Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #73
Published February 1960
Frequency bi-monthly
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 36
Editing Stan Lee
Notes Distributed to newstands in October 1959. This issue includes 10 pages of paid advertisements. All new stories in this issue are narrated in the first person. Some information on this issue supplied by Tom Lammers and the Timely/Atlas discussion list. Distribution date from Joseph Marek's Marvel Comics Group history website.

Cover Details - "Grottu! King of the Insects!"

Characters Grottu
Genre monsters
Pencils Jack Kirby
Inks Bill Everett

6 page story "Grottu, King of the Insects!"

Characters Frank [Ulysses Bloodstone] (earliest published appearance according to later continuity); Lynn Avery; Kasenga; Grottu (introduction, origin)
Synopsis A journalist and an archaeologist go to Africa and find an atomically mutated giant ant with super-intelligence. The giant ant tries to lead an army of insects to world conquest, but is foiled when the humans use sugar to turn his ants against him.
Genre monsters
Pencils Jack Kirby
Inks Bill Everett
Notes Grottu's next published appearance is in Fantastic Four Unlimited (Marvel, 1993 series) #7 (September 1994), his next chronological appearance is in Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl (Marvel, 2005 series) #1 (December 2005). In later retcons it is established that Grottu's creation was planned by the Deviants. Job number from Dr. Michael J. Vassallo via the Atlas/Timely discussion group.
Reprinted in Strange Tales Annual (Marvel, 1962 series) #1 (1962); in Where Monsters Dwell (Marvel, 1970 series) #3 (May 1970); in Monster Masterworks (Marvel, 1989 series) #[nn]

5 page story "I Saw the End of the World!"

Characters Prof. Egen
Synopsis A scientist builds a time machine and uses it to travel into the future against the advice of his peers. He finds that time is an infinite loop, and when he reaches his own time his memories disappear and he is once more building a time machine.
Genre science fiction
Pencils Steve Ditko
Inks Steve Ditko
Notes Job number from Dr. Michael J. Vassallo via the Atlas/Timely discussion group.
Reprinted in Fantasy Masterpieces (Marvel, 1966 series) #3 (June 1966)

2 page text story "The Tree"

Characters Wally Hadley
Synopsis When a family moves to a house in the country their son finds a gnarled little tree on their land that grants wishes.
Genre occult
Letters typeset
Notes Text story with illustration.
Reprinted from Strange Stories of Suspense (Marvel, 1955 series) #11 (October 1955)

6 page story "I Was Captured by the Mole Men!"

Characters Dan; Casey
Synopsis A subway train full of people is hijacked and held by a subterranean race. The police fight the creatures and retrieve the train, only to discover that the creatures were actually peaceful.
Genre science fiction
Pencils Don Heck
Inks Don Heck
Notes Job number from Dr. Michael J. Vassallo via the Atlas/Timely discussion group.
Reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl (Marvel, 1971 series) #14 (December 1971)

6 page story "I Am a Walking Time Bomb!"

Characters Robot 235
Synopsis A robot is sent to Earth by alien conquerers to force them to surrender or be destroyed. The finer qualities of humanity convince the robot decides to destroy his creators' world instead.
Genre science fiction
Pencils Paul Reinman
Inks Paul Reinman
Notes Job number from Dr. Michael J. Vassallo via the Atlas/Timely discussion group.