Space Adventures #9

In "Speed-Up!" from Space Adventures #9 (1953), Dr. Eric Bruno and his assistant Norman Durocher accelerate the evolution of a microscopic society, watching as it mirrors humanity’s rise—from early tools to atomic weapons—racing toward the year 2153. As the society nears the development of an argon bomb, Durocher attempts to halt the experiment, but Bruno’s ambition turns deadly. With the machine nearing its catastrophic climax, Bruno’s fate hangs in the balance as he stumbles over Durocher’s body.

In "A Fistful of Doom," space botanist Ned Brovo, wealthy Carl Monat, and pilot Burt Loog journey to Venus in search of the rare Spider Flower—worth a million dollars. When Brovo finds one and stores it in his lunchbox, Monat murders him to claim the prize, setting off a chain of betrayal and violence. Loog, wary of the growing tension, eliminates Monat and returns to Earth, only to face a grim fate as the alien bloom consumes him.

In 1985, as global war devastates Earth, a group of scientists including Lori and her father race against time to ready an experimental spaceship for a desperate voyage to Mantor, a distant planet that may offer humanity a fresh start. With cities in chaos and atomic bombs falling, the crew makes the harrowing decision to abandon their doomed world and gamble everything on reaching an unknown refuge among the stars. As their craft tears free of Earth's atmosphere, the refugees witness the planet's destruction and set their course into the void.

In "The Day Fido Sang," a 1953 science fiction tale from *Space Adventures* #9, Herman Lindsay’s experiment turns his new dog, Fido, into a talking, reading, and writing companion—only to use him as a spy. When Fido is forced to betray his friends Ted and Marion Kent, the dog’s quiet resistance sets off a chain of events that leads to Lindsay’s downfall. The story’s chilling twist hinges on a voice that doesn’t sound human, leaving the fate of Fido—and the truth—unspoken.

When an expedition lands on the alien world of Mantor, Dr. Kron makes a startling discovery about the planet's geological age—but the crew's scientific excitement turns to terror when they encounter grotesque creatures that quickly overwhelm the team. Racing against time, a lone survivor must reach the safety of the ship while fending off the nightmarish beings that now surround it.