Steve Ditko Reader #3

In "Avery and the Goblins," an old prospector named Avery Calhoun ventures into a decaying castle rumored to house a hoard of treasure—only to find it guarded by a clan of cannibal goblins. As he navigates the crumbling halls, his careful progress begins to unravel the moment he reaches the fabled treasure.

In "Von Mohl vs the Ants!", the ruthless plantation owner Hugo von Mohl wages a brutal war against a sudden swarm of killer ants, using dynamite, gunfire, and fire to hold back the tide. But as the insects find new ways to breach his defenses, von Mohl realizes too late that one small, overlooked hole may be his undoing.

In "The Mirage," a man escapes prison on the edge of a vast desert, his survival hinging on a single, empty canteen and a makeshift compass. As he stumbles through the dunes, he sees an oasis shimmering in the heat—women lounging by a pool, their forms too perfect to be real. He knows it must be a mirage, yet the image haunts him as he presses on, driven by instinct and desperation. The women, watching from the distance, quietly wonder why he chose to walk away.

In "With the Help of Hogar," a banished witchdoctor named Manu carves a meteorite into a towering figure he calls Hogar, hoping to use it to reclaim his power and lead his tribe. When a lightning strike and nearby atomic testing awaken the statue, it comes to life—only to turn on its creator and unleash chaos across the African wilderness. As the giant rampages, its origins and true nature become a mystery no one can control.