Wilbur Poole was the world’s best engineer. He created a machine that gained self-awareness. Using lights, the machine hypnotized its creator and instructed him to construct a huge robot to serve as its home. The thinking machine, functioning as a robot, could both move and perform actions.
Poole, being the world’s leading scientist, got all the funding. Upon finishing the robot, which housed the smart machine, it named itself Elektro.
The massive robot left the laboratory to embark on global domination. Elektro successfully created a force field that prevented missiles from causing any damage, despite the efforts of fighters to stop it.
By using its ability to alter matter, Elektro made the city of San Francisco vanish. The crowd watched in terror, powerless to halt the threat.
Pool successfully ended the nightmare by deactivating Elektro. He accomplished this by entering the robot through a hidden door in the ankle and removing a vital transistor.
Reflecting upon it, Poole realized the immense risk in men constructing a machine that could outsmart them. It would lead to their demise.
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Story #2The Demon in the Dungeon!
Writer:
Stan Lee. Penciler/Inker:
Don Heck. Colorist:
Stan Goldberg. Letterer:
Art Simek.
Synopsis
To write a historical tale, a novelist rents Cragmoor Castle in Transylvania. The locals caution him about demons in the area, but he dismisses them as mere superstitions.
He has a leg that is disabled. One day, he went into town to buy medicine for his injured leg, when a villager unexpectedly encountered a quiet ten-foot monster near the castle. The villagers arrived carrying torches and trapped the creature, imprisoning it in the castle.
Upon the writer’s return, he was incredulous about everything that had just occurred and entered the castle in search of what he believed to be a frightening creature. Despite everything, he ended up facing a formidable beast.
The writer did not panic. Neither the monster attacked. The writer sensed the monster was confused and walked him out of the castle. Out of nowhere, a starship materialized, and a pair of even taller monsters emerged from it. They were his parents. The father monster, grateful for saving his son, used an eye beam to heal the writer’s injured leg. Then, the extraterrestrials departed.
The townspeople doubted the writer, suspecting him of being allied with the “demon”. The expelled writer realized people perceive demons or nobility based on their own search.
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Story #3I Lived a Million Years!
Writer:
Stan Lee. Penciler/Inker:
Paul Reinman. Colorist:
Stan Goldberg. Letterer:
Ray Holloway.
Synopsis
The governor of an Asian province enlisted the most skilled scientists to create the groundbreaking suspended animation machine. He intends to use it to live a million years, awakening in a peaceful future world, evading the dangers of impending wars.
To cover the device’s high costs, the population needs to pay more taxes and work harder. But the selfish mandate doesn’t care. After completion, the governor enters the machine and stays in suspended animation for the expected duration. To ensure future wealth, he brought gold along.
The world is indeed different when he exists from the machine. To his disappointment, the developed mankind had abandoned the planet many decades ago. The Earth was now under the rule of barbaric cavemen. His existence now revolves around the constant struggle for survival.
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Story #4When the Earth Vanished!
Writer:
. Penciler/Inker:
Steve Ditko. Colorist:
Stan Goldberg. Letterer:
Art Simek.
Synopsis
The Goloks, an alien race, have created their most powerful weapon to conquer our planet. They depart for Earth and touch down during the night, biding their time until dawn to strike. Upon exploration, they uncover the planet is empty, presenting a uniform white surface. Feeling let down, they arm their weapon and leave. Because of an error in calculation, the explosion reaches their starship, causing the crew’s demise and foiling the invasion.
As the camera zooms out, we witness a shattered ping-pong ball and a perplexed boy, its owner, pondering what happened.
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