Appearing in "I Challenged... Groot! The Monster from Planet X!"
Featured Characters:
- Leslie Evans (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Alice Evans (First appearance)
- Sheriff George Carter
Antagonists:
- Groot (First appearance) (Apparent death)
Other Characters:
- Claire (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Earthspace
- Heaven (Invoked)
Vehicles:
- Evans' Car
Synopsis for "I Challenged... Groot! The Monster from Planet X!"
In the Autumn of 1960, scientist Leslie Evans and wife Alice witnessed a blinding object falling from the sky. When Evans went to investigate the next day, he not only found the object, but discovered it was alive. Evans looked on as the alien creature, Groot, grew larger by the minute as he absorbed wooden objects into his own body. There in the woods, Groot announced his presence to the nearby community. Claiming to be the Monarch of Planet X, Groot announced that he had come to Earth to take a small Terran town back to his home world for its scientists to study. While the humans resisted, no gunfire, or even conventional fire could penetrate Groot's hide. Seeing the futility of trying to fight Groot directly, Evans abandoned the townspeople and raced back to his laboratory, for which he was labeled a coward.
Over the next three days, Groot used his ability to control trees and plants to turn the forest into a make-shift army. His announced intention was to use Earth's native vegetation to create a net of roots to allow him to lift the town into space whole. When Groot entered the town, Evans snuck up behind him and unleashed the fruits of his frantic work: a specially bred colony of termites. The insects voraciously ate through Groot's hide, and into his core. Groot collapsed in a a state of shock, and was believed dead by the townsfolk.
Appearing in "Special Sale"
Strange Tales of the Unusual #5
Featured Characters:
- Marvin Kale (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Paula Kale (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Marvin and Paula's Baby
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Magic Mist Foam (First appearance)
Synopsis for "Special Sale"
Strange Tales of the Unusual #5
Appearing in "I Found The Abominable Snowman!"
Featured Characters:
- Abominable Snowman (Carl Hanson) ⏵ (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Unnamed Traveler
Other Characters:
- Abominable Snowman (Photo)
- Numerous unnamed Lamas
Races and Species:
Locations:
Synopsis for "I Found The Abominable Snowman!"
A thug ventures to the Himalayas with the intention of capturing the Abominable Snowman for profit but is frustrated in his attempts of getting the locals to refer him to the creature he has in a photograph. They all tell him to discard the photograph as it is cursed. He plods through the mountains for weeks unable to locate any trace, until his mind is addled, and he drops the photograph which is now a reasonable resemblance of what he has become.
Appearing in "My Friend is... Not Quite Human!"
Featured Characters:
- Gustav
Supporting Characters:
- French Royal Army
- Unnamed Wooden Woman
Antagonists:
- Unnamed Gypsy
Other Characters:
- Joséphine (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Synopsis for "My Friend is... Not Quite Human!"
It is 1799, Napoleon orders a wood carver to create a wooden woman as a figurehead for his vessel but he does not want to do it, for he hates women as they scorn his ugliness. Napoleon threatens to kill him if he does not comply and so he does, surprising himself at the beauty of his creation. All these years of loneliness have made him bitter, but he has realized that he does desire the love of a woman. He is surprised when she speaks to him and professes her love, but tells him she can only do so once a week at the stroke of midnight. He stalls Napoleon to have more time with her and visits a gypsy with the notion of turning himself into wood so the two figureheads can grace Napoleon's ship together forever. He cheats the gypsy out of her payment, and when the potion works and transforms him into wood, the wooden woman transforms into human. She tearfully informs him that the gypsy was there earlier in order to pay him back for cheating her. She leaves, but hopes the gypsy will someday reverse the spell upon him.
Appearing in "I Found the Hidden World!"
Featured Characters:
- Joey
Antagonists:
- Frankie
- Numerous unnamed other dimensional beings
Other Characters:
- Professor Linus Whitehead (Mentioned) (Deceased)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Unidentified species
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Earthspace
- Unknown Dimension (First appearance)
Items:
- Interdimensional Portal
Synopsis for "I Found the Hidden World!"
When cornered by a former cellmate a scientist assistant accidentally teleports both of them into another dimension, this world inhabitants take off with the criminal before the man is able to reverse the process, he's left to wonder if this all was a dream or not.
Notes
Publication Notes[]
- "I Challenged... Groot! The Monster from Planet X!" is reprinted in Weird Wonder Tales #19 and Where Monsters Dwell #6.
- "I Found The Abominable Snowman!" is reprinted in Tomb of Darkness #19 and Chamber of Darkness #7.
- "My Friend is... Not Quite Human!" is reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #6.
- "I Found the Hidden World!" is reprinted in Tower of Shadows #8.
