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Strange Tales Vol 1 59

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I-I'm not Frisco! Look...! My face... I'll take it off! I'll...! Wh... my face... it won't come off!

—Orry Lait

Appearing in "Help, Help!"

Featured Characters:

  • Steve Ryan (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)

Supporting Characters:

  • Laura Ryan (First appearance) (Only in flashback)

Antagonists:

  • Nazi (Only in flashback)
    • Heer (Only in flashback)
      • Unnamed Soldier (Only in flashback)

Other Characters:

  • Numerous unnamed theater patrons
  • United States Army (Only in flashback)
    • Tommy Gormley (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
  • Unnamed Doctor (Only in flashback)
  • Steve's Son (Only in flashback)
  • Painters
    • Freddy (First appearance)
    • Unnamed Painter (First appearance)

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Events:

Synopsis for "Help, Help!"

Steve Ryan a promising medical student goes to war and is hit by shrapnel ending his career in medicine permanently as well as the possibility for the shrapnel to shift and temporarily paralyze him. Going on with his life Steve meets Laura and they get married and he gets a steady job as a painter. One day Steve is fed up with his boss and quits being a painter then goes to a 24 hour 7 days a week movie thon. Upon sitting in the seat the shrapnel shifts causing it to paralyze Ryan. There Ryan sits for quite a while on the verge of starvation with the only thing that helps him is when the movie temporarily closes to perform its once-a-year painting which saves Steve's life and gives him a new outlook at being a painter.

Appearing in "When the World Went Mad!"

Featured Characters:

  • Ralph Gresham (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Marek (First appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Carlos Haughton (First appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

  • Wilbur (First appearance)
  • Ms. Boggs (First appearance)
  • Two unnamed fisherman
  • Boy Scouts of America
    • Unnamed Scout Leader
    • Three unnamed boy scouts
  • FBI
    • Randall (First appearance)
    • Unnamed Agent

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Items:

  • Carlos Haughton's Universal Solvent

Synopsis for "When the World Went Mad!"

Carlos Haughton, a mad scientist, creates a universal solvent that can destroy structures and land masses with a small quantity of the solvent. When Agent Ralph Gresham of the FBI investigates Carlos he has the agent knocked out. When Ralph awakens Carlos explains he's going to use the solvent on him to keep the secret safe. When he goes to use the solvent Carlos is destroyed by it. Marek, his assistant, had swapped out a cobalt cup, the one material the solvent couldn't destroy, with an ordinary painted cup in order for Haughton to kill himself. Marek had grown increasingly concerned with Haughton's madness and when he planned to kill the FBI agent he knew he had to take action. After releasing Ralph Marek destroyed the laboratory and the rest of the solvent to ensure it's destructive force was never used again.

Appearing in "What Waits in the Dungeon?"

Featured Characters:

  • Fillipo (First appearance; dies)

Supporting Characters:

  • Cendella (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Vino (White Mouse Waiter) (First appearance)
  • Three unnamed thieves
  • Vespasian (Mentioned)
  • Carabinieri
    • Unnamed Officer
  • Polizia di Stato
    • Unnamed Investigator

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Synopsis for "What Waits in the Dungeon?"

Thief Fillipo breaks into the Villa Cenedella when no other thief in Italy dares to do so. After getting into the cellar and stealing its jewels he runs through a door that leads to the Colosseum where he is killed by a lion.

Appearing in "Trapped in the Burning Sands"

Featured Characters:

  • Luther Brunich (First appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Hans Loring (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

  • Earth (Main story and flashback)

Events:

Synopsis for "Trapped in the Burning Sands"

A former Nazi returns to Africa where he shot a fellow soldier in order to recover treasures he hid while they fled the British. To his surprise upon arriving in Africa he meets the soldier he thought was dead. The soldier happy to see him tells him that he's returned to Africa to collect the treasure he hid and offers to share it with his friend.

After traveling the desert and making it to the location without food or water left. The soldier tell his "friend" that he intends to kill him for the treasure, but his friend informs him that he buried mines around the treasure and that he no longer has the map to their location but that he doesn't care. The soldier then fades away revealing that he fellow soldier was a ghost and that he did die that day, leaving his enemy there without food or water with a treasure that could potentially kill him as well.

Appearing in "Magic Mist Foam"

Reprint of the 5th story from
Strange Tales of the Unusual #5
(originally printed as Special Sale)

Featured Characters:

  • Marvin Kale (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Paula Kale (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Marvin and Paula's Baby

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Items:

  • Magic Mist Foam (First appearance)

Synopsis for "Magic Mist Foam"

Reprint of the 5th story from
Strange Tales of the Unusual #5
(originally printed as Special Sale)
When a husband goes shopping he finds a new cleaning fluid that makes anything better than new, even him.

Appearing in "The Fearful Fate of Mr. Foster"

Featured Characters:

  • Amon Foster (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Bruno Morgan (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Unnamed Doctor
  • Unnamed Man

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Synopsis for "The Fearful Fate of Mr. Foster"

Amon Foster is tired of being old and ugly and tries a serum that turns him into a redwood tree. He's happier as a tree being able to live longer and being admired for his beauty.

Appearing in "The Death Mask!"

Featured Characters:

  • Orry Lait (First appearance; dies) (Impersonates Blinky, Mole, and Frisco)

Antagonists:

  • Frisco (First appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

  • Blinky (First appearance)
  • NYPD
    • Several unnamed police officers
  • Mole (First appearance)
  • Unnamed Jeweler
  • Unnamed Messenger

Races and Species:

Realities:

Locations:

Synopsis for "The Death Mask!"

Actor, Orry Lait, uses stage makeup to transform his appearance to that of crooks from the neighborhood to pin crimes on them, allowing him to get off scot-free. One of his victims. Frisco, however seemingly finds him after escaping prison. Orry shoots him then "wears" his face for one last job. Coming out of his building the police are waiting for him and shoot him as he's unable to remove the makeup. What's even more odd is that they had already killed Frisco when he attempted to escape prison earlier.

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References

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