Incredible Science Fiction #30

In "Clean Start," two amoeba-like aliens from the Solar Federation—disguised as humans—embark on a radical mission to save humanity by wiping the slate clean. After the female alien captures a human man and returns to the ship, the planet is erased, leaving her anxious over her mate’s absence—only to realize, in chilling surprise, that the man she took was him all along.

In "Conditioned Reflex," a methane-breathing alien is sent to Earth to study humanity, blending in by mimicking human habits—down to the cigarette. When he lights one upon returning home, his conditioned reflex triggers a chain reaction that ignites his planet’s atmosphere. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, this six-page tale turns a simple habit into a cosmic catastrophe.

In the future, two warring superpowers race to claim the Moon, only to find their ships repeatedly shattered by an invisible barrier. When they realize the barrier surrounds the entire Earth, they uncover a chilling truth: humanity, deemed too violent to be free, is being contained by evolved alien caretakers who see us as wild animals in need of caging.