Astonishing #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAstonishing #4 ('Screaming Tomb') sits at a pivotal crossroads in Atlas Comics history: it is the second-to-last issue in which Bill Everett's revived Marvel Boy headlined a superhero-driven title before publisher Martin Goodman pivoted entirely to horror anthologies — a genre shift that defined the Atlas/Marvel house style through the mid-1950s. The issue is also historically notable as a very early in-story cameo appearance of Stan Lee, making it a curiosity in pre-Marvel continuity. More broadly, the first four issues of Astonishing represent Everett's sustained attempt to keep a sci-fi superhero viable at the exact moment the market had decisively moved on, making this a document of the industry's genre transition in real time.
In "Screaming Tomb!", Marvel Boy’s friend Jo and her father venture into Europe’s forgotten catacombs, where they encounter the chilling presence of Madame La Morte—a figure whose true nature defies mortal understanding. Written and illustrated by Bill Everett, this eerie 1951 tale blends mystery and menace in a story that’s as atmospheric as it is unsettling, with Everett’s distinctive art bringing the shadowed depths to life. The cover by Bill Everett captures the dread of the moment, perfectly framing the story’s haunting tone.
In "Screaming Tomb!" from Astonishing #4 (1951), Marvel Boy’s friend Jo and her father venture into a forgotten European catacomb, where they encounter the eerie Madame La Morte—a presence that defies explanation and may be more than human. As the ancient tunnels whisper with unseen horrors, Marvel Boy must confront a threat that blurs the line between myth and menace.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series grew directly out of Marvel Boy #1–2 (Dec. 1950–Feb. 1951), which was created by Stan Lee and Russ Heath, with Bill Everett taking over as writer-artist on issue #2. When publisher Martin Goodman determined that horror and suspense, not science fiction superheroes, were what newsstand buyers wanted, the title was renamed Astonishing beginning with issue #3 while Everett continued to carry the Marvel Boy feature. By the time #4 shipped, the horror-inflected backup stories were already crowding the superhero lead; Marvel Boy's run in the title would end entirely with issue #7. The series was published under the 20th Century Comic Corp. indicia — one of roughly 59 shell companies Atlas used — and ran bi-monthly.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: June 1951; on-sale date: February 20, 1951. Published by Atlas Comics (20th Century Comic Corp.), a predecessor to Marvel Comics.
- Lead story is 'Screaming Tomb!' — script and art entirely by Bill Everett — in which Marvel Boy and his companion Starr Ryder investigate European catacombs and encounter a villain called Madame La Morte, theorized to be the spirit of Death herself.
- Second story, 'The Nightmare,' is scripted by Hank Chapman and drawn by Wayne Boring; both writer Hank Chapman and Stan Lee appear as characters within the story — one of the earliest known in-comic cameos of the future Marvel mastermind.
- Third story, 'Walking Ghost,' is also scripted and drawn by Bill Everett, making Everett the dominant creative force on the entire issue.
- The series continued directly from Marvel Boy #2, numbering beginning at #3 (no issues #1 or #2 exist in the Astonishing series); issue #4 is therefore the second issue under the Astonishing banner.
- Marvel Boy (Robert Grayson) was originally created by Stan Lee and Russ Heath in Marvel Boy #1 (Dec. 1950); Everett took over with issue #2 and shepherded the character through the Astonishing run.
- Marvel Boy's final Atlas appearance was in Astonishing #7 (Dec. 1951); the character did not reappear until What If? #9 (June 1978) and was later revived in the six-issue Agents of Atlas miniseries (2006).
- The early Astonishing issues featuring Marvel Boy (including #4) have been collected in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes Vol. 1 (2007), providing the primary modern reprint access to this material.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Mystic #1 (1951)
Reprinted in Astonishing #28 (1951), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes #1 (2007), Marvel Boy: The Uranian #2 (2010)
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