Marvel Tales #137
"Lost...One Robot" is a standout tale from Marvel Tales #137, a 1955 10-cent comic that delivers a quiet yet eerie mystery. Written and illustrated by Bob Powell, the story follows a tenant whose door refuses to stay shut—opening on its own even after being nailed shut—until a fire reveals a hidden message beneath the charred paint. The cover, a striking piece by Sol Brodsky and Carl Burgos, captures the story’s unsettling tone with its stark, dramatic composition.
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A landlord replaces a tenant's door with a door that continues to open of its own volition, so the man nails it shut for the night. When a fire breaks out, the door still opens itself, despite the nails. After the fire has been dealt with the tenant is surprised to see the words 'Fire Exit' printed underneath the paint the fire had scoured away.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).