Tales to Astonish #26

(December 1961)

Look Out!! Here Come the...Four-Armed Men! (Table of Contents: 1)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Stan Lee ? (plot); Larry Lieber ? (script)

Pencils

Jack Kirby

Inks

Dick Ayers

Colors

Stan Goldberg

Letters

Ray Holloway ?

Job Number

V-402

First Line of Dialogue or Text

It was on a bleak rainy night that nurse Anne Morgan arrived at...

Genre

science fiction

Characters

"Anne Morgan"; William Cartwright; Bruno

Synopsis

An explorer learns of an invasion of four-armed aliens. His nurse tells him his bodyguard is one of the aliens, but he realizes that she is the real alien.

Reprints

• in Amazing Stories of Suspense (Alan Class, 1963 series) #19 (1964 ?)
• in HIP Comics (Classics/Williams, 1966 series) #19102 (1969)
• in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #102
• in Where Monsters Dwell (Marvel, 1970 series) #8 (March 1971)
• in Chamber of Chills (Marvel, 1972 series) #19 (November 1975)
• in Amazing Stories of Suspense (Alan Class, 1963 series) #183 ([circa 1980 - 1981]), #239 ([circa 1988 - 1989])
• in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 series) #3 ([March] 2010)
• in Monsters: The Marvel Monsterbus by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2017 series) #2 (2017)

The Weatherman (Table of Contents: 2)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Joe Maneely

Inks

Joe Maneely

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Job Number

K-71

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"Don't know what the world is coming to," said Willie Wimms as he put down the morning newspaper.

Genre

fantasy-supernatural; science fiction

Characters

Willie Wimms; Hugh Wimms

Synopsis

In the future, young boy's afternoon is nearly ruined by a scheduled rainstorm, but when he runs into the rainmaker's magical assistant, he gets a delay.

Reprints

• from Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #49 (August 1956)
• in Marvelserien (Williams Förlags AB, 1967 series) #31 (1969)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 series) #3 ([March] 2010)

Indexer Notes

Text story with illustration.

He Walked Through Walls! (Table of Contents: 3)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Stan Lee ? (plot); Larry Lieber ? (script)

Pencils

Jack Kirby

Inks

Dick Ayers

Colors

Stan Goldberg

Letters

Ray Holloway ?

Job Number

V-403

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In every century there have been greedy, discontented men like Silas Birch...

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Silas Birch; Charles J. Cragmore

Synopsis

A stranger performs feats of magic, and offers anything that people might want if they sign a contract. He helps a disgruntled clerk steal money and get away, but the clerk is stranded on an island forever.

Reprints

• in Das Monster von Frankenstein (BSV - Williams, 1974 series) #19
• in Amazing Stories of Suspense (Alan Class, 1963 series) #19 (1964 ?)
• in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #62
• in Fear (Marvel, 1970 series) #4 (July 1971)
which is reprinted
• in L'Incroyable Hulk (Editions Héritage, 1968 series) #56 ([mars 1976]) [N&B [B&W]]
• in Adventure into Fear Omnibus (Marvel, 2020 series) (2020)
• in Chamber of Chills (Marvel, 1972 series) #22 (May 1976)
• in Amazing Stories of Suspense (Alan Class, 1963 series) #183 ([circa 1980 - 1981]), #239 ([circa 1988 - 1989])
• in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 series) #3 ([March] 2010)
• in Monsters: The Marvel Monsterbus by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2017 series) #2 (2017)

Indexer Notes

Dick Ayers Inks credit from Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 Series) #3.

Run, Rocky, Run! (Table of Contents: 4)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Stan Lee ?

Pencils

Bob Forgione (signed as Bob Forgione)

Inks

Bob Forgione (signed as Bob Forgione)

Colors

Stan Goldberg

Letters

Artie Simek

Job Number

V-405

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Midnight!! The city's darkness holds a thousand stories...

Genre

science fiction

Characters

Rocky Jordan

Synopsis

A criminal on the run plans to stow-away on the experimental rocket he reads about, but finds out too late that is an advanced miniature rocket that cannot carry a pilot.

Reprints

• in Secrets of the Unknown (Alan Class, 1962 series) #28
• in HIP Comics (Classics/Williams, 1966 series) #1983 (1969)
• in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #83
• in Where Monsters Dwell (Marvel, 1970 series) #8 (March 1971)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 series) #3 ([March] 2010)

Indexer Notes

The last page includes an advertisement for the Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series). Retold as a Tales of the Watcher story as "Run, Roco, Run" by Stan Lee and Howard Purcell in Silver Surfer (Marvel, 1968 series) #5 (April 1969). Stan Lee given a tentative writer's credit based on his authorship of the retelling.

Dream World (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Stan Lee (signed as Stan Lee [early- to mid-career])

Pencils

Steve Ditko (signed as S. DITKO)

Inks

Steve Ditko (signed as S. DITKO)

Colors

Stan Goldberg

Letters

Ray Holloway ?

Job Number

V-380

First Line of Dialogue or Text

When a man is tired...

Genre

horror-suspense

Synopsis

A man repeatedly dreams that his bed is levitating, and can’t tell if he’s dreaming or not.

Reprints

• in Creepy Worlds (Alan Class, 1962 series) #80
• in Secrets of the Unknown (Alan Class, 1962 series) #28
• in HIP Comics (Classics/Williams, 1966 series) #1995 (1969)
• in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #95
• in Where Monsters Dwell (Marvel, 1970 series) #8 (March 1971)
• in Chamber of Chills (Marvel, 1972 series) #19 (November 1975)
• in Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (Marvel, 2005 series) (2005)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish (Marvel, 2006 series) #3 ([March] 2010)
• in Marvel Masters of Suspense: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Omnibus (Marvel, 2019 series) #1 (2019)
• in Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)

Indexer Notes

Narrated in the second person. This story is presented, according to a caption, because of positive response to "The Silent Screen" in issue #21 (July 1961), a similarly structured story. The last page carries an advertisement for Amazing Adult Fantasy (Marvel, 1961 series), also by Lee and Ditko. Stan Lee adopts Cartesian philosophical skepticism regarding dreams.