main image

CALEB SHORT

Real Name: Caleb Short

Identity/Class: Normal human (1950s era)

Occupation: Drifter, casual employee

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Martians

Enemies: Pete Brand, Mayor Watkins

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Greenville, USA (state unrevealed)

First Appearance: Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2 (July, 1956)

Powers/Abilities: Caleb Short is a small timid man keen for attention with no appreciable skills for a rural American community. He holds a valuable scroll with answers to spaceflight and cures for diseases. He had a keen imagination fueled by his interest in science-fiction magazines.

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown (balding)

History:

(Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Having no appreciable skills, Caleb Short was irked by feeling unimportant in the small town of Greenville, and secured only odd jobs around town. He longed for attention.

(Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2 (fb)) - Inspired by the science-fiction magazines he enjoyed reading, he set about crafting a story of visiting aliens, creating an "alien document" that contained mixed-up mathematical formulas from various scientific magazines, cut down a clearing in the woods and then applied tracks using swimming flippers to mimic would-be alien feet.

(Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2) - Caleb ran into the town, declaring his encounter with a flying saucer and the monstrous aliens inside. He waved the fake message he had created as proof of his meeting. After brief initial disbelief, Mayor Watkins and reporter Pete Brand led many townsfolk to the clearing in the woods he had made, claiming the destruction had made by the flying saucer, and showed the webbed "footprints." News of his would-be encounter quickly spread nationally, even appearing on the front page of the Daily Bugle newspaper, and Caleb reveled in the spotlight. However, Brand investigated further and exposed Caleb's hoax. Shunned and scorned, Caleb fled into the woods, where a large spacecraft landed before him. Three Martians emerged and benevolently gave him a scroll to help humankind advance to a "golden age," with information on spaceflight and cures for diseases. Happy, Caleb rushed back into town and pleaded to be heard, but the Watkins and the townsfolk dismissed him, thinking it another hoax. Caleb wandered off, hoping that one day someone would listen and believe him.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Bob McCarthy.

Sure. Nothing suspicious about aliens popping down, giving you plans to build spacecraft and cures for diseases, then quickly blasting off... Did they have a cure for paranoia?

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Caleb Short has no known connections to:

Pete Brand

Pete Brand was the main reporter for the town's newspaper and wanted the exclusive on Caleb Short's (faked) encounter with aliens. While the news quickly spread nationally, Brand remained skeptical and investigated further, finally uncovering Caleb's hoax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2

Martians

Declaring themselves to be "of Mars," the benevolent humanoid Martians landed on Earth and chose Caleb Short as their first contact (possibly because they were aware of the news reports of Caleb's contact with aliens, but not realizing Caleb was a fraud). The Martians passed a scroll that would advance humankind to a "golden age" with answers to spaceflight, cures for diseases and others. The Martians then blasted off in their magenta spacecraft but their special document was lost as nobody believed Caleb's real alien encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2

images: (without ads)
Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2, p4, pan5 (main image)
   p3, pan2 (headshot)
   p3, pan4 (Daily Bugle front page)
   p2, pan2 (Brand)
   p4, pan4 (Martians)

Appearances:
Adventure Into Mystery I#2/2 (July, 1956) - uncredited writer, Bob McCarthy (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 02/25/2023
Last updated: 02/25/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!

Back to Characters