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Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish #29
An alien race attempts to conquer humankind…by unleashing a terrifying new weapon!
- GenresComicsMarvelComic Book
26 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2017
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,563 books2,348 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 15, 2025
"When The Space Beasts Attack!!" – 1
The plot in this story falls apart everywhere you look. An alien species called the Space Beasts arrives on Earth to conquer it, and at first they succeed thanks to their weapons, which can repel or destroy inorganic materials like metal and therefore disable human weaponry. The twist? Their weapons don’t work on organic material, meaning they can’t harm humans.
The problem is that this discovery happens way too late in the story, and it seems absurd that not a single alien accidentally hit a human during the invasion. On top of that, humans manage to drive them away by shooting them. But couldn’t the aliens simply disintegrate those weapons? And wouldn’t they easily win in hand-to-hand combat, given that they’re bigger than a gorilla and wearing armor? This plot hole makes the whole thing surreal and senseless.
"The Man Who Blew Up The Earth!" – 2
A fairly nonsensical story with very little attention given to the characters’ emotions. A scientist of incredible intelligence but equally incredible ugliness, tired of being stared at and mocked for his deformed appearance and rejected by the woman he loved, decides to wipe out humanity with a cobalt bomb while he escapes into orbit on a spacecraft.
The moral is tasteless and cynical: the scientist gets no real arc of redemption or growth, and in the end he’s mocked by both the writer and the remaining characters. It’s also pretty unrealistic that he would overlook such an important detail.
"What Happened to Harry?" – 2
A rather bland story, a little funny only if you ignore several crucial flaws. A scientist keeps having credit for his inventions stolen by his boss. When he finally decides to stand up for himself after creating a time machine, the boss steals it and uses it. Predictably, he travels back to prehistoric times, to a world populated by both dinosaurs and cavemen, and of course he can’t return because there’s no electricity.
The ending is obvious from the moment the machine appears, and it’s almost certain that people already knew humans didn’t coexist with dinosaurs.
"The Last Laugh!" – 2
The moral here is: don’t go overboard with pranks, and don’t mess around with TNT right next to you. The story is actually pretty amusing, built around the idea that if you push your jokes too far, the situation might eventually turn against you. I found it funny that even in “paradise” Happy is already planning his next prank, as if his own death barely bothered him.
The plot in this story falls apart everywhere you look. An alien species called the Space Beasts arrives on Earth to conquer it, and at first they succeed thanks to their weapons, which can repel or destroy inorganic materials like metal and therefore disable human weaponry. The twist? Their weapons don’t work on organic material, meaning they can’t harm humans.
The problem is that this discovery happens way too late in the story, and it seems absurd that not a single alien accidentally hit a human during the invasion. On top of that, humans manage to drive them away by shooting them. But couldn’t the aliens simply disintegrate those weapons? And wouldn’t they easily win in hand-to-hand combat, given that they’re bigger than a gorilla and wearing armor? This plot hole makes the whole thing surreal and senseless.
"The Man Who Blew Up The Earth!" – 2
A fairly nonsensical story with very little attention given to the characters’ emotions. A scientist of incredible intelligence but equally incredible ugliness, tired of being stared at and mocked for his deformed appearance and rejected by the woman he loved, decides to wipe out humanity with a cobalt bomb while he escapes into orbit on a spacecraft.
The moral is tasteless and cynical: the scientist gets no real arc of redemption or growth, and in the end he’s mocked by both the writer and the remaining characters. It’s also pretty unrealistic that he would overlook such an important detail.
"What Happened to Harry?" – 2
A rather bland story, a little funny only if you ignore several crucial flaws. A scientist keeps having credit for his inventions stolen by his boss. When he finally decides to stand up for himself after creating a time machine, the boss steals it and uses it. Predictably, he travels back to prehistoric times, to a world populated by both dinosaurs and cavemen, and of course he can’t return because there’s no electricity.
The ending is obvious from the moment the machine appears, and it’s almost certain that people already knew humans didn’t coexist with dinosaurs.
"The Last Laugh!" – 2
The moral here is: don’t go overboard with pranks, and don’t mess around with TNT right next to you. The story is actually pretty amusing, built around the idea that if you push your jokes too far, the situation might eventually turn against you. I found it funny that even in “paradise” Happy is already planning his next prank, as if his own death barely bothered him.
March 1, 2022
Probably between 2 and 3, a real mix of stories, some 2s in there, and not sure any get above a 3, but entertaining enough nonetheless, if nothing really memorable. I think my favourite was the short story in there, rather than the actual comics.
May 26, 2024
This was a very hard read to complete.
The three comic book stories were very mediocre with barely any attention worthy stuff happening and the premise of all three was just silly.
The trope of the ugly guy getting shunned by the world also seems to be overstaying it's welcome in these few comics.
The short story did grab my interest and was a cool read but that is about the only salvaging thing in this issue.
Skip it, since it doesn't have anything worthwhile.
The three comic book stories were very mediocre with barely any attention worthy stuff happening and the premise of all three was just silly.
The trope of the ugly guy getting shunned by the world also seems to be overstaying it's welcome in these few comics.
The short story did grab my interest and was a cool read but that is about the only salvaging thing in this issue.
Skip it, since it doesn't have anything worthwhile.
January 7, 2026
God, Marvel, you're really taking punches at the ugly guy. But I loved Jeb, the clockmaker &, as someone who hates pranks, that lost story rocks.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews