Wednesday 6 June 2012

The terrifying monsters of Journey Into Mystery!

In recent days, Steve Does Comics' readers have gasped, thrilled and trembled at the nightmare creatures Tales to Astonish and Strange Tales have thrown at us - but just what terrors can a pre-Thor Journey into Mystery unleash?

Why, it seems it can unleash some oddly familiar names and faces...

Journey into Mystery, Shagg

If ever you needed proof Britain and America really are two countries separated by a common language, it has to be the terror of Shagg.

Somehow I don't think the unstoppable Shagg would've been approved by the Comics Code in this country.
Journey into Mystery, Giant Space Vikings

Rather appropriately, the comic that was to give us Thor gives us giant Vikings from space.
Journey into Mystery, Orogo

Orogo, the thing from beyond!

Beyond what, I have no idea.

Journey into Mystery, Gomdulla

The Awesome might of Gomdulla.

Am I the only one who suspects Howard the Duck is beneath those bandages?
Journey into Mystery, Goliath

Goliath, the monster that - like Frankie Valli - walks like a man.
Journey into Mystery, Gruto

Gruto, the creature from nowhere!
Journey into Mystery, Korilla

Kaptured by Korilla!

I do wonder just how many monster names Stan Lee could come up with that were variations of the word, "Gorilla."
Journey into Mystery, Ruler of the Earth

I don't have a clue what that thing is but it's easily the coolest-looking monster in this post.
Journey into Mystery, Zog

Zog! What more needs to be said?
Journey into Mystery, Rro

Rro! Stan wasn't really trying with that name, was he?
Journey into Mystery, Bombu

Bombu!
Journey into Mystery, Hulk

A strangely familiar name and a strangely familiar face.
Journey into Mystery, Rorgg

Rorgg!
Journey into Mystery, Monstro

Monstro!
Journey into Mystery, Spragg

Spragg!

That's that thing where you film your chin upside down and stick false eyes on it, isn't it?
Journey into Mystery, the Glob

We've had the Hulk. We might as well finish off with his old foe the Glob.

7 comments:

Boston Bill said...

I read 'The Ruler of the World' before. It's a mammoth computer, created to rule the world and taught to repeat over and over again, 'I am inferior to man'.
Then agents of Hydra (really, I think it was), put in circuits to corrupt it. But it doesn't work, because he is, of course, superior to man. He goes on to rule benevolently.
I think it might have been lifted from a sci-fi short story.

Anonymous said...

You're right about "shag" meaning one thing to Brits and and another to Yankees Though time have changed a bit. B.A.P. (before austin powers) we would have wondereed what was scary aout 70s style carpeting. A.A.P (figure it out) we get the connection. Great collection of covers.

spiderkev said...

They really need to start reprinting some of these stories for their Essentials books.

Anonymous said...

The "Here comes the Hulk" character had a few stories - the issue shown here was reprinted in "Monsters on the Prowl" number 11 in 1971 (one of my first Marvel monster comics I bought as a kid) where he was renamed "Xemnu - the coming of the Titan" he also appeared in issue 14 of that book as well (so the "original Hulk" must have had a follow up tale). He (it?)was later he was added as a character in the Defenders and fought the Hulk however they changed his colour to white and made him fluffy looking so he looked like a giant troll - McScotty.

Boston Bill said...

The ultimate Stan Lee monster would probably be...

Lorgilla - The Thing that Walks Like a Man!

Cormac Brown said...

That "living hulk" bares a striking resemblance to the orange version of Gossamer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_(Looney_Tunes)

Steve W. said...

I suppose there is a touch of that about him.