Appearing in "I Challenged... Groot! The Monster from Planet X!"
Tales to Astonish #13
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!"
Tales to Astonish #13
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 "I Dared to Look into the Beyond!"
Tales to Astonish #11
Featured Characters:
- Derek Welles
Supporting Characters:
- Carl
Other Characters:
- Roman Empire
- Marcus
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth-60911
- Earthspace
- Heaven (Invoked)
Items:
- Time Machine
Synopsis for "I Dared to Look into the Beyond!"
Tales to Astonish #11
In the year 2050 time travel is routine, but only into the past. A scientist is frustrated with this limitation and so he attempts to build a machine that will take him to the year 3050. He succeeds in building the machine despite his colleagues' entreaties to give up what they perceive as madness as he will only end up disintegrating himself by attempting to travel into what does not yet exist. When he steps out of the machine, he assumes that his colleagues were correct and that he has failed and merely traveled far into the distant past because everything is desolate. He returns to 2050 not having noticed a stone memorial that states in the year 3045 the entire population of Earth left the planet in order to relocate.
Appearing in "My Friend is... Not Quite Human!"
Tales to Astonish #13
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!"
Tales to Astonish #13
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 "When the Saucer Strikes!"
Strange Tales #71
Featured Characters:
- Joe (Pilot) (Main story and flashback)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Co-Pilot (Referenced)
- Unnamed Stewardess
- Numerous unnamed passengers
- Charlie
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- Center City
- Center City International Airport
- Center City
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- Mars (Referenced)
Vehicles:
- Flying Saucer (Main story and flashback)
Synopsis for "When the Saucer Strikes!"
Strange Tales #71
While out flying a plane full of passengers to Center City they only active airline pilot at the time is nearly hit by a flying saucer and must maneuver suddenly to avoid it. The passengers were mostly asleep the sole conscious passenger denies seeing anything. It is then revealed that he's actually a Martian tourist and the saucer came to pick him up.