Where Monsters Dwell #2
Published and © by Marvel, March 1970
Title: “I Created … Sporr! The Thing That Could Not Die!”
Synopsis: Superstitious townsfolk in Transylvania interrupt a scientist’s enlarging-ray experiment – unleashing the mindless destruction of Sporr!
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Review: Marvel’s Bronze Age monster reprint titles routinely offered artistic treats but the stories could prove a bit tricker. This lead feature, from 1960’s Tales of Suspense #11, isn’t the most original: A smidge of classic monster lore, a bit of Kirby tech and a heavy-handed moral. Solid but unspectacular.
•••
Title: “I Am Dragoom! The Flaming Invader!”
Synopsis: The fiery alien Dragoom comes to conquer Earth but proves no match for movie special effects.
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Review: This well-drawn tale, from 1960’s Strange Tales #76, features a silly ending that that belies the suspension of disbelief.
•••
Title: “Taboo! The Thing From the Murky Swamp!”
Synopsis: Taboo, another would-be conqueror from the stars, proves less treacherous than the humans it seeks to subjugate.
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Review: The darkest of this issue’s tales. “Taboo!” – originally from 1960’s Strange Tales #75 – paints a bleak picture about coexistence.
Grade (for the entire issue): B-
Cool factor: Three helpings of King Kirby monster mayhem!
Notable: While uncredited, several sources suggest most Atlas-era horror tales were plotted by Stan Lee and scripted by Larry Lieber.
Character quotable: “Do not try to resist us, man of science!” – Angry, torch-burning townsman
Editor’s note: This review was written Sept. 23, 2026.
