victim before (hmmm... fifty thousand in a black bag...). The police are on to him, so he has to burn the money in a furnace and then race back to his present-day basement, where he discovers his own dough is now reduced to ashes. "I knew I recognized that guy! He was me in the past!" Though Robert Sale's splash is nicely reminiscent of the pre-code days, the rest is a scratchy mess.

Which is exactly the state in which we find "The Black Boxes!," about Dr. Entrick, a scientist who's trying to invent a rocket that can bring down enemy ICBMs but just can't get the tech right. Suddenly, little black boxes appear in the sky all over the world, objects that destroy flying weapons from any country. Without means to destroy the rest of the world, the Russkies have to settle for (BORING!) peace with their adversaries. Our final panel has kindly Dr. Emrick pondering what those magical boxes could be and realizing he'll probably never know. I guess a mystical conclusion is better than a dopey explanation, but the rest of this preachy is somnambulant and horribly rendered. 

After his gal unceremoniously dumps him, Space Captain Ken Hastings is royally pissed and volunteers to lead a group of ships to conquer Mars (Earth has become too crowded). There he finds that the War Planet is actually filled with humble, loving souls who resemble Earthlings. Hastings falls in love with the Princess of Mars but her Pop refuses to allow the two to marry, so Princess Muhna renounces her claim to the whole princess thing and accompanies Ken back to Earth. "The Unknown Ones!" is cheesy but charming, and if you have to run a Buck Rogers rip-off, then Al Williamson is your man. You can try but you can't resist.

His name is Jim Dana, but he doesn't fool me. This miserable, whiny excuse for a male acts and talks just like Mopey Bill Foster, carrying on how he's the world's biggest failure and kicking rocks into the water. Then, while fishing, Mopey Jim witnesses a tall, half-nekkid man entering a cave and follows. Turns out the big guy is a Galactic League cop sent to Earth to capture the "Outlaws of Sirius II," who are about to conquer our planet. With Mopey Jim's help, the bandits are defeated and the Earth is saved! See, Mopey Jim, you're not a complete failure. Sure, you got no job, no girl, the mortgage is due, your dad just drank himself to death, the Yankees lost the World Series...

In the not-too-distant future, wars will no longer exist... but there will be... the International Games! Yep, it's not Rollerball but something much more boring. The East and West each send an athlete to compete in various sports; whoever wins the competition becomes the BMOC. But, of course, the stinkin' commies cheat and send a robot! "He Can't Lose!," but with this ultra-preachy script and stiff, amateurish art, we sure can! Last up this time out is "The Strange Power of Mr. Dunn!," a routine science fiction yarn about the titular scientist who hits rock bottom and is taken in by a carnival owner. When the carny is held up, Mr. Dunn drinks a potion and grows to twenty feet, nabbing the criminals and saving the carnival in the process. Mr. Dunn stays on as an attraction until he can figure out an antidote for his freakish growth. Meh plot and weak Romita. An issue to be skipped.-Peter

Journey Into Mystery #42

Cover by Bill Everett

"Farley's Other Face!" (a: John Forte) ★★

"Life Sentence!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

"The Curse of Ojiir!" (a: Pete Morisi) ★1/2

"Humans... Keep Out!" (a: George Roussos & John Giunta) ★

"The Savages" (a: Angelo Torres) ★★★

"The Disappearing Man!" (a: Gray Morrow) ★★1/2

Ted Farley is a creep! He cons pretty Gladys Murray into falling in love with him and he convinces an old recluse named Barney Rupert into thinking he can trust the young couple. What Ted really wants is the thousand bucks Rupert keeps tucked under the cushion of his easy chair and, once Ted discovers the money's location, he grabs it and runs off, leaving Barney and Gladys disappointed.

A week later, a private eye tracks Ted to his furnished room and Ted does what any self-respecting crook in a Carl Wessler yarn would do--he pays a shady plastic surgeon to create "Farley's Other Face!" Once the bandages come off, Ted looks a bit stockier and no one recognizes him. This becomes a problem after he sees a personal ad suggesting that Rupert may have left him money in his will. Ted visits the detective agency and confirms that he's owed $47K, but the detective won't accept that he is who he says he is. Ted offers the surgeon ten grand to back him up, but the man says no dice. Even Gladys doesn't recognize him any longer! Poor Ted's bad deeds mean he can't cash in.

