Journey into Mystery #18
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeIn "The Man Who Went Back!", a man's desperate attempt to escape his shrewish wife leads him to a mysterious ritual that brings a kinder, gentler spirit to life in a figurine he names Jolie. Written and illustrated by Bill Walton, this eerie 1954 tale explores the fragile line between desire and reality, as the man's new life begins to unravel when his long-lost wife's spirit resurfaces in an unexpected form. The haunting cover by Carl Burgos captures the story's unsettling mood, making this a standout issue in Marvel's early anthology series.
In "He Wouldn't Stay Dead!", a man’s desperate ritual to remake his difficult wife into a kinder spirit through a figurine unleashes a haunting twist: the new woman he calls Jolie brings him joy, but their happiness is shattered when he must choose between her and a real-life romance. Upon returning home, he breaks the figurine in sorrow—only to discover the spirit he thought he’d freed has found a new host, and the woman he now loves is beginning to mirror his first wife’s old cruelty.
In "The Worst Thirst," Jo and his brother take desperate measures when their well runs dry after a neighbor’s new well drains the underground supply—channeling water back to their own with makeshift pipes. What begins as a quiet victory turns uneasy when a delivery man casually reveals the neighbors’ well has been poisoned by pesticides, leaving the brothers to wonder what they’ve just been drinking.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Amazing Stories of Suspense #6 (1963), Amazing Stories of Suspense #131 (1973), Zombie #3 (1974), Journey into Mystery #11 (1974), Dead of Night #5 (1974), Giant-Size Werewolf #3 (1975), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Journey into Mystery #2 (2009), Crypt of Horror #25 (2015), Amazing Stories of Suspense #81, Die Gruft von Graf Dracula #15, Secrets of the Unknown #91
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