Type: Extradimensional world (see comments) (discovered during 1960s era)

Environment: Prehistoric world

Usual Means of Access: Paul Harper and Cathy were transported to the "Twilight World" and back via a green mist.

Dominant Life-Forms: Various prehistoric life-forms, including "ape creatures", Cro, a dimetrodon, a giant white bird, a Neanderthal tribe, a pteranodon, a sabre-tooth tiger, and a tyrannosaur.

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures I#3/1 (August, 1961)

History:
(Amazing Adventures I#3/1 (fb) - BTS) - The origins of the "Twilight World" are unrevealed (see comments).

(Amazing Adventures I#3/1) - College student Paul Harper wrote a term paper concerning his theory that past, present, and future all coexist simultaneously, but in different dimensions. Paul submitted the paper to his science instructor, but Professor Barnes scoffed at Harper's "preposterous" proposal, causing the student to storm out of Barnes' office.

   Paul took his girlfriend Cathy for a ride in his car, and as they drove down the road, they encountered a strange green mist. The two got out of the car and proceeded through the mist on foot, and they were apparently transported a million years into the past (see comments).

   After Paul and Cathy narrowly escaped the menaces posed by a variety of prehistoric animals and proto-humanoids (see individual sub-profiles), they were led back to the green mist by Cro, a helpful Cro-Magnon man. Walking through the mist, Paul and Cathy returned back to Paul's car in the 20th Century. The two got in the car and began the drive home, but Paul was excitedly thinking about their experience in the "Twilight World," for it proved his theory correct. Distracted by his thoughts, Paul accidentally veered off the road and crashed, and he and Cathy were briefly rendered unconscious.

   Paul and Cathy were later found by Professor Barnes (who happened to be passing by) and a police officer. When they regained consciousness, Paul and Cathy told Barnes about their adventure in the prehistoric land, however Barnes thought the two were merely hallucinating. But then the police officer discovered something in Paul's car -- a tiger-teeth necklace, apparently a parting-gift from Cro.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Jack Kirby (artist).

The name of this prehistoric land was never actually mentioned in this 13-page story -- We Were Trapped in the Twilight World! -- so I just identified it by the story's title.

Although Paul Harper theorized that he and Cathy had traveled through time, the "Twilight World" included life-forms that did not exist contemporaneously (i.e. dinosaurs were extinct long before primitive humans ever existed), so perhaps the green mist actually transported them through space rather than time, and maybe the"Twilight World" was really Antarctica's Savage Land (@ X-Men I#10), which is inhabited by dinosaurs, mammals, and primitive humanoids from different evolutionary eras. In X-Men: The Hidden Years#4 (page 7, panel 4), Magneto stated that radiation in the Savage Land made the inhabitants of the land mildly telepathic, which explained why everyone there seemed to speak English -- assuming the "Twilight World" was actually the Savage Land, this would explain how Cro was able to understand and speak English (...despite the fact that Cro supposedly lived about a million years before the language was ever spoken).

Or maybe the "Twilight World" was actually Earth-78411, the world of Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The "Twilight World" has no known connections to:

Paul Harper has no known connections to:

Professor Barnes has no known connections to:

Cro has no known connections to:

The sabre-tooth tiger has no known connections to:

The tyrannosaur has no known connections to:

The pteranodon has no known connections to:

Paul Harper and Cathy

Paul was a college student, and Cathy (last name unrevealed) was his girlfriend. Paul owned a car (a two-seat convertible), he carried a cigarette lighter (which he used to light a torch to frighten off a dimetrodon), and he had some knowledge of basic Judo (which he used to flip a Neanderthal man).

Paul wrote a term paper concerning his theory that past, present, and future coexisted simultaneously, but in different dimensions -- Professor Barnes dismissed Paul's theory as nonsense.

While driving down an unfamiliar stretch of road, Paul and Cathy encountered a strange green mist which apparently transported them to the "Twilight World" of a million years in the past (see comments).

Paul and Cathy encountered a variety of hostile prehistoric creatures, but they were eventually led back to the mist by Cro, a helpful Cro-Magnon man; walking back through the mist, they both returned home to the 20th Century.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Professor Barnes

The dean of the college science department, he was Paul Harper's instructor.  When Paul submitted a term paper regarding his theory that past, present, and future coexisted simultaneously, but in different dimensions, Barnes dismissed the idea as ludicrous.

Later, when he heard of Paul and Cathy's adventure in the "Twilight World," Barnes thought the couple had merely been hallucinating.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Green mist

Paul Harper and Cathy were driving down an unfamiliar stretch of road when an eerie fog rolled across it.

The strange, heavy vapor engulfed their car, so Paul and Cathy got out and began making their way on foot.  When the mist began to thin out, they found they had seemingly been transported a million years into the past and found themselves in the "Twilight World" (see comments).

After a series of adventures in the prehistoric land, Paul and Cathy were led back to the mist by Cro, and the couple found their way back to the 20th Century.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Cro

A Cro-Magnon man who inhabited the "Twilight World," he was armed with a bow and arrows, and a stone ax; he wore a necklace of tiger teeth.  He was able to understand and speak English to some degree (see comments).

When Paul Harper and Cathy were captured by a tribe of hostile Neanderthals and left suspended over the ledge of a cliff to feed a hungry pteranodon, Cro shot the flying reptile with an arrow, then rescued Paul and Cathy.

Cro led the couple back to the green mist that had transported them to the prehistoric world so that they could return home to the 20th Century.  As they bade their rescuer farewell, Paul asked Cro what his name was -- Cro understood him, and responded in English.