John Forte's art usually falls on the "pretty good" end of the scale for me, and this story is no exception. The biggest problem is that Ted doesn't look all that different post facial surgery, so everyone's insistence that he can't be Ted is hard to accept.

Leo Sampson has served twenty years of a "Life Sentence!" for a robbery that was his fourth offense. A man named Murdoch visits him in prison and offers to sell him two pills in exchange for details of where he hid the $10K he stole. The pills will take Leo back twenty years, making him young again and resetting his life to a day before he went to the slammer. Leo tells Murdoch where the money is hidden, swallows the pills, and finds himself back on the night of the robbery. He commits it again and discovers that you can't change the past.

The ending is no surprise, and neither is the mediocre quality of Sale's art. I know Peter thinks he drew horror comics well, but he doesn't seem to have the same skill with crime stories.

Two men steal the legendary Luxor Diamond from the forehead of a statute called the Ojiir Idol in a Hindu temple and suddenly find that everything is spinning. Replacing the diamond cures their disorientation, but when they exit the temple, the pair discover that they've suffered "The Curse of Ojiir!" and suddenly turned into old men. Pete Morisi does a decent job with this throwaway three-pager, but when things started spinning and changing colors, I wished Steve Ditko were at the drawing board. He really knew how to draw a spaced-out environment!

Men are living on the moon under a giant glass dome that keeps oxygen inside. The creatures outside the dome have a motto: "Humans...Keep Out!" They show their displeasure with the dome dwellers by throwing boulders at the top that create big holes that require patches. Those inside the dome plan to leave the moon, but Lewis insists on knowing why those outside the dome have such a bad attitude toward those inside the dome. Bender explains that the creatures outside the dome are humans who were trained to live without oxygen so they could colonize the moon.

This story demonstrates the sad fact that Jack Oleck could write stories just as meandering and meaningless as Carl Wessler. Add scratchy, ugly drawings by George Roussos and John Giunta and the result is a tale better left in the dustbin of history.

How did modern man evolve so quickly from "The Savages" of prehistoric times? Well, see, there were these people in a spaceship from another planet and their spaceship crashed on Earth amidst the dinosaurs and woolly mammoths...yep, it's "In Search of Ancient Astronauts" time here at Atlas once again. Thank goodness Angelo Torres was selected to draw this story because his panels are gorgeous. So nice, in fact, that they make the story much more interesting than it has any right to be.

When fight promoter Fritz Luder discovers a fighter named Lon Novi who packs a wallop and can disappear and reappear at will, he thinks he's found a gold mine. Fritz uses his wife Edna's charms to seduce Lon into becoming a fighter and Lon explains that his disappearing trick comes from the fact that he's from the planet Venus. In the end, Lon refuses to throw a fight and flies off to Venus with Edna, after she falls in love with him and they get married. Poor Fritz is left alone without cash, a fighter, or a woman.

I must admit that I was not expecting this issue to conclude with eight pages by Angelo Torres and Gray Morrow! Morrow's art is excellent but not quite as strong as that of Torres. The story has the usual overly complicated Wesslerian plot, but I'd be happy to see more early work from Gray Morrow.-Jack

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #53

Cover by Bill Everett

"Lost... One World" (a: Bob Powell) ★★

(r: Worlds Unknown #4)

"The Invisible Thieves!" (a: Reed Crandall) ★★

"The Victim!" (a: John Forte) ★1/2

"A Voice from Nowhere!" (a: Ed Winiarski) 1/2

"When We Awake!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★

"When the Eggs Hatch!" (a: Tony DiPreta) ★1/2

(r: Creatures on the Loose #25)

A young man named James Blaine is shocked to find himself in a place that looks like the future! He rushes to his home, only to find the neighborhood run down and falling apart. Instead of his Mom, a cranky old woman answers the door and says she's been renting the dump for a decade. Shaken, James returns to the room where he first found himself in the future and finds notes about someone building a time machine and looking for a human guinea pig. He starts smashing things and a woman arrives with the police. To no reader's surprise, it turns out that Blaine was staying there as an old man a day ago and used his time machine to make himself young again, which isn't the worst result.

