Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Strange Tales #4
In "The Man Who Played with Blocks!", an unsuspecting inventor is roped into a reality TV stunt that takes a bizarre turn when his rocket—meant to be a hoax—actually makes it to Venus. There, the five "participants" reveal a shocking truth: they’re not Earthlings at all, but native Venusians who’ve been hiding in plain sight. With art by Joe Sinnott and a cover by Harry Anderson, this 2011 Marvel Masterworks entry delivers a delightfully surreal twist on the classic sci-fi prank.
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A TV producer of a candid-camera type show contacts an inventor who doesn't believe his rocket can fly to Venus. The producer says that's OK because he wants to advertise for five people who wish to leave Earth and film them being fooled by the fraud for the audience's amusement. The inventor agrees and is surprised when his rocket actually does succeed in reaching Venus, but not nearly as surprised as the producer and his film crew when the five recruits shape-shift into Venusians who are glad to be home.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).