Astonishing #5

Caves of Doom

When a trail down the Grand Canyon suddenly collapses on a tour, it is believed that an old Native American curse is the cause of the disaster. Donna Lake does not believe in the curse and wishes to save her brother who was part of the tour that was caught in the collapse. She tries to go down to path but is stopped by the others, she then decides to get some help and goes to the nearest telegraph station.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., Marvel Boy meets with a Senator and learns that Dr. Noiro a scientist working on an anti-radiation ray has vanished and also how there were reports of flying saucers seen in the area. As they discuss the situation a government agent enters the room and gives a telegram to Marvel boy from Donna Lake. However, Marvel Boy decides that the disappearance of Dr. Noiro is a more pressing matter. After responding to explain, Marvel Boy goes to the lab where Noiro was working to investigate. Questioning security officials he learns that Noiro disappeared after the UFO was sighted and the ship was seen heading west to the Grand Canyon. As Marvel Boy prepares to depart for the Grand Canyon, at that very location from a hidden cave some alien beings have learned that Marvel Boy is coming and begin planning a fitting welcome for the hero.

When Marvel Boy arrives in Arizona he checks in at the Canyon Hotel and learns that Donna Lake and the other visitors have all left fearing the curse and that a flying saucer was seen in the area. Marvel Boy learns the location of the collapse and travels down the Canyon. He is attacked by the mysterious aliens and falls into the river below and is knocked out. Marvel Boy is then recovered and taken prisoner. When Marvel Boy revives he finds himself a prisoner of space criminal Orion Rex who hopes to use the anti-radiation ray so his people can invade the Earth unopposed. Orion informs Marvel Boy that once conditions are good for space travel he will leave for his home planet and leaves the hero under guard.

Marvel Boy breaks free from his bonds and knocks out the guard and escapes. Getting back to his rocket, Marvel Boy flies to the nearest military base and informs the commanders there of Orion Rex's plans and convinces them to turn over a nuclear bomb. Marvel Boy then flies it back over the Grand Canyon and uses the bomb in the area. Landing his ship and putting on a radiation suit, Marvel Boy tracks down Orion Rex whose men have been slaughtered by the bomb. Marvel Boy and Rex fight it out and easily defeats him. Marvel Boy then takes the anti-radiation device and detonates it to remove the radiation from the Grand Canyon making it safe for people to travel to. Marvel Boy then turns Orion Rex over to the authorities. He explains to them that Dr. Norio was really Orion in disguise, exploiting Earth technology to create the anti-radiation ray.

Recurring Characters

• Marvel Boy

The Serpent Strikes

When a series of incidents at the local zoo involving poisonous snakes getting out and killing zoo staff, the Amalgamated Insurance Company sends Robert Grayson to investigate. Although Grayson admits to his colleagues that he does not like snakes he takes on the job. Grayson goes to the zoo and picks up the claims and rules the deaths as accidental. However on his way out he runs into a police Sargent who is investigating the possibility that the deaths were a homicide. Following the officer into the reptile building Grayson notices an Indian woman looking at the snakes. The officer explains that she is a potential suspect since she was the last person seen in the building prior to the death. Grayson goes to talk to the girl and she tells him that the snakes on display are considered sacred in her home country of India. Grayson finds this suspicious and decides to follow the woman home.

Robert follows the woman to her apartment and finds that she has somehow disappeared. Inside the apartment, Grayson finds snake cages and books about a snake cult. The following morning, Grayson is visited by the homicide detective informs him that there were more snake bite deaths at the zoo. Grayson decides that it is time for Marvel Boy to investigate and changes into his costume.

Marvel Boy then spends the night at the zoo-keepers quarters at the zoo, convinced that the murderer will return to the scene of the crime. That night, Marvel Boy is awoken by the sound of a snake sliding in under the door. He leaps out of bed just before the snake can strike. Blinding the creature with his light ray he follows it as it slithers back out from under the door. He delivers it a fatal kick, but the snake still makes it outside. Opening the door he is shocked to find the Indian woman and finds that she has been injured. When he offers her help she refuses and chastises him for attacking a sacred creature. Marvel Boy explains it was in self defence and the woman slips away. However after seeing the woman collapse in the street, Marvel Boy calls for the homicide detective. When they go to recover the woman's body, they find a dead snake instead. Marvel Boy is left wondering if the woman got away, or if she had some ability to transform into a snake.

Recurring Characters

• Marvel Boy

The Deadly Decision

On Uranus, Matthew Grayson gets a radio transmission from the World Organization of Atomic Research asking for his assistance. Unable to handle the rigours of space travel, Matthew has his son Marvel Boy go in his place. Overhearing this is the Uranian girl named Lilli who asks to accompany Marvel Boy on his mission to Earth. Marvel Boy declines telling her that he is going on an important mission and does not have the time to babysit a girl.

Marvel Boy leaves to pick up special atomic research documents from WOAR and flies his rocket to Earth. When he lands at the USAF airfield where a special landing pad has been set up for him he is surprised to find that Lilli has stowed away aboard the ship to get a look at Earth. Furious that she didn't obey his command, Marvel Boy tells her to stay near the ship while he finishes his mission. After he collects the documents from WOAR, Marvel Boy heads back for his ship. Along the way he is attacked by Communist agents, he blinds them with his light beam and gets away.

Returning to his ship he finds that Lilli has left his ship. Radioing in to Uranus he learns that his father has also gone missing. Marvel Boy tells those back home to get his Youth Patrol to look for his father while he tries to find Lilli on Earth. Marvel Boy puts the FBI on a mission to look for Lilli and then rockets back to Uranus to find his father. When he gets out of his ship he is knocked out by some renegade Uranians. He is brought to their leader who tells them that they have been torturing his father in order to learn about the secret documents the WOAR provided them. Marvel Boy tells them that he lost the documents along the way, but when they threaten to torture Matthew some more, Marvel Boy admits that he destroyed the documents after training them to his photographic memory. In order to save his father from more torture, Marvel Boy agrees to write everything down.

However, when Marvel Boy's bonds are untied, he uses his light bands to blind the renegade and defeat his troops. However he learns that the communist agents on Earth have Lilli prisoner and will torture her if they do not get a radio message containing the stolen information. However, Marvel Boy forces the chief to call in and arrange a meeting with his agents on Earth. Marvel Boy then travelled back to Earth and catching the communist agents off guard, easily defeats them and turns them over to the authorities.

Recurring Characters

• Marvel Boy

• Matthew Grayson