An alien installation located on the fourth planet, it was where the "Martian Flying Saucers" launched their invasion of Earth.
--Tales of Suspense I#11/2
"MARTIAN FLYING SAUCER"
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Martian (see comments)) (1960s era)
Occupation: Spy
Group Membership: Its fellow squadron members (at least 149 others, none identified)
Affiliations: Saucer Leader 1 (commander)
Enemies: Earthlings
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Flight 150 (as identified by itself)
Base of Operations: Originally from a base on Mars; temporarily on Earth
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#11/2 (September, 1960)
Powers/Abilities: Like its fellow beings, the "Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 was a sentient mechanical life-form. It could extend at least six limbs (two "arms" and four wheeled "legs") from its disk-like body. It traveled through space at faster-than-light speeds. The saucer was hollow and had an empty interior; it was telepathic, and absorbed the knowledge of the humans it had temporarily trapped within itself.
The saucer could extend a force field around itself that protected it from explosives and x-rays.
Height: 15 ' (by
approximation)
Weight: 10 tons (by approximation)
Eyes: Inapplicable
Hair: Inapplicable
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#11/2 (fb) - BTS) - The past of this race
of sentient machines is unrevealed, but after centuries of studying
Earthlings from the planet Mars, they formulated Plan X, the Martian
master-plan for the invasion of Earth.
(Tales of Suspense I#11/2) - The Martians initiated Plan X as one by one, a squadron of one-hundred and forty-nine of the "flying saucer"-like beings launched from the red planet, followed by the very enthusiastic Flight 150. Faster than the speed of light, the saucers crossed the dark void of space to Earth and circled the planet. When Flight 150 announced its arrival, Phase One of the Martians' mission was completed, so Saucer Leader 1 beamed a general order to the group to commence with the invasion.
The saucers landed at various points around the globe--Flight 150's particular destination was in Nassau County, thirty-six miles from New York, where it landed effortlessly in full-view of incredulous motorists on the Southern State Parkway.
As news reports from around the globe announced that flying saucers had landed in every country of the world at the same time, there were fears of an alien invasion. Mankind attempted to establish contact with the (non-existent) visitors within, but the saucers merely sat silently, waiting to initiate Phase Two.
After some length of time, when there seemed to be no threat from the silent saucers, eventually the panic died down and calm returned to the world. The saucers were hauled away by the various countries in which they had landed and taken for study by top civilians and military men.
Flight 150 itself was loaded on a flat-bed trailer and taken to an American military base, where attempts were made to penetrate its hull with an acetylene torch and explosives--Flight 150 had put a force field around itself to protect its form; the scientists and generals became frustrated, for they were unable to find any way to learn what was inside the saucer.
Then Saucer Leader 1 gave the general order to all saucers to initiate Phase Two; Flight 150 complied and opened a door in its hull, and the group of scientists and generals went inside to explore the saucer's dark interior (...and presumably, similar events also transpired around the world with the other saucers).
With the best brains of America inside itself, Flight 150 slid the door shut and trapped the scientists and generals within. The men found the interior of the saucer completely empty, with no signs of a pilot or any control instrumentation--unknown to the men, Flight 150 was mentally absorbing all their knowledge.
When its mental scan was completed, Flight 150 slid the door open and released the men.
(Tales of Suspense I#11/2 - BTS) - After the men had hastily departed, all the saucers on Earth returned to their home-world.
(Tales of Suspense I#11#2) - Back on Mars, after having absorbed the knowledge of mankind's greatest minds, the "Martian Flying Saucers" had learned that they need never fear Earthlings. Flight 150 contemptuously expressed that the foolish humans never suspected that what they had thought to be "flying saucers" were actually the Martians themselves.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Steve Ditko (artist).
This 6-page story -- I Know the Secret of the Flying Saucer! -- was told entirely from the narrative perspective of Flight 150, so presumably Flight 150 is the "I" referred to in the title.
There have been numerous races identified as "Martians," so possibly these aliens were not natives of the red planet, and were only using it as a base.
The ending of the story implied that these "Martians" had only conducted reconnaissance, and that they were planning further action--assuming it took place in the year it was published, then maybe the "Martian Flying Saucers" returned to conquer the world, but the First Line fought them off in an unrecorded adventure.
This same basic plot/surprise-ending was previously used for Clam and "Flying Saucer," then later for "Impossible Spaceship".
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The "Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 has no known connections to:
Saucer Leader 1 has no known connections to:
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An alien installation located on the fourth planet, it was where the "Martian Flying Saucers" launched their invasion of Earth. --Tales of Suspense I#11/2 |
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Some of America's greatest scientific and military minds, they attempted to learn the secrets of one of the alien flying saucers (Flight 150) that had landed on Earth. All their attempts to penetrate the hull of the flying saucer had failed, and the men were left frustrated; but as they were about to give up, a door in the hull of the spacecraft slid open. The men excitedly entered the dark interior, but the door slid shut and trapped them within. Using flashlights, they quickly made an inspection of the interior, but found no pilot or control instrumentation inside. Suddenly, the door slid open again, and the men hastily exited the flying saucer before it took off. The scientists and generals were unaware that the flying saucer was actually a sentient mechanical being, and that it had telepathically absorbed their knowledge while they were trapped inside it. --Tales of Suspense I#11/2 |
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images: (without ads)
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p6, pan4 (true nature of "Martian Flying Saucers" (including Flight 150 (center)) revealed)
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p2, pan4 ("Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 preparing to land on Earth)
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p2, pan5 ("Martian Flying Saucer/Flight 150 (top view) landing by Southern State Parkway)
Tales
of Suspense I#11/2, p6, pan3 ("Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 opens door and releases scientists and generals after absorbing their knowledge)
Tales
of Suspense I#11/2, p1,
pan1 ("Martian Flying Saucers" taking flight from base on Mars, as Flight 150 eagerly awaits its turn)
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p1, pan2 ("Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 takes off from Mars)
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p5,
pan3 (scientists and generals frustrated because they can't learn what's inside the flying saucer )
Tales of Suspense I#11/2, p5, pan7 (scientists and generals about to enter "Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150 as door opens)
Tales
of Suspense I#11/2, p6, pan1 (scientists and generals using flashlights as they enter darkened interior of "Martian Flying Saucer"/Flight 150)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#11/2 (September, 1960) - Stan Lee (writer), Steve Ditko (pencils & inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters), Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 02/03/2018
Last updated: 02/04/18
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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