Cro apparently followed the two through the green mist and left his tiger teeth necklace in Paul's car as a token of friendship; presumably, Cro returned to his home in the "Twilight World" afterwards.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Giant white bird

One of the prehistoric creatures inhabiting the "Twilight World," it was sighted by Paul Harper and Cathy shortly after they appeared in the strange land -- as it flew overhead, Paul initially thought it to be a "flying saucer". After it landed on a hill and he could see it clearly, Paul theorized that the bird and others of its kind flew through the green mist and into the 20th Century, where the creatures were seen by people from a distance and thought to be spaceships.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Sabre-tooth tiger

One of the prehistoric creatures inhabiting the "Twilight World, it sneaked upon Paul Harper and Cathy while they were looking at a giant white bird.  The beast chased Paul and Cathy up the snow-covered slopes of a mountain; the tiger was almost upon them when it was killed by a huge spear thrown by an "ape creature".

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

"Ape creatures"

A group consisting of at least six prehistoric ape-like humanoids, they inhabited the snow-capped mountains of the "Twilight World"; they were armed with spears.

Paul Harper and Cathy encountered one of the "ape creatures" when it threw a spear at a sabre-tooth tiger that was chasing them up a mountain. After killing the tiger, the "ape creature" seemed to ignore Paul and Cathy and lumbered away, but it actually went to join its fellow creatures; the "ape creatures" all began to attack Paul and Cathy by hurling spears at them.

Paul and Cathy were able to outrun the ungainly humanoids and took shelter in a cave.  Paul told Cathy to yell as loud as she could, and as the two screamed at the top of their lungs, they caused an avalanche which buried the shaggy ape-men under tons of snow.

Afterwards, Paul theorized that perhaps one of the "ape creatures" was encased in the ice, where it would remain in suspended animation until it was released when the ice cracked in the 20th Century, and it would inspire the legend of the Abominable Snowman.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Dimetrodon

One of the prehistoric creatures inhabiting the "Twilight World," this sail-back dinosaur was menacing a Neanderthal baby in a cave. Paul Harper and Cathy had just escaped from some "ape creatures" when they heard the infant wailing.

Paul lit a torch with his cigarette lighter and used it to make the dimetrodon recoil in fear while Cathy grabbed the baby, then they made a hasty retreat.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Tyrannosaur

One of the prehistoric creatures inhabiting the "Twilight World," this carnivorous dinosaur spotted Paul Harper and Cathy as they were fleeing from an angry Neanderthal couple.

As the king of dinosaurs ran after Paul and Cathy, it was distracted by a bolt of lightning striking a nearby tree, which gave the two a chance to hide under a rock outcropping.  The tyrannosaur lumbered away, its tiny brain apparently having forgotten about Paul and Cathy.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Neanderthal tribe

A group consisting of a least eight prehistoric humanoids, they inhabited the "Twilight World".

Paul Harper and Cathy had just saved a Neanderthal baby that was endangered by a dimetrodon, but one of the primitive men and his mate apparently thought Paul and Cathy were threatening their child.  The Neanderthal man was about to swing his club at Paul, but Paul flipped him to the ground using Judo, and Paul and Cathy fled.

Shortly afterwards, Paul and Cathy had just escaped from a tyrannosaur when the entire tribe of Neanderthals captured them, then suspended Paul and Cathy over a rocky ledge so that a pteranodon might feed upon them.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

Pteranodon

One of the prehistoric creatures inhabiting the "Twilight World," this flying reptile was about to swoop upon Paul Harper and Cathy after they had been bound and dangled over the the edge of a cliff by some Neanderthals.

Paul and Cathy managed to kick the flying creature and temporarily fend off its attack.  An arrow fired by Cro hit the pteranodon, causing it to plummet to its doom.

--Amazing Adventures I#3/1

images: (without ads)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p1, pan1 (Paul Harper and Cathy trapped in "Twilight World")
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p3, pan1 (Cathy and Paul Harper first arrive in "Twilight World)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p3, pan2 (Paul Harper explaining his theory; Cathy)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p3, pan4 (Cathy and Paul Harper running to investigate "flying saucer" (actually giant white bird))
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p8, pan4 (Cathy holding Neanderthal baby as Paul Harper looks on)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p2, pan1 (Professor Barnes giving his opinion of Paul Harper's theory)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p13, pan5 (Professor Barnes doubts Paul Harper and Cathy's story of the "Twilight World")
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p2, pan5 (Paul Harper and Cathy driving down road as green mist rolls in)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p2, pan7 (Cathy and Paul Harper sitting in car, surrounded by mist)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p12, pan5 (Cathy and Paul Harper led back to mist by Cro)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p12, pan1 (Cro about to shoot arrow at pteranodon)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p12, pan6 (in answering Paul Harper's question, Cro reveals his name)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p13, pan7 (police officer's hand holding Cro's tiger-teeth necklace)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p3, pan5 (Paul Harper and Cathy see giant white bird)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p3, pan7 (Paul Harper and Cathy see sabre-tooth tiger)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p4, pan4 (first "ape creature")
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p5, pan2 (Paul Harper and Cathy see tribe of "ape creatures")
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p8 pan3 (Paul Harper uses fire to combat dimetrodon)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p9, pan4 (Paul Harper and Cathy see tyrannosaur)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p9, pan5 (tyrannosaur)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p8, pan6 (Neanderthal parents of Neanderthal baby)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p11, pan1 (Neanderthal tribe attacks Paul Harper and Cathy)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p11, pan5 (pteranodon)
Amazing Adventures I#3/1, p12, pan2 (pteranodon hit by Cro's arrow as it swoops toward suspended Paul Harper and Cathy)

Appearances:
Amazing Adventures I#3/1 (August, 1961) - Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Artie Simek (letters), Stan Lee (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 07/17/2018
Last Updated: 07/17/2018

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