Bob Powell's attractive art is the only good thing about this mess of a story, which riffs for the umpteenth time on the time machine theme. At this point in our Atlas journey, I think we've seen just about every variation.

While trying to create a new insecticide, Dr. Howard Downer accidentally creates a spray that makes his two fellow scientists disappear! It wears off after a few hours. Crooks read about the stuff in the paper and steal it, leading Downer and the cops to dread the exploits of "The Invisible Thieves!" The hoods rob a bank and disappear, but their escape plans are foiled by cops who also use the invisible spray and join them on their flight.

Reed Crandall had it pretty easy with this one since there are several panels where people are invisible and he didn't have to draw them! His art continues to be solid, but the story is lightweight.

Policemen witness Luke Mundy shoving another man off a bridge into swift current and are certain the man could not have survived. They interrogate Luke and learn that "The Victim!" was Morton Ruggles, who Luke proudly admits has been helping him test various inventions. Morton had to swim two miles back to shore when Luke's flying submarine was a flop, the jet-powered racing car crashed and Morton broke his leg, and don't even ask about the missile. When Morton was pushed off the bridge, he was testing a new parachute. The cops find Morton's body in the river and bring him to the station house, where everyone sees that he's just a robot.

Was anyone surprised that Morton was a robot? I wasn't. The disastrous tests of Luke's experiments are funny but his confident demeanor at the police station guaranteed the denouement.

After a cataclysm destroys all but one colony on a planet, there are only thirty people left, and twenty-nine of them don't like it when Martin takes more than his share of food. His punishment is that he is banished to the switchboard, where he must place telephone calls to every number in a stack of phone directories in the off chance someone will answer. After a woman's voice answers a call to a colony 200 miles away, Martin sets out on foot to meet her. He arrives to discover that what he heard was a recorded message on an answering machine!

I'm not sure if I've given a story a half star before, but I awarded that dubious distinction to "A Voice from Nowhere!," which is confusing, pointless, and badly drawn. It's not clear exactly what Martin did to rile up the other colonists at the start (I think it had to do with food) or why telephone lines would still work after a cataclysm. Worst of all is the punishment of having to sit and dial numbers all day. Oh, and Martin manages to walk 200 miles alone in a suit and dress shoes. Ed Winiarski phoned this one in, which was appropriate.

In 2156, scientists decide to send a nuclear-powered spaceship, traveling at the speed of light and carrying astronauts in suspended animation, to travel to the next solar system in search of life. After a thousand years, the sleepers awake and arrive at a planet populated by humans who have found peace and tranquility. The astronauts take note, get back on the ship, and return to suspended animation for the journey home. Another thousand years later, they land on Earth, only to be jailed by humans who have evolved into angry little bald men who treat them like savages. They escape prison and hop back onto the ship for another thousand-year trip to the planet with the nice people.

It just gets worse and worse! At least "When We Awake!" looks better than the story that preceded it, though Sale is hardly on the level of Crandall.

Bob Fry is out fishing one day when a sudden storm comes up and he seeks shelter in a cave. He finds a glass jar with notes inside that were written a few years ago by Dr. Amos Milton, a scientist who disappeared while collecting samples from a meteor. Milton found a large egg and, when it hatched, out came a big green creature that looked kind of like a T Rex. Milton assumed the creatures were aliens bent on conquering Earth! As Fry reads the notes, he sees a nest of huge eggs, and one is hatching! He runs out of the cave, determined to alert the authorities and set off a great Easter egg hunt!

What a dumb ending! People are going to return to the cave to destroy the alien creatures and eggs and Bob thinks of it as an Easter egg hunt? Good thing they didn't waste good art on this story. "When the Eggs Hatch!" concludes a disappointing issue, where three poor stories illustrated by three decent artists gave way to three examples of dreck.-Jack

Next Week...
Kane and Anderson
Continue to Deliver!