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Series

Tales to Astonish 26

Atlas Tales

Title Profile

Curated Atlas tales, timelines, and cover art notes.

Issue Information
Cover Date
December 1961
Indicia Frequency
monthly
Indicia Publisher
Vista Publications, Inc.
 
Cover Titles
The Four Armed Things!
He Walked Through Walls!
 
Cover Credits
Jack Kirby pencils unsigned
Dick Ayers inks attributed
 
Contributions
Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr.: Cover Creator Credit

Issue Overview

Tales to Astonish #26 was published by Vista Publications, Inc. in December 1961. It is part of the Tales to Astonish series, which ran from January 1959 to August 1962.

Cover credits include Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.

Atlas Tales indexes 5 stories for this issue, including "Look Out!! Here Come The...Four-Armed Men!." Indexed story credits include Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, among others.

Stories

Notes: Retold from C-683 "The Madman" in Menace 4 (June 1953).
Reprinted In: Chamber of Chills 19
Reprinted In: Where Monsters Dwell 8
Reprinted In: Chamber of Chills 22
Reprinted In: Fear 4
+1 Image
Notes: (compare scan of printed version of the splash to a scan from original art!)
Reprinted In: Where Monsters Dwell 8
+4 Images
Notes: Lettering by Ditko.
The coloring, which appears to be from Ditko color guides, is almost completely expressionistic. We have a variety of blues, some yellow variations, and even a red; but no "flesh-color" symbolizing pink dots on the faces or hands after the first two panels on page 2.
This story is an homage to Winsor McCay's fantastic comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland. McCay's influence on Ditko can also be seen in his philosophical work such as Avenging World.
At the bottom of the splash page Stan Lee continues the conversation begun in Tales to Astonish 21 V-193 It Happened on the Silent Screen:
EDITOR'S NOTE: REMEMBER OUR SENSATIONAL TALE "THE SILENT SCREEN" A FEW ISSUES AGO? WE STILL GET LETTERS ASKING FOR ANOTHER SUCH UNUSUAL TALE...
AND NOW, IN RESPONSE TO ALL YOUR REQUESTS' HERE IT IS, BY THE SAME TALENTED ARTIST-WRITER TEAM WHO BROUGHT YOU THE NOW-CLASSIC "SILENT SCREEN"!
Stan gives himself credit for scripting the 5-months-past "Silent Screen" and gives artist, Ditko top billing in:"the...talented artist-writer team..."
At the bottom of page 5: LIKE THIS TYPE OF STORY? THEN DON'T MISS "AMAZING ADULT FANTASY" COMICS ON SALE NOW!
The first issue of "AMAZING ADULT FANTASY" hit the stands about 3 weeks later.
-the stikman.
Reprinted In: Chamber of Chills 19
Reprinted In: Where Monsters Dwell 8

Looking for the full run? Browse the Tales to Astonish checklist to see every indexed issue in one place.