Journey into Mystery #52
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free"Menace from Mars!" delivers a clever twist on time-travel tropes in a standout 1959 entry from Journey into Mystery, where a screenwriter’s pitch about haunted houses as portals for future time travelers takes a personal turn—only to reveal the writer himself is one. With art by Carl Burgos and inks by the same, the story blends sci-fi intrigue with a quiet, knowing tension, all rendered in Stan Goldberg’s vibrant colors and Artie Simek’s crisp lettering. The cover by Jack Kirby and Christopher Rule captures the eerie, otherworldly vibe with striking, dynamic visuals.
In "Menace from Mars!" from Journey into Mystery #52 (1959), a sudden Martian invasion sends Earth into panic—until a single human, Jo, steps forward with a bold, unorthodox plan. Facing off against alien conquerors, Jo uses his deep understanding of Earth’s most formidable creatures to turn the tide in a display of raw, unexpected intelligence.
In "The Man with the Atomic Brain!", a young man haunted by his parents’ radioactive exposure discovers he’s not alone—his newfound psychic powers mark him as part of a hidden network of others like him. When the government closes in, a secret society steps forward, offering refuge in a community built on shared gifts and unseen strength.
In "Travelers in Time!" from Journey into Mystery #52 (1959), a screenwriter shares a wild idea with a director—that haunted houses might be portals for time travelers from the future—only to quietly breathe a sigh of relief when the director dismisses it as too implausible. The twist? The writer himself is a time traveler, and his secret remains just that.
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↩ Reprints Astonishing #53 (1956)
Reprinted in Cuentos de Brujas #108 (1959), Amazing Stories of Suspense #11 (1963), Creepy Worlds #23 (1963), Amazing Stories of Suspense #139 (1974), Creepy Worlds #172 (1977), Amazing Stories of Suspense #176 (1979), Creepy Worlds #209 (1982), Creepy Worlds #237 (1986), Crypt of Horror #24 (2015), Monsters: The Marvel Monsterbus by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby #1 (2017), Marvel Masters of Suspense: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Omnibus #1 (2019), Adventures into the Unknown #14, Creepy Worlds #93
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