Tales To Astonish #23
"The Voice From Nowhere!"
September, 1961
Story: Unknown
Art: Steve Ditko
He had heard the voice from nowhere asking to be saved, but he had to
hurry or else it would die.
In a future time, a rocketship suddenly experiences motor trouble, and
begins to lose its power. Unable to make it to Earth, the pilot takes a
chance on an emergency landing, and make repairs. The closest world is
several light years away, but with luck, he soon spots a deserted
asteroid. After landing, the pilot finds that there is a breathable
atmosphere, and grabs his repair kit. With luck, he should be gone
before nighttime. The pilot has found the trouble, a leak in a rocket
tube, and begins the simple repair job. It is then that he hears the
voice from nowhere... "HELP ME, HUMAN!"
The pilot isn't sure what he's just heard, but the sound is heard once
more. "HELP ME, HUMAN!" The cry for help has come to him here in deep
space. "WHY DO YOU NOT ANSWER?" Not knowing who to answer, he begins to
search the asteroid, and finds it to be completely deserted. After
covering every foot and finding no one hanging over the edge, the pilot
is sure of it. "HELP! PLEASE..." He hears the voice from nowhere
again, and wonders if he's -- going mad?
When the pilot asks to see the troubled soul, he hears "I AM RIGHT HERE!"
When he asks where is "here", this is what the voice from nowhere would
like to know. He is lost... hungry... cold. When the pilot asks if he's
invisible, the voice insists that he is indeed visible, and can be seen.
Having heard enough, he heads for his ship, but stops when he hears the
voice asking him not to be left alone. When asked where he is from, the
voice says that it's from the Fourth Galaxy. The pilot knows where the
Fourth Galaxy is located, and points towards its direction. "YOU HAVE
SAVED ME, HUMAN!"
"NOW, I CAN RETURN HOME!" With his ship repaired, the pilot can also
return to his home. Even at the controls of his ship, he can still hear
the spine-chilling voice. He wonders if it was a dream, or if the
atmosphere had affected him. The pilot suddenly realizes what it must
have been... There had been something alive out there with him, and he
had seen it -- he had. The pilot had believed it to be only an asteroid.
"FAREWELL, HUMAN!" Who can say what form of life may exist in a dark
corner of the universe?
This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl &14 (December, 1971).
On the splash page, the pink exhaust from the rocketship passes through
the purple pants of the green-shirted pilot, with the startled human
paying attention to the voice from nowhere.
The pink rocket exhaust looks like an mystical force rather than a
mechanical one.
The pilot resembles an adult Peter Parker, who is fairly adept in the art
of rocket repair.
The floating asteroid resembles a combination of rock with the properties
of melting wax at the edges.
The final panel on the second and third page of the story focuses on the
upper portion of the startled pilot's face.
In pointing the way towards the Fourth Galaxy, the startled human makes
reference to Vegas... not to be confused with Las Vegas.
Even in the future, where men can pilot ships between galaxies, there are
still sights which can excite and chill the blood.
Steve Chung
"The Review From Nowhere!"
"The Voice From Nowhere!"
September, 1961
Story: Unknown
Art: Steve Ditko
He had heard the voice from nowhere asking to be saved, but he had to
hurry or else it would die.
In a future time, a rocketship suddenly experiences motor trouble, and
begins to lose its power. Unable to make it to Earth, the pilot takes a
chance on an emergency landing, and make repairs. The closest world is
several light years away, but with luck, he soon spots a deserted
asteroid. After landing, the pilot finds that there is a breathable
atmosphere, and grabs his repair kit. With luck, he should be gone
before nighttime. The pilot has found the trouble, a leak in a rocket
tube, and begins the simple repair job. It is then that he hears the
voice from nowhere... "HELP ME, HUMAN!"
The pilot isn't sure what he's just heard, but the sound is heard once
more. "HELP ME, HUMAN!" The cry for help has come to him here in deep
space. "WHY DO YOU NOT ANSWER?" Not knowing who to answer, he begins to
search the asteroid, and finds it to be completely deserted. After
covering every foot and finding no one hanging over the edge, the pilot
is sure of it. "HELP! PLEASE..." He hears the voice from nowhere
again, and wonders if he's -- going mad?
When the pilot asks to see the troubled soul, he hears "I AM RIGHT HERE!"
When he asks where is "here", this is what the voice from nowhere would
like to know. He is lost... hungry... cold. When the pilot asks if he's
invisible, the voice insists that he is indeed visible, and can be seen.
Having heard enough, he heads for his ship, but stops when he hears the
voice asking him not to be left alone. When asked where he is from, the
voice says that it's from the Fourth Galaxy. The pilot knows where the
Fourth Galaxy is located, and points towards its direction. "YOU HAVE
SAVED ME, HUMAN!"
"NOW, I CAN RETURN HOME!" With his ship repaired, the pilot can also
return to his home. Even at the controls of his ship, he can still hear
the spine-chilling voice. He wonders if it was a dream, or if the
atmosphere had affected him. The pilot suddenly realizes what it must
have been... There had been something alive out there with him, and he
had seen it -- he had. The pilot had believed it to be only an asteroid.
"FAREWELL, HUMAN!" Who can say what form of life may exist in a dark
corner of the universe?
This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl &14 (December, 1971).
On the splash page, the pink exhaust from the rocketship passes through
the purple pants of the green-shirted pilot, with the startled human
paying attention to the voice from nowhere.
The pink rocket exhaust looks like an mystical force rather than a
mechanical one.
The pilot resembles an adult Peter Parker, who is fairly adept in the art
of rocket repair.
The floating asteroid resembles a combination of rock with the properties
of melting wax at the edges.
The final panel on the second and third page of the story focuses on the
upper portion of the startled pilot's face.
In pointing the way towards the Fourth Galaxy, the startled human makes
reference to Vegas... not to be confused with Las Vegas.
Even in the future, where men can pilot ships between galaxies, there are
still sights which can excite and chill the blood.
Steve Chung
"The Review From Nowhere!"
