Amazing how what's scary when you're a kid is 'meh' when you're old...

The cover didn't ring any bells, but I do believe I read this one off of the spinner rack when I was nine years old. And it creeped me right out! From 1980, Mystery in Space #113, featuring "Trouble in Paradise" Written by George Kashdan, pencils by Michael Golden, inks by Bob Wiacek; "Passages" Written by Len Wein, art by Joe Staton; "The Eyes of the Bekkitt!" Written by J.M. DeMatteis, art by Jerry Grandenetti; "Gremlins" Written by Len Wein, art by Joe Kubert; and "Beasts of Burden" Written by George Kashdan, pencils by Trevor Von Eeden, inks by John Celardo.

The lead story, "Trouble in Paradise," is the one I remember: three computer specialists--a remarkably diverse trio for a 1980 comic--answer a want ad on the idyllic, advanced planetoid Orega. Their job is a breeze, the people are cheery, and their science super-advanced, yet there's still a few warning signs: everyone is too cheery, their job seems to involve robotics yet none are to be seen, and the science is able to patch up an injured member of the trio far too quickly. When they aren't allowed to leave Orega, the horrible truth is revealed...the people were immortal, true, but their brains had been "computerized" over time. They still needed a bit of human input here and there, hence the want ad. The trio live a long, long life on Orega; eventually placing a new ad...

Man, that brain-replacement bit made my skin crawl back then. Now I'm old and falling apart, you might as well replace large chunks of me...I didn't buy this back in 1980, possibly because of the creep factor; I'm not even sure I finished reading it since the other stories didn't ring a bell. "Gremlins" is the only one with a happy ending; but the twist on "Beasts of Burden" wasn't bad.