Tales of Suspense #17
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.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
A communist general demands that the lama tell him of the alien space ship that has landed for repairs. At first the lama refuses to allow the aliens to be conquered by the communists, but he relents after the general threatens to execute all the peasants. The soldiers march off to the mountain the lama has indicated, but after a fruitless search they conclude the lama must have been lying. Suddenly, the mountain begins to shake violently and the soldiers realize too late as it blasts off that the mountain was the space ship.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).