It goes without saying that Murphy Anderson knows how to draw robots. I'm not sure who actually designed the World Wrecker from Strange Adventures #50, but Anderson perfected it with the cover. It's an amazing creation, with 7 person mission control in the skull. I believe that the look of this particular robot was heavily influenced by Lou Fine's Iron Monster from Fantastic Comics #3. Anderson would return to the World Wrecker in 1972 for the cover to issue #16 of the reprint series From Beyond the Unknown. Eagle eyed fans will also noted that Anderson drew similar robots for both the Freedom Fighters and JLA covers to the 28th Overstreet Price Guide. All in all, this is a Hall of Fame robot.
The story itself, written by the great Otto Binder, is nothing too original. A giant robot appears of out nowhere, heading for Tower City leaving a path of destruction in its wake. It is revealed that the robot is on a mission of peace, but it out of control after bullets fired from military planes cracked the robot's dome and Earth's atmosphere knocked out all of those in mission control. The robot has a bit of attitude and blames the earthlings for their knee jerk reactions. Luckily a quick thinking paratrooper appeases the robot by helping him determine the location of his home world. Carmine Infantino's interior artwork does not hold a candle to Anderson's cover, but it's a a fun tale.
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