TALES OF SUSPENSE #14 and 20 (1961): 1st Living Colossus

When this book was created, it certainly wasn’t as part of the Marvel Universe, which hadn’t been launched yet.  But Colossus was a recurring character (twice) in Tales of Suspense, and would return again in the 1973 anthology title “Astonishing Tales,” and then finally, in The Incredible Hulk #244, would be canonized.

The origin story started in Russia, where a sculptor was forced by the oppressive state to create a massive statue.  Aliens land near his house, and decide to occupy and animate the statue.

Which goes mad, breaks a bunch of stuff, then the aliens leave–and the statue remains standing still as a warning to the government to behave itself better.  Which leads to a closing scene at the U.N., where the Russian ambassador deicides to agree with the one from the U.S.

Colossus returned in issue #20, where the aliens return and reoccupy the statue in an effort to achieve global domination.

He arrives on a beach in America.  Great panels.

American ingenuity creates a larger, robot statue who faces off against the aliens long enough to where Colossus gets blown up.

He’ll be back, though.

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