MARTIANSMARTIANS
Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Mars
Known Members: None identified
Affiliations: None known
Enemies: Ben Thomas;
they feared humanity in general
First Appearance: Astonishing Tales#43/3 "The Test!" (November, 1955)
Powers/Abilities: They were tall and may have been superhumanly strong, but it's also possible that they were weaker than a comparably-sized human due to Mars' gravity being about 38% of Earth's.
They apparently existed in Mar's thin, CO-2 rich atmosphere and frigid environment without artificial support (see comments).
They carried energy-blasting pistols, although they were not particularly skilled marksmen.
They were mammalian and exhibited
sexual dimorphism. Most notably, the men were bald with enlarged
craniums, while the women had more human-proportioned heads with hair,
as well as mammary glands (breasts).
Traits: The Martians were fearful of humanity
learning of their existence and try to enslave them. They were willing
to imprison or kill a human arriving on Mars to prevent this.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; blue color seen)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed (likely five)
Skin color: "Pink" (comparable to Caucasian humanity), at least
Average height: Approximately 5'10"?
History:
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 (fb) - BTS) - The Martian
society had feared for generations that creatures from Earth would
achieve space travel, come to Mars and try to enslave them.
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 (fb) -
BTS) - An unidentified Earth professor/scientist designed a car that
could fly to and from Mars with a push of a button (as well as many
other high-tech features).
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 (fb) - BTS) <One week before the main story> - The professor died. Knowing only that her father was performing some kind of experiment, she decided to sell the car.
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 (fb) - BTS) - The daughter sold the car to Cowboy Larry, a used car dealer. in the morning.
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 - BTS) - Later
that day, Cowboy Larry allowed hardware salesman Ben Thomas -- who only
wanted a vehicle with great mileage -- to borrow it for the day. While
driving, Ben inadvertently bumped the button below the dashboard that
caused the ship to take off into space and bring him to Mars.
(Astonishing Tales#43/3) - As Ben Thomas got out of the car to look around, a group of Martians approached him, asking the alien who he was and from world he had come. When he noted that he had come from Earth and had gone to buy a car, one of the Martians cut him off, noting that they had feared for generations that the creatures from Earth would achieve space travel and come there.
Ben tried to explain that this was all a mistake and that all he had wanted was good mileage, but another of the Martians insisted that he must never return to Earth to inform them that an advanced civilization existed on Mars, as humanity would come and try to enslave them.
Although the Martians held his coat tightly, Ben squirmed out of it and rushed back to his car. As soon as he escaped from them, the Martians used their blasters on him, but the thin atmosphere allowed him to swiftly leap to his car in a single bound.
Before they could stop him, Ben re-entered the car and hit the button under the dash, which conveniently reversed its previous course and swiftly brought him back to Earth.
(Astonishing Tales#43/3 - BTS) -
As Ben returned to Cowboy Larry's lot, a tire blew out, and the car
crashed. Although Ben was unhurt, the machinery was smashed, and Ben
resolved that no one would believe him, so he kept his adventure
secret.
Comments: Created by unidentified writer and Manny Stallman.
Only four Martians were seen,
three males and a female, and so all detail is derived from the six
panels in which those for were involved.
Ben Thomas did not need any
atmospheric equipment to survive Mar's frigid environment with an
atmosphere composed largely of carbon dioxide. Perhaps the car provided
an unseen energy field that protected him and/or provided him with
needed oxygen and warmth. Or, perhaps the Martians existed in some sort
of semi-permeable energy field that also had its own
atmosphere/environment, like the Blue Area of the Moon, in which
Earth's Inhumans have lived.
The narrative text did note that the thin atmosphere allowed him to leap a great distance.
The car seemed to travel from
Earth to Mars in minutes, if not seconds; and the speedometer, which
had previously only had 1500 miles on it, now had over 5.9 trillion
miles on it (Mars is between 34 and 250 million miles from Earth
depending on their relative orbits), but those are discussions for
another profile..
Speaking of which, Ben Thomas deserves his own profile some day, with sub-profiles for the car, Cowboy Larry and the professor and his daughter (the latter two of whom were not seen in the story), but time is alway tight, and I'm focusing on covering the Martians at the moment. Anyone who wants to profile Ben Thomas, etc. is welcome to do so, and, if not, if I live long enough, I'll get back to him at some point!
I would enjoying knowing more about this Martian people, their society, their adaptation to or of Mars, etc.
Regardless, it remains to be explained how so many different races/beings allegedly originated from Mars.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Martians should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Astonishing Tales#43/3, pg. 4, panel 3 (upper, confronting Ben);
panel 4 (face);
panel 7 (firing at Ben)
Appearances:
Astonishing Tales#43/3 "The Test!" (November, 1955) - Manny Stallman (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 10/06/2026
Last updated: 10/06/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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