Astonishing Tales #24
Astonishing Tales #24 (June 1974) closes out the four-issue 'It! The Living Colossus' run that briefly revived one of Marvel's beloved Atlas-era stone giants for the Bronze Age, pitting him against the mind-controlled Fin Fang Foom in what amounts to an early monster-versus-monster showdown — a format that would become a reliable Bronze Age crowd-pleaser. The issue also carries an in-story announcement from Stan Lee and Roy Thomas that this was the final chapter for It the Living Colossus, making it a deliberate, editorially marked send-off rather than a quiet cancellation. It represents Marvel's conscious effort in 1973–74 to rehabilitate its pre-superhero Atlas monster catalogue and weave those characters into the shared Marvel Universe, a project that would eventually find fuller expression in dedicated monster reprints and later revivals. The cover — dominated by Fin Fang Foom — gave the ancient dragon one of his most prominent early showcases and helped cement his status as a recurring heavy in Marvel's monster stable.
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The 'It! The Living Colossus' feature ran in Astonishing Tales #21–24 (December 1973–June 1974), reviving a stone giant originally introduced in an Atlas-era science-fiction anthology story in Tales of Suspense #14 (February 1961). Writer Tony Isabella scripted the run, with pencil duties split between Dick Ayers and Larry Lieber, Vince Colletta on inks, Linda Lessmann on colors, and Dave Hunt lettering; Roy Thomas served as editor. The issue incorporates recycled panel art from the original Fin Fang Foom story in Strange Tales #89 and earlier Tales of Suspense issues as flashback material, a common cost- and space-saving technique of the period. The letters page includes a special announcement — attributed to Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Marvel editorial — explaining that the title was ending its It the Living Colossus feature as the company restructured its line, raising its standard cover price from 20 to 25 cents.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1974 (cover date) by Marvel Comics; part of the Astonishing Tales Volume 1 series that ran from 1970 to 1976.
- Final chapter of the four-issue 'It! The Living Colossus' feature (Astonishing Tales #21–24), which revived the Atlas-era stone giant first introduced in Tales of Suspense #14 (February 1961).
- Features an early solo-story appearance of Fin Fang Foom, presented as the 3rd overall appearance of the character (1st: Strange Tales #89; 2nd: Astonishing Tales #23); villain Dr. Aloysius Vault manipulates Foom as a weapon against the Living Colossus.
- Story title: 'Five Claws of Death!' Written by Tony Isabella; penciled by Dick Ayers and Larry Lieber; inked by Vince Colletta; colored by Linda Lessmann; lettered by Dave Hunt; edited by Roy Thomas.
- The issue incorporates recycled panel art reprinted from Tales of Suspense #14, Tales of Suspense #20, Strange Tales #89, and Astonishing Tales #21 as in-story flashback sequences.
- Contains Marvel Value Stamp Series A #18, depicting Volstagg the Asgardian — one of the collectible cut-out stamps inserted into Bronze Age Marvel comics beginning in 1974.
- An editorial announcement on the letters page, from Lee, Thomas, and Marvel, declares this the last issue featuring It the Living Colossus and announces the cover price increase from 20 to 25 cents.
- It the Living Colossus next appeared in Incredible Hulk #244 (February 1980), making this issue the character's exit point for nearly six years.
Cast · 9 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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Fin Fang Foom is again controlled by Dr. Vault and he attacks the Colossus forcing him to slip away before he is defeated. Bob O'Bryan then sends his mind back to his body where he wakes up before they can perform an autopsy on him. Dr. Vault uses Fin Fang Foom to draw the Colossus out of hiding but before they can finish their fight some live wires are knocked into Fin Fang Foom breaking Dr. Vault's control. He makes peace with the Colossus by shaking his hand and leaves. Dr. Vault kills Dr. Braun for his insolence while Fin Fang Foom swims back to China.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).