Tales to Astonish Vol 1 29

Alternate Covers: Vintage Tales to Astonish Vol 1 #29 Published March, 1962 Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee Cover Artist Jack Kirby Dick Ayers Stan Goldberg Artie Simek "When the Space-Beasts Attack" Writer Stan Lee Larry Lieber Penciler Jack Kirby Inker Dick Ayers Colourist Stan Goldberg Letterer Ray Holloway Editor Stan Lee "The Man Who Blew Up the Earth" Writer Stan Lee Larry Lieber Penciler Jack Kirby Inker Dick Ayers Colourist Stan Goldberg Letterer John Duffy "What Happened to Harry?" Writer Stan Lee Larry Lieber Penciler Dick Ayers Inker Dick Ayers Colourist Stan Goldberg Letterer Ray Holloway "The Last Laugh" Writer Stan Lee Penciler Steve Ditko Inker Steve Ditko Colourist Stan Goldberg Letterer Artie Simek Previous Issue Next Issue Tales to Astonish #28 Tales to Astonish #30

Appearing in "When the Space-Beasts Attack"

Featured Characters:

• Jeb Harris

Supporting Characters:

• 
  

Antagonists:

• Space Beasts (First appearance)
  • Luther Gorr (Only appearance)^[1]

Other Characters:

• 
  

Races and Species:

• 
  

Locations:

• Earth
  • United States of America

Items:

• Space Laser Beams (First appearance) (Unnamed)

Vehicles:

• Spaceship
  
  

Synopsis for "When the Space-Beasts Attack"

An alien armada lands on Earth with weapons that, unknown to the humans, can only disintegrate inorganic material. The aliens are the Space-Beasts and have easily conquered many other worlds before Earth. They bluff their way into getting a surrender from the human populace and conquer the planet. However, when they demand a man vacate his farm in order to make way for a spaceport, the farmer gets so angry that he lays the alien out with the butt of his rifle. The aliens disintegrate things like trucks and houses, but they don't hurt people. Once the farmer realizes this and spreads the word, the aliens retreat from the human's firearms. The Space-Beasts retreat, and the planet is saved.

Appearing in "The Man Who Blew Up the Earth"

Featured Characters:

• Elias Cragston

Supporting Characters:

• Elias' Assistant

Antagonists:

• 
  

Other Characters:

• 
  

Races and Species:

• 
  

Locations:

• Earth
  • United States of America

Items:

• Cobalt Bomb

Vehicles:

• 
  
  
  

Synopsis for "The Man Who Blew Up the Earth"

A jilted Quasimodo-like scientist named Elias Cragston devotes all his energy into producing a cobalt bomb which is so powerful that it can shatter the Earth. He wants to destroy all of mankind for jeering at his ugliness. He sneaks on board a rocket that is going into orbit and releases the bomb. However, Elias forgets about the lack of gravitational pull, and the bomb is caught in Earth's orbit until it detonates against the side of the rocket. On Earth, the woman who laughed at him when he proposed marriage gazes skyward at the explosion and exclaims, "Isn't it the most beautiful sight you've ever seen?"

Appearing in "What Happened to Harry?"

Featured Characters:

• Prof. Albert Poole

Supporting Characters:

• 
  

Antagonists:

• Harry Brown

Other Characters:

• 
  

Races and Species:

• 
  

Locations:

• Earth
  • United States of America

Items:

• Time Machine

Vehicles:

• 
  
  
  

Synopsis for "What Happened to Harry?"

Albert Poole is a timid but brilliant scientist who is taken advantage of at work by his scheming boss, Harry Brown. Brown takes credit for Poole's inventions, but Poole has had enough. He builds a time machine and confronts Brown, demanding his name on the patent and a 20% royalty. Brown decides to steal the time machine and locks himself in the room. Poole attempts to open the door and stop him, because his boss does not know how the machine works. Brown activates the machine but is not sure how to set them for a specific year. He clicks random buttons, and, just as Poole bursts into the room, the time machine activates and disappears. To his dismay, Brown finds himself at the dawn of time, confronted by an enormous dinosaur. Fleeing for his life, Brown is attacked by cave men, and he races back to the time machine to escape. Unfortunately for him, however, there is no electricity, so he is trapped until someone can rescue him.

Appearing in "The Last Laugh"

Featured Characters:

• Happy Harper

Supporting Characters:

• 
  

Antagonists:

• Satan

Other Characters:

• 
  

Races and Species:

• 
  

Locations:

• Hell

Items:

• 
  

Vehicles:

• 
  
  
  

Synopsis for "The Last Laugh"

Happy Harper is a practical joker who thinks he is absolutely hilarious. The victims of his jokes, however, are often injured and grow to despise him. Planning his next joke with TNT, he decides to try it out and is killed in the explosion. Happy is an angel wandering the clouds in Heaven where he believes they can really take a joke. Suddenly, his wings fall off, and his surroundings transform into the smoke and flames of Hell. A demon reveals that, this time, the joke's on Happy. As Happy stands terrified, the Devil asks, "Can't you take a joke?"

Notes

• "When the Space-Beasts Attack" reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl #12
• "What Happened to Harry?" reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #20
• "The Last Laugh" reprinted in Fear #6

See Also

• 6 Image(s) from Tales to Astonish Vol 1 29
• 3 Reprints of Tales to Astonish Vol 1 29

Footnotes

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