Strange Tales Vol 1 81

Strange Tales Vol 1 #81 Published February, 1961 Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee Cover Artist Jack Kirby "The Scarecrow Walks!" Writer Stan Lee Penciler Jack Kirby Inker Dick Ayers "A Giant There Was!" Penciler Don Heck "I Went Too Far Back!" Penciler Paul Reinman "The Thing in the Cell!" Penciler Steve Ditko Inker Steve Ditko Previous Issue Next Issue Strange Tales #80 Strange Tales #82

Appearing in "The Scarecrow Walks!"

Featured Characters:

• Scarecrow (Only appearance)^[1] (Main story and flashforward)

Supporting Characters:

• Martha Smith (Only appearance)^[1]
• Albert Smith (Only appearance)^[1]

Antagonists:

• Jarvis Cragstone (Only appearance)^[1]

Other Characters:

• Sue (Only appearance)^[1] (Main story and flashforward)
• Johnny (Only appearance)^[1] (Main story and flashforward)
• U.S. Government (Mentioned)
  • U.S. Army
• Bobby (Only appearance)^[1]
• Ben's wife (Only appearance; voice)
• Ben (Only appearance; voice)

Races and Species:

• Humans (Main story and flashforward)
• Horses

Locations:

• Earth (Main story and flashforward)
  • United States of America (Main story and flashforward)
    • New Mexico (Main story and flashforward)
      
      

Synopsis for "The Scarecrow Walks!"

A man forecloses on an elderly couple in order to sell their worthless farmland to the government for atomic tests. The man and his wife leave behind their scarecrow because they know that they'll never have enough money to buy another farm. An atomic weapon is detonated and its aftereffects cause the scarecrow to grow and gain awareness. It heads for town where it menaces the forecloser until he coughs up the money he cheated the couple out of, and then it heads off looking for them. It finds them sleeping in the fields as the radioactivity is wearing off and leaves the money nearby. The old man and his wife find the money and the inert scarecrow and notice that it now has a smile on its face.

Appearing in "A Giant There Was!"

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Synopsis for "A Giant There Was!"

• Synopsis not yet written.
  
  

Appearing in "I Went Too Far Back!"

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Synopsis for "I Went Too Far Back!"

• Synopsis not yet written.
  
  

Appearing in "The Thing in the Cell!"

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Synopsis for "The Thing in the Cell!"

The police chief of a small town imposes silly fines on people for the sole purpose of acquiring enough money to construct a modern prison. He gets his first inmate when he stops a man on the street for a fine that he cannot pay. The man pleads to be let go, but to no avail. It turns out the man is the leader of a group of aliens, and to spring him, they take the entire building off its foundation into outer space with them. The police chief is deposed from his position and ends up a janitor.

Notes

• "The Thing in the Cell!" is reprinted in Weird Wonder Tales #5.

See Also

• Write your own review of this comic!
• Discuss Strange Tales Vol 1 81 on the forums
• 3 Images from Strange Tales Vol 1 81
• 1 Reprints of Strange Tales Vol 1 81

Footnotes

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