Lars of Mars #10

Lars of Mars is summoned by the Martian Supreme Council after a massive explosion on Earth sparks fears of interplanetary war, prompting them to break their long-standing ban on space travel. Sent to Earth on a secret mission to prevent conflict, Lars arrives just as a television production is underway—where he’s mistaken for the star of a new sci-fi show, leading to an unexpected cover as he begins his crusade against evil under the guise of a fictional hero.

In a twist that blurs the line between performance and reality, the man known as Lars of Mars—publicly a TV actor playing a Martian hero—finds himself kidnapped by a gang led by the notorious "Schemer" Bixby, who plans to exploit the public's belief in his alien identity to pull off a daring jewel heist. Forced to play the role of a real Martian criminal, Lars must navigate the chaos of a staged crime while grappling with the growing suspicion that his act might be the only thing keeping Earth safe.

In the skies above a remote Asian mountain range, Captain Ken Brady and his co-pilot Buzzy Bell are forced to abandon their vacation when they’re assigned to deliver a crucial shipment of Maratonium to Asia, only to face the notorious space pirate Mitros Barrakan and his fleet. As the pirate ship closes in, Brady devises a desperate plan to turn the tables, leading to a tense aerial duel and a shocking betrayal from the ship’s own navigator.

"Modern Miracles" presents three unexplained events from the early 20th century: a phantom armored knight seen during World War I near Mons, a rain of fish in the Australian town of Longreach, and the astonishing journey of actor Charles Coghlan’s coffin, swept by storm from Texas to his birthplace in Canada. Each account, drawn from historical records, suggests that extraordinary, inexplicable occurrences still punctuate the modern era.

In a Cold War-era thriller, Lars of Mars, a Martian superhero disguised as a TV actor on Earth, is summoned by interplanetary intelligence to stop a trio of Soviet spies who’ve parachuted into the Oak Ridge atomic plant to detonate a deadly bomb. As the spies prepare to trigger the device, Lars arrives in a blazing streak from the sky, subdues them with his Martian weapon, and safely disarms the explosive before vanishing back into the atmosphere.

"Solar Facts" presents a concise, illustrated tour of celestial wonders, exploring comets, the vast distances to stars, Saturn’s rings, the aurora borealis, Earth’s Moon, and meteors—all explained with clear, engaging science. The story blends astronomical facts with a quirky, period-appropriate tone, ending with a promotional plug for a harmonica lesson and a novelty lighter.