Maybe I didn't say every little word exactly right, but...

Of course I've seen the original 1951 the Day the Earth Stood Still, and I feel like I've seen the 2008 remake in passing; but this might be a more faithful adaptation of the original story! Despite the cover that makes it look like the army can't stop a big green robot from stealing a dame, who doesn't seem to be in a comfortable position for carrying. From 1973, Worlds Unknown #3, "Farewell to the Master!" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, from the original story by Harry Bates, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Wayne Howard. Cover by Rich Buckler, with John Romita alterations: the soldier in the foreground feels definitely his.

The alien robot Gnut, eight feet tall and seemingly indestructible, now resides in a museum built around it and its ship. The ship had appeared out of nowhere in Washington D.C, and was quickly surrounded by the army; although a reporter asks if that thing could teleport, cordoning it off wasn't going to do much good...OK, that's more of a comment then a question. The next day, from the ship came Klaatu, a saint-like blond guy in a costume way too slutty for either the '51 or '08 movies, and Gnut. The army, surprisingly, seems pretty ready to accept that they had come in peace, but Klaatu is almost immediately shot anyway, by a crazed lone gunman. (All kinds of room for conspiracy theories there!) Klaatu is buried with honors, but Gnut (and the ship) remained immobile and immovable.

A reporter couple accidentally take pictures from the same angle twice, and realize Gnut was moving. Hiding in the museum after closing, they see Gnut moving, although it seems to pay them no mind as it goes into the ship. Strangely, a songbird flies out of the ship, but then dies; then a gorilla comes rushing out! Gnut stops the gorilla from hurting the reporters, but the gorilla dies shortly thereafter, as does the announcer of the museum exhibition--in fact, the announcer dies twice, as Gnut stacks up two bodies. The reporters bring in the guards, and the announcer, who was fine.

The authorities don't seem to believe the story, but are still confused by all the bodies; and encase Gnut in a "glasstex" block. Which Gnut smashes out of, then stomps past tank and bazooka fire to Klaatu's body...to recover a tape of their arrival. The reporters follow, and find Gnut had used an alien apparatus to reincarnate Klaatu--as it had the others--from sound waves. But, the recordings weren't perfect, so the recreations didn't last long. The reporters think, if Gnut used the original recording, maybe it would last longer? Gnut finally speaks, telling them to get that tape.

As Gnut is given the tape, and prepares to leave; one of the reporters asks the robot to tell his master all of Earth was sorry the original Klaatu got shot. But Gnut tells him, "you misunderstand, human...it is I who am the master." 

In the editorial on the letters page, Roy explains how the '51 movie had taken some liberties, including "...it was murked up a bit at the end (a la "The Incredible Shrinking Man" of a few years later) by a misbegotten 'message,' 1950's style." Despite having to make a few changes for the format of comics, and adding a second reporter so they had someone to talk to; it's probably still