Manic Monday Bonus--Human Achievements Piss Off The Gods!

Ah, the heady, far-flung future of 1985...

To insert a bit of historical hindsight that this 1957 comic lacks: Yes, in 1954, Roger Bannister did indeed "break the 4-minute mile," running the distance in 3:59.4, beating the old record by 2 seconds. Bannister became a household name and a hero for accomplishing a feat that some had said was physically impossible.

Sadly, though, there was no three-minute mile in 1976, nor anyone closing in on a 2-minute mile in 1985. The current world record is 3:43.13, set in 1999. So I guess there are limits to how fast man can run long distances. Sorry, 1957 comic book.

Still, they're setting this up as a moral lesson, as well:

Oh, it's going to be one of those "hubris is bad" stories, eh?

Well, yes, because an unknown runner ends up on the track:

But...

Damn!!

D'oh!! And I thought it was Barry Allen...

So, I guess the lesson is, "don't dare aspire to great feats, or the ancient gods will turn up and embarrass you"? Which means the gods are kinda dicks...

From Unusual Tales #6 (1957)