Adventures into Weird Worlds
Entry updated 3 August 2026. Tagged: Comics, Publication.
US Comic (1952-1954). Atlas (see Marvel Comics). Edited by Stan Lee. 30 issues. Artists include Sol Brodsky, Carl Burgos, Tony DiPreta, Bill Everett and Joe Maneely. Script writers include Stan Lee and Carl Wessler. 36 pages, with 4-5 stories per issue (usually 5), plus a short text story.
Until #23, Adventures Into Weird Worlds was predominantly a Horror comic with the amount of sf content being variable – typically one or two stories, a couple of issues having three or four – but many with none; but from #24 the genre came to dominate. This shift was typical of publishers' response to the moral panic over comics led by Fredric Wertham and others in the early 1950s. The plots are often familiar – either having been used before or to be reused in the future by other anthology comics; Martians turn up regularly. The quality of the stories – a selection are discussed below – varies, some are simplistic or poorly constructed, others attempt some emotional complexity (for example, "Good-Bye Earth" in #26); whilst #3 has both "The Thing That Waited!", where the Russians are evil ancient aliens, and "The Quiet Men" which might suggest, in terms of moral consequences, there is no difference between the USA and Russia.
"The Walking Death" (#1) has the world's nuclear plants exploding (see Nuclear Energy), the Disaster not only wiping out most of humanity but the radiation causing Dinosaur eggs to hatch, with the young speedily growing to adulthood. "The World that Vanished" tells how an Atlantean Scientist built an immensely strong magnet with which to conquer the universe, but the king threw it into a deep lake where it eventually sunk to the centre of the Earth, with two consequences – causing Gravity, and the waters to rise and cover most of the Earth (there having been no seas up to this point). "The Iron Door" (#2) is set on 45th century Earth and has the familiar theme of civilization having become over-reliant on Technology, which has been built and maintained by one man who lives behind the titular door. Then the machines begin to fail, and an agent of Saturn (see Outer Planets) uses this as an excuse to enter the door behind which the man lives, whom he shoots. "A Shriek in the Night!" (#3) finds an Underground civilization preparing for Invasion by kidnapping and dissecting people to study their physiology, intending to adapt their own bodies for survival on the surface; some victims are put back together, but their minds are enslaved. "The Thing That Waited!" has a US pilot dying in a crash, with a nearby monster informing him he has ceased to exist and will shortly fade away (see Eschatology). The creature explains they are an Alien whose ancient civilization has been secretly watching humanity's development for ages: they are now ready to throw off their current disguise and take possession of the Earth, that disguise being communist Russia (see Cold War; Paranoia). "The Quiet Men" has a ghostly mid-twentieth-century bomber from Earth haunting the Solar System; investigating Martians (see Mars) discover it dropped "super cosmic bombs ... in the name of peace", but the targeted country also had the bomb, and Earth was "turned into a flaming sun". Wanting to kill a work rival in "You're Going to Die Yesterday" (#5), a man devises a means to do so without leaving evidence – by building a Time Machine and murdering the man's father: unfortunately he kills his own. "Lost" (#8) has aliens lose their child on Earth: it can Shapeshift to appear human, but its defence mechanism means anyone who makes physical contact dies.
In "The Alien!" (#11) a Scientist claims to have built a device to Teleport Martians to Earth; his disbelieving assistant, who is having an affair with the other's wife, dresses up as a Martian to convince him it worked; as planned, the scientist is committed to an asylum because of his claims. However, the machine did work and blood-sucking Martian Murrhr kills the lovers. In "The Vampire Maker!" (#13) a scientist is killed by a mob when they hear he is creating Vampires; however, he has actually made one that lives only on the blood of other vampires (#15 has a sequel to this tale). "Horror on Haunted Hill!" (#14) involves a tree-like Saturnian killing people in a graveyard. "Flying Saucer" (#16) has a man watching an alien invasion movie at the cinema and becoming hysterical, claiming he has recently seen a flying saucer (see UFOs); he calms down once he leaves and we see the film's title was The Earthlings Attack and that we are on Mars. In "The Man From Mars" (#17) a scientist notices flying saucers are flying over our planet, so contacts them, explaining nuclear War will doubtless destroy Earth in the near future, could he and his son move to Mars? A Martian laughs – Mars is war-torn, their flying saucers are examining our planet to see if they could settle here. "He Kidnaped a Rocket" (#24) has a criminal hijack a spaceship travelling to "the outer Galaxy", only to discover its destination is "a secret Prison colony for Earth's incurable criminals" (see Crime and Punishment) created by the World government. "The Hunter" concerns an interplanetary big game hunter lured to a world where animals treat humans as humans treat animals – including hunting them. "The Men from Mars" (#25) has Martians possessing humans and killing those that resist; one such Martian suffers the delusion that they are the last human.
In "Good-Bye Earth" (#26) a man learns he is an alien from Sirius, disguised, implanted with false memories and sent to Earth to gather information in preparation for an invasion. Injected to make these changes wear off, he becomes distraught, not wanting to leave his human wife and children, and writes a heartfelt farewell message and a warning to all of Earth. "The Robot that Hated" is built by a scientist to share his emotions and kill everyone he hates – but the scientist loves the Robot, which means it reciprocates, and hugs him to death. Space travel leads to Paranoia about the intentions of the other planets, particularly Mars, with Earth gearing up for war; so in "Menace from Mars" some US communists avoid the draft by flying to Mars to tell them of Earth's intentions, but find the inhabitants are even more militaristic – and they are drafted. "The Man Who Wasn't" (#27) is a scientist who creates artificial life, but the next day finds no one remembers him, his laboratory has disappeared and his wife married to another scientist (nonetheless his son looks the same!); then he seems to hear a voice say "you have tampered with something best left alone! No mere mortal must know the secret of life!" (see Clichés) before being edited out of existence. "The Thieves" are powerful alien scavengers from a dying world: friendly planets warn Earth they are on their way. The authorities bicker over the best way forward – from resignation to militaristic – until one suggests telling the aliens they can take what they want as a gift: Earth will not then be humiliated. Unfortunately they take the Sun. "Half-Human" has an industrialist manufacturing more Androids than permitted as they are so profitable, but finds some of his androids have set up a company to produce even more; and, once they outnumber humans, will take over the world. He devises a way to destroy all androids; but it kills his wife too (he was unaware she was an android). In "Eternal Life" (#29) a Martian promises Superpowers and Immortality "except for accidental death" for humanity if they can reach Mars, and helps build one-way ships so the entire population to make the journey; we then learn a shooting star will shortly hit Mars and its inhabitants need a new home. "Indestructible" involves a man from twenty generations hence telling his present-day scientist ancestor that their world is being overrun by a strange black insect, so the population wants to flee into the past but are hindered by Time Travel requiring an indestructible container; however, it turns out the insects can get through. "When Worlds Meet" (#30) involves humans arranging a meeting between representatives of Venus and Mars on the Moon, but are themselves delayed: meanwhile, the Venusians and Martians do not get on – and, as each assume the other are Earthlings, both planets declare war on Earth. [SP]
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