Tales of Suspense #17
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTales of Suspense #17 (cover-dated May 1961, on sale February 7, 1961) holds its place in Marvel history as the first appearance of Googam, Son of Goom — a young alien invader whose debut continued the two-issue monster-family saga Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had launched in issue #15. The issue is a representative artifact of the late Atlas/early Marvel anthological period, when the line was still built entirely around science-fiction and monster stories before the superhero pivot that began with issue #39. Googam himself proved durable enough to be revived more than four decades later as a recurring supporting figure in Marvel's 2005 monster-revival publishing initiative, demonstrating how thoroughly those pre-hero creatures had lodged themselves in Marvel's shared-universe mythology. As one of the final issues published before the title officially transitioned to the Marvel banner (that changeover came with issue #19), it also sits at a genuine transitional moment in the company's publishing identity.
In "Beware of Googam, Son of Goom!!," a tense standoff unfolds between a communist general and a reluctant lama, who reluctantly reveals the location of a hidden alien spacecraft—only to be tested when the soldiers march to the mountain, unaware that the mountain itself is the ship. Steve Ditko’s distinctive art brings the eerie, otherworldly threat to life, while Jack Kirby’s dynamic cover captures the moment of revelation with dramatic flair. A 10-cent comic from 1961, this issue blends Cold War paranoia with sci-fi mystery in a story that’s as clever as it is unsettling.
In a forgotten cave, the ancient Goom leaves behind his son, Googam, to finish what he started—conquering Earth. Now, years later, Googam targets the family of the scientist who once defeated his father, tracking down Mark Langley, his wife Helen, and their young son Billy. When Billy dares to challenge Googam to a game of tag, the alien’s arrogance leads him straight into a trap of quicksand—though not the one he thinks.
In "Googam Part 2," the son of a defeated alien conqueror stumbles upon the family of the scientist who once stopped his father, setting off a tense encounter between the young alien and the humans who unknowingly hold the key to his legacy. As the boy, Billy Langley, grows closer to the family, strange forces begin to stir—echoes of a past war now awakening in the quiet of the countryside.
In a chilling tale from *Tales of Suspense* #17, a desperate thief targets Freddy Sykes, only to learn too late that the man he’s chasing is no ordinary man—but Davy Jones, a figure bound to the sea’s darkest secrets. When the thief demands the location of a hidden fortune, Davy leads him to a locker with a deadly twist, turning the hunt into a drowning nightmare.
In "What Lurks in the Mountain?", a communist general presses a reluctant lama to reveal the location of a hidden alien spacecraft, threatening to kill the village if he refuses. When the soldiers march to the mountain the lama points to, they find nothing—until the ground erupts and the entire peak lifts into the sky, exposing the truth too late.
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The issue was edited by Stan Lee and published under the Atlas Comics banner — the title would not carry the early Marvel 'MC' box until issue #19 (July 1961). The lead Googam story was pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers, part of the prolific Lee–Kirby–Ayers assembly-line that produced the bulk of the anthology monster material across Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, Journey Into Mystery, and Strange Tales during this era. The issue is a multi-story anthology, with additional short stories credited to Steve Ditko and Don Heck as pencillers and Larry Lieber as co-writer alongside Lee — the standard rotating creative approach of the period, where no single creative team owned the book.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Googam (Son of Goom), an alien child from Planet X, who arrives on Earth after his father Goom's failed invasion two issues earlier in Tales of Suspense #15 (March 1961).
- Googam's introductory story is pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers, with Stan Lee serving as editor; the full issue also features art by Steve Ditko and Don Heck across its multiple anthology segments.
- The issue carries a May 1961 cover date and went on sale February 7, 1961, per the Grand Comics Database's copyright filing record.
- Published under the Atlas Comics banner — Tales of Suspense would not officially transition to the Marvel Comics identity until issue #19.
- The issue is a multi-story anthology containing at least four separate short stories spanning science fiction, spy, and supernatural fantasy genres, in addition to the lead Googam feature.
- Also features the first appearance of Billy Langley, the young boy who outsmarts Googam by leading him into quicksand — Billy's adult self would later be referenced in the 2005 Marvel Monsters publishing line.
- The issue has been reprinted three times: in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense Vol. 2 (June 2008), in Monsters Unleashed Prelude (2017), and in Monsters: The Marvel Monsterbus by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby (2017).
- Googam was revived in Marvel Monsters: Fin Fang Four #1 (December 2005), written by Scott Gray and drawn by Roger Langridge, where he joins Fin Fang Foom, Gorgilla, and Elektro as the team called the 'Fin Fang Four' — and has made multiple further appearances in Marvel's main Earth-616 continuity through the Monsters Unleashed crossover event.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Mystery Tales #42 (1956)
Reprinted in Mystic #24 (1962), Amazing Stories of Suspense #11 (1963), Creatures on the Loose #18 (1972), Where Monsters Dwell #16 (1972), Fear #10 (1972), Astounding Stories #105 (1974), Super Giant #10 (1974), Eclipso #43 (1974), Astounding Stories #138 (1979), The Empire Strikes Back Weekly #119 (1980), Chiller Pocket Book #12 (1981), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense #2 (2008), Monsters Unleashed Prelude #[nn] (2017), Monsters: The Marvel Monsterbus by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby #1 (2017), Marvel Masters of Suspense: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Omnibus #1 (2019), Sinister Tales #5, Sinister Tales #81
Key issues in Tales of Suspense
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