Appearing in "I Led the Strange Search for Manoo!"
Featured Characters:
- Billy Jones ⏵ (First appearance)
- Manoo ⏵ (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Escaped Alien Convict
Other Characters:
- Mister Miller (First appearance)
- Mrs. Stokes (First appearance)
- Billy's Class Mates
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Woodlands
- Grocery Store
- Theatre
Items:
- Electro-Ray Gun
Synopsis for "I Led the Strange Search for Manoo!"
A high school student comes across a crashed alien ship and the creature lying nearby tells him that he is pursuing a criminal named Manoo who endangers all of Earth. He tells the lad he is too weak to carry on the hunt and gives him a ray gun to blast him with. Manoo is a shape-shifter but he can be discovered by noticing that he will not cast a shadow in his disguise. The boy finally checks a theater and discovers Manoo. He finds that he can't just gun the alien down in cold blood despite how dangerous he may be. When he explains everything to Manoo, Manoo tells him that he's been tricked, and the criminal he's been pursuing was the one at the crash site. The boy goes along with his plan to take Manoo back to the crash site supposedly under guard so he can stand trial on his home world. When he returns, the first alien is angry the boy did not shoot Manoo and he and Manoo begin to battle. The boy is undecided on who he should aid until the first alien grabs him and threatens his life if Manoo does not capitulate. The boy escapes his grasp by grabbing a low tree branch and Manoo defeats the criminal alien. Before departing Earth, Manoo rewards the boy with a huge gemstone, making the formally impoverished student very wealthy.
Appearing in "The Comic"
Journey Into Unknown Worlds #45
Featured Characters:
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- New York
- Oregon (Referenced)
- Washington (Referenced)
- Utah (Referenced)
- United States of America
Synopsis for "The Comic"
Journey Into Unknown Worlds #45
A successful television comedian battles with his emotions to decide whether he should stay at his current job making good money but doing prepared skits that bore him, or quitting and going back on tour. He finally leaves, changes his name, and is much happier doing so.
Appearing in "The World Below"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Aquaticans (retconned, initially Atlanteans) (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Unidentified Board of Inquiry investigating the missing steamship
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Aquaticans (retconned, initially Atlanteans) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Earth
- Office of the Steamship Line
- Aquatica (retconned, initially Atlantis) (First appearance)
Items:
- Gold Medallion
Vehicles:
- S.S. Luxuria (First appearance)
- Bathysphere
Synopsis for "The World Below"
Dr. Droom is called in to investigate the disappearance of an ocean liner and when his Bathysphere touches the ocean floor he discovers a lever. Pulling the lever opens the top of an undersea mountain within which he discovers Atlantis. The Atlanteans have kidnapped the liner by placing it within an air bubble and submerging it in order to study humans for a surface invasion. Dr. Droom defeats the leader's guards, takes over the broadcast station, and hypnotizes the entire populace into believing the surface world is barren. He also hypnotizes the liner's occupants into forgetting their capture, and releases the mechanism that returns the ship to the surface.
Appearing in "Rocky's Last Ride"
Featured Characters:
- Rocky Baines (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Car Wash Patrons
Races and Species:
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Mars Prison Transport
Synopsis for "Rocky's Last Ride"
A garage attendant who pretends to be injured by motorists to extort money by way of avoiding a lawsuit is given his just desserts when he pulls his routine on a Martian criminal who has just escaped jail in a prison transport. When the attendant demands money for his fake injury the criminal tells him he has no money but offers to give him the car instead. As the criminal walks away, he cannot figure why the attendant would want the car as it is only programmed to return to the Martian jail.
Notes
- "The World Below" was reprinted in Weird Wonder Tales #22 (May, 1977), with additional pages and a few changes, including "Atlantis" and "Atlanteans" being changed to Aquatica and Aquaticans.
- Dr. Droom is better known as Dr. Druid.