Incredible Science Fiction #30

(July-August 1955)

E.C.'s "New Direction" One-Two-Punch Mags! (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Clean Start (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck

Pencils

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Inks

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Lth was uneasy.

Genre

science fiction

Synopsis

Two amoeba like aliens (one male and one female) are tasked by the Solar Federation with trying to help humanity from destroying itself. They deduce the best thing to do is take one male and one female, destroy every other being on Earth, and start the species all over again. They take human disguises and go about looking for a human. The female finds one, captures him, and takes him back to the ship. Humanity is then wiped out. She is worried that her mate hasn't returned to the ship with his human yet. But to her horror realizes that the man she abducted was her mate in his human form.

Reprints

• in Strange Planets (I. W. Publishing; Super Comics, 1958 series) #1 (1958)
• in Mystic (L. Miller & Son, 1960 series) #1 (1960)
• in Spellbound (L. Miller & Son, 1960 ? series) #48 (1964)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #6/1992 (uke 36 1992)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1994 series) #8 (August 1994)
• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)

Marbles (Table of Contents: 3)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck (adaptation, script); Alfred Coppel (story)

Pencils

Bernie Krigstein (signed as B. Krigstein)

Inks

Bernie Krigstein (signed as B. Krigstein)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

It was a solemn moment for the carefully picked and extensively trained crew...

Genre

science fiction

Characters

X-17 crew members [Hollis; Captain McGraw; Enkers; Danton]; General Butler

Synopsis

The X-17 is set to become the first manned rocket to be launched from the Earth and the four-man crew was excited to become the first to reach another planet. To them, the distant stars looked like marbles. Then McGraw sends his first report: their target planet, Mars, seems to get smaller as they approach it, and Enkers donned a suit and went out and got it....it was the size of a rubber ball. And the other planets had similar issues like this as well. The General and assistants can't believe what they are hearing and deduce the crew has gone insane.

Reprints

• in Strange Planets (I. W. Publishing; Super Comics, 1958 series) #1 (1958)
• in Mystic (L. Miller & Son, 1960 series) #2 (1961)
• in Spellbound (L. Miller & Son, 1960 ? series) #55 (1965)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1994 series) #8 (August 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #21 - Master Race and Other Stories (March 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)

Keywords

X-17

Indexer Notes

This story was inspired by "Mother", which appeared in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" in September of 1952.
Cover story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Cosmic Correspondence / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Letters

typeset

Reprints

• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)

Indexer Notes

Letters from Warren F. Link, Jack Promo, Fred von Bernewitz, George Dipmon, James Trent, Dan Adkins, Keith Nutt, John Siegel, Dennis Rullo, San Cornell, Jimmy Riley, Angel Gonzalez, Allan Stark.

Conditioned Reflex (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck

Pencils

Joe Orlando (signed as Joe Orlando)

Inks

Joe Orlando (signed as Joe Orlando)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Prologue: On the screen, a world died.

Genre

science fiction

Synopsis

An alien from a world whose atmosphere is comprised of methane is tasked by his superiors to infiltrate Earth and find out about their strengths and weaknesses, so they can conquer the planet. He is modified to look human and told to act just like the humans do as to not arouse suspicion. When on Earth, he picks up the human's habit of lighting and smoking cigarettes. After he returns home, he lights a cigarette by habit and it causes the methane atmosphere to light up and the planet to explode!

Reprints

• in Strange Planets (I. W. Publishing; Super Comics, 1958 series) #1 (1958)
• in Mystic (L. Miller & Son, 1960 series) #2 (1961)
• in Spellbound (L. Miller & Son, 1960 ? series) #55 (1965)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1994 series) #8 (August 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #9 - Judgment Day and Other Stories (May 2014) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)

E.C.'s "New Direction" Mags (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Not Even a Sparrow Shall Fall... (Table of Contents: 7)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"Dear LORD," wrote old Elmo Danton.

Genre

science fiction

Synopsis

In the 29th century, Earth is about to be evacuated and destroyed by the LORD (Licensed Organization Reducing Deadworlds). This is because the Earth has been stripped of all its ore and is considered a dead planet. Just before the planet is destroyed, a geologist prays to that other Lord (God) for help and is then shocked to discover massive amounts of ore hidden deep in the planet. The Earth is saved!

Reprints

• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1994 series) #8 (August 1994)
• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)

Barrier (Table of Contents: 8)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The ship was a symphony of power...

Genre

science fiction

Synopsis

In the future, both the Western and Eastern Alliances (who are at war with each other), are trying to beat each other to the Moon for global domination. But their ships are constantly crashing into an invisible barrier near the moon. They later discover that the barrier encompasses the entire Earth, and that they are caged. Why? Because evolved aliens believe humans are like violent wild animals and all wild animals need to be caged.

Reprints

• in Strange Planets (I. W. Publishing; Super Comics, 1958 series) #1 (1958)
• in Spellbound (L. Miller & Son, 1960 ? series) #1 (1960)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #3 [1988] (uke 17 1988)
• in Incredible Science Fiction (Russ Cochran, 1994 series) #8 (August 1994)
• in The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction (Dark Horse, 2022 series) (2022)