Astonishing #38

Atlas Comics' Astonishing #38 from 1955 sets a haunting mood right on the cover, where a lone figure stands with his back to us, gazing across dark waters at a ship engulfed in smoke and silhouetted against a glowing yellow sun. The brooding, isolated composition perfectly frames the featured story, "The Man Who Didn't Belong!" — cover art by Carl Burgos that makes you feel the weight of alienation before you've turned a single page. Rounding out the package is a second tale teased as "It Waits in Space!" — two slices of mid-1950s mystery and wonder for a dime.