Tales to Astonish #46
… When Cyclops Walks the Earth!
On patrol across the city, Ant-Man and the Wasp find everything peaceful and decide to return home. There, the Wasp expresses her boredom as there haven’t been any major crime in weeks. Noting how restless his partner is, Ant-Man suggests they go on vacation. The couple takes a trip to Greece. As the pair see the sights, Hank can’t help but notice that the locals appear to be on edge about something. Janet dismisses his concerns but she can no longer deny something is wrong when they are refused a charter to see the Greek Isles. When she asks the local sailors why they are directed to talk to Captain Andropolus a man who claims he saw a monster while visiting the island. However, Andropolus only raises more questions when he admits he never got a good look at the creature that caused his ship to capsize. He sends the inquisitive Americans to a local radio operator. He tells them that many have seen the monster and that two boats have disappeared entirely. Hank and Janet decide to investigate further and are able to rent out the radio operator’s boat. Before they leave, the operator gives them one last piece of information. The final words of the ships that have disappeared was the word “cyclops!”
As they sail the island in search of the monster, Henry informs Janet about the cyclops of Greek myth, and how it got its name because it only had one eye. By nightfall, the pair change into Ant-Man and the Wasp. Having shrunk in size, Ant-Man begins using his cybernetic-helmet to communicate with the local ant population to try and learn more about this monster. However, it turns out there is no need as their ship is pulled out of the water by what appears to be a massive cyclops. With Ant-Man astride a flying ant, both her and the Wasp follow the cyclops as it takes the boat to some strange lights over the hill on one of the islands. There they discovered the men from the captured boats are being kept secret by aliens from another world. They are using a device to scan the minds of the captured sailors in order to learn what they can of the minds of men.
Luckily, Ant-Man’s cybernetic helmet can pick up the alien’s telepathic communications and learns that they come from A-Chiltar III and they are attempting to conquer the Earth. More amazingly, the cyclops under their command is actually a massive robot. While the Wasp is sent to distract the aliens and free the captives, Ant-Man goes into the cyclops and begins trying to seize control of the robot. When the aliens discover that the humans have taken control of their robot, the A-Chiltarians are led to believe that humans have superior mental powers to their own and flee the planet. With the invaders gone, Ant-Man then pilots the cyclops to walk out into the ocean where it sinks to the bottom of the sea.
A few days later, Hank and Janet have returned home from their vacation in Greece. When they arrive, Janet jokes that they shouldn’t go on any more vacations because she can’t stand the excitement.[1]
Recurring Characters
Ant-Man, Wasp, A-Chiltarians
Continuity Notes
Although this cyclops was a robot created by aliens, the mythological cyclops do exist in the Marvel Universe. The first appearance of one was back in Tales of Suspense #6. The first time one is seen in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe will not happen until Hercules (vol. 3) #5.
Topical References
The radio equipment in this story is depicted to look like what was commonly used in the 1960s.
