ALBERT POOLE

Real Name: Albert Poole

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Inventor/scientist, would-be subversive

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "The only man who can walk on water" (as called by himself)

Base of Operations: His laboratory, by an unidentified bay

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#12/3 (October, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: Albert Poole was a brilliant inventor who designed and built an atomic-disintegrating machine--this device altered his body's molecules so that he could walk on water.

He used his newfound power to successfully commit an act of espionage; however, he subsequently discovered that he would sink on dry land.

Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#12/3 (fb) - BTS) - U.S. government and military officials were meeting aboard a yacht anchored in a bay, where they worked on Project X35, a key part of America's national defense;  Albert Poole learned about the meeting, and knowing that hostile foreign powers would pay plenty to get the data on the project, Poole conceived of an elaborate scheme to steal the X35 plans--he figured he'd then have enough money to live in luxury for the rest of his life.

   Poole rented a house on the bay, then began to work on his atomic-disintegrating machine, which would alter the atomic structure of his body so that he could stand on the surface of water--with such a power, he could commit the most fantastic act of treason in history.

(Tales to Astonish I#12/3) - After completing his machine, Poole stepped into the booth and activated it--it caused him agonizing pain as his body's atoms were rearranged. When the procedure was over and his mind had cleared, Poole opened the backdoor of the house (which was right over the water) and stepped out... but he immediately sank. Not discouraged, Poole climbed out of the water and went back to work on the machine.

   After readjusting the machine's "molecule distributor," Poole made a second attempt; once more there was a tremendous burst of power, and he felt the incredible sensation of atomic transformation. When his mind had cleared, Poole stepped out the backdoor again, and he stood on water for a few moments... but an instant later, he once again splashed downward.

   Poole crawled back to shore and returned to his machine, which he adjusted to an even stronger level; for the third time, he was exposed to the machine's energy. A moment later, he stepped out the backdoor, and found that his machine had worked--this time, Albert Poole didn't sink, for he was now able to stand on water!

   Since night had fallen, Poole saw no reason for further delay, so he began to walk across the waters of the bay toward the yacht--he was too low for radar to detect him, too high for sonar to detect him, and the shore patrol would never be able to see him in the darkness.

   When he reached the yacht, it was a simple matter for Poole to take the X35 plans--he only had to reach into an open porthole and grab them off a desk, because the officials were so confident the yacht was secure, they didn't even bother to lock up their material.

   With the stolen X35 plans in his possession, Poole calmly walked across the water to return to the house on the shore; but as soon as he stepped on dry land, he found that he was now unable to stand on solid ground! He slowly sank into the earth, with no apparent means of raising himself out of the ground...

(Tales to Astonish I#12/3 - BTS) - Although the police heard his cries for help and apparently saved him, the final fate of Albert Poole remains unrevealed (see comments).

Comments: Created by an Stan Lee and Paul Reinman.

In this 5-page story--"Save Me! Save Me!"--Poole was never depicted as standing next to another human being, so it was difficult to estimate his height.

The caption in the story's final panel implied that Poole was saved by the police, but what would they do with him? Unless his power soon faded afterward, they would probably have to keep him in a water-filled jail cell.--Ron Fredricks

If he really wanted a fortune, he should have patented that atomic-disintegrating machine.

Albert Poole has an Atlas Age prototype ("The Man Who Walked On Water!" -- Adventures Into Weird Worlds#14 (January, 1953) 4th story), who also sank on land.
--Gammatotem

This story was reprinted in Fear#3.

Profile by Prime Eternal. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Albert Poole should not be confused with:

Albert Poole's matter-disintegrating machine should not be confused with:

Albert Poole's atomic-disintegrating machine

A large device, it consisted of a human-sized booth equipped with multiple energy projector units, and other supporting machinery.

Poole created it to alter his body's atomic structure and give himself the ability to walk on water, so he could commit an act of espionage against the United States.

When the device was completed, Poole activated it and was bathed in an unspecified energy  Although his first two attempts were unsuccessful, Poole adjusted the machine and underwent the painful process three times before he finally got it to work with the desired result.

Following Poole's apprehension by the police (see comments), the atomic-disintegrating machine may have been confiscated by legal authorities.

--Tales to Astonish I#12/3

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p1, pan1 (main image - Albert Poole)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p2, pan3 (headshot - Albert Poole [eyeglasses raised] looks out window at yacht)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p3, pan5 (after second attempt, Albert Poole briefly stands on water)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p4, pan5 (Albert Poole walks on water to yacht)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p5, pan6 (Albert Poole sinks on land)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p2, pan5 (Albert Poole works on atomic-disintegrating machine)
Tales to Astonish I#12/3, p2, pan6 (Albert Poole inside activated atomic-disintegrating machine's booth)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#12/3 (October, 1960) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Paul Reinman (pencils/inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters)

First posted: 10/31/2006
Last updated: 09/14/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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