Gorgo #16

In "Menace from the Deep," a nuclear test in the South Seas triggers a bizarre mutation in kelp, giving rise to towering, fluid-draining humanoids known as Chloryllfids. With the ocean's life wiped out by radiation, the Gorgos—already struggling to survive—find themselves drawn to the same island where the monstrous Chloryllfids have overrun the land. Written by Joe Gill and illustrated with eerie precision by Steve Ditko, this 1963 Charlton issue blends sci-fi dread with a strange, unsettling balance of predator and prey. The cover, also by Ditko, captures the menace of the deep with stark, otherworldly detail.