Race for the Moon #2
In "The Thing on Sputnik 4," Jack Kirby's sharp storytelling and dynamic art bring a tense, early space-age thriller to life. When a mysterious triangular meteor is brought aboard a space station and a walnut-shaped object is discovered inside, Captain Kelly's curiosity sparks a chain of alarming beeps and explosions—culminating in a shocking sight: a space creature clinging to an old Sputnik satellite, reuniting with the object before vanishing into the void. The cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, inked by Al Williamson and Joe Simon, captures the eerie moment perfectly.
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A triangular meteor is captured and brought on board a space station. Captain Kelly cuts into the meteor and finds a walnut shaped object inside. Major General Holt cautions Kelly against thinking they've found life. The lab technician investigates further but then there's a beep-beep sound and an explosion rocks the lab. There are more explosions accompanied by the beeps. Kelly is outside and sees an old Sputnik satellite which is beeping and then sees a space creature clinging to it. The walnut object appears and reunites with the space creature and they fly off in a triangular meteor.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).