Journey Into Mystery Vol 2 18

An alien lands with a mission to soften up Earth for an attack. He is impervious to small arms fire, artillery and even a direct hit from an atomic bomb. He tells the humans he is only vulnerable to gas attack and that is why he wears the iron mask. A magician practicing misdirection with his son realizes the monster has been doing the same thing and tells the army to use gas against him. They do not think it will work and are reluctant, but he insists. He is positive it will work. They try it and the monster immediately flees the planet. The magician realizes that the alien was using misdirection to protect his sole weakness. That was his real face.

Appearing in "The Thing in the Black Box!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #74

Featured Characters:

Dan Harper (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

Australian Defence Force
- Two unnamed soldiers

Antagonists:

Thing in the Black Box (First appearance)
Pandora (Main story and flashback)

Other Characters:

Zeus (Only in flashback)

Races and Species:

Humans (Main story and flashback)
Olympians (Only in flashback)

Locations:

Earth-616 (Main story and flashback)
- Earthspace (Main story and flashback)
  - Earth (Main story and flashback)
    - Pacific Ocean
      - Unidentified Island
    - Asia
      - Japan
    - Europe
      - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Topical Reference)
    - Australia
- Olympus (Only in flashback)

Items:

Pandora's Box (Main story and flashback)

Synopsis for "The Thing in the Black Box!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Journey Into Mystery #74

A victim of a shipwreck washes up on a not quite deserted isle where he stumbles over beautiful Pandora and her box. Pandora is malevolent and tricks him into opening the box for her whereupon she commands the demon that emerges to make all of mankind her slave. The man begs Pandora to be allowed to return to the mainland, and she grants his request, but he has a plan and returns with a set of mirrors which he rings around the sleeping Pandora. When she awakes she cries out in despair that they be taken away. The man had gambled that centuries-old Pandora's beauty had to be the result of hypnosis, but no one can hypnotize a mirror. He says the mirrors will be removed if she orders the demon back into the box. She does so, and they bury the box deep in the earth, and leave Pandora on her isle with her illusion of beauty.

Appearing in "The Thing from the Hidden Swamp"

Reprint of the 3rd story from
Tales to Astonish #30

Featured Characters:

Mary Brown

Supporting Characters:

Thing from the Hidden Swamp (Main story and flashback)

Other Characters:

Frank (Voice only)
Ann (Voice only)

Races and Species:

Humans
Unrevealed alien race
Birds

Locations:

Earth-616
- Earth
  - Unnamed Island
    - Unnamed Swamp

Vehicles:

Alien Spaceship

Synopsis for "The Thing from the Hidden Swamp"

Reprint of the 3rd story from
Tales to Astonish #30

A plain-looking girl meets a stranded alien traveler as she explores a bog in order to get away from people she feels ignore her. The alien explains that he needs someone to work the controls of the spaceship while he goes outside and attempts to free it, and she does as he directs. He succeeds in his efforts and tells her that he will reward her for her help and departs. She is puzzled since he gave her nothing, but when she returns to the cruise ship docked at port she is surprised to find people noticing her. She locates a mirror and is delighted to find that the monstrous alien has provided her with a make-over.

Links and References

References