In this issue:
Mister Morgan's Monster
7 pages :: Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers
reprinted in Fantasy Masterpieces 11, Monsters on the Prowl 16, Weird Wonder Tales 10
The Day Before Doomsday
6 pages :: Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers
reprinted in Tomb of Darkness 21
Mister Morgan's Monster
COMING SOON
The Day Before Doomsday
 |  |
| Scans from the collection of Brian Snyder |
............. Philip Parodayco :: 13 January 2005
- Also see:
Dear Editor,
When I read this story for the first time I was reminded of the words of Captain James T. Kirk at the funeral of Spock, “Of all the souls I have met his was the most human.”
Mr. Morgan's Monster was the most human of them all. Please note the shed tear in the last panel.
Take Care,
Bob T.
............. Bob T. :: 22 May 2003
This was a genuinely touching story. I am not kidding. Lee and Kirby hit a home run every once in a while, even in stories that seem like knock offs. I wonder what would have happened had they decided to bring back Mr. Morgan's Monster in the same way they brought back Spiderman from Amazing Fantasy #15 or Ant-Man from Tales to Astonish #27. They would have probably had a hit on their hands.
............. Ron Kasman :: 18 May 2004
“The Day Before Doomsday” is an oddity in that there are no “monsters”, just Stan's 50's paranoia. That story always paled next to “Mr. Morgan's Monster”, one of my absolute favorite of the Kirby diaper-monster days.
............. Rick Baiker :: 25 August 2005
The Day Before Doomsday was a blast to read. Not sure how I missed this one when I was a kid. Looking at my collection I have the issues preceding and following it.
Stan does a little bit of wishful thinking about blasting all the commies nto space. Speaking as a boomer who had to take part in lots of air raid drills and lived through the fatalistic “we're all gonna die” zeitgeist of the late 50s and early 60s, I gotta tell you that these kind of stories (which only Marvel was doing at the time, were a welcome tonic.
Stan parnoid? Hell, we were ALL paranoid back then.
............. Chuck Dixon :: 03 January 2006
I owned STRANGE TALES #99 as a kid, but I don't think that I ever read THE DAY BEFORE DOOMSDAY story. I looked at, but hardly ever read, the fantasy & sci-fi stories without monsters, robots, strange creatures, or aliens. My young mind wasn't mature enough to appreciate a lot of the great stories featured in those early Marvels. As an adult, I'm glad that I have a chance to read those classic tales, as I really enjoy them, including this cold war masterpiece. I remember my buddies & I talking about MISTER MORGAN'S MONSTER at school, as we thought that it was a very cool story. In those days, we were watching such TV shows as The Twilight Zone & Thriller w/Boris Karloff, and also, in Los Angeles, CA, at this time, we were lucky enough to watch the classic JEEPERS CREEPERS show, which featured a cheesy ghoul hosting old monster movies. The monsters featured in the early Marvels were just the right cup of tea for my buddies & I. I don't think that my youthful days would have been as fun without such creatures as FIN FANG FOOM, MONSTRO, XOM, and all the other cool monsters. Heck, I don't think that my adult life would be as fun without those classic Marvel monsters!
............. Tom L. Becker :: 23 May 2006
The fans are singing! Join the choir, oh Jubilant One.
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Strange Tales 99, August 1962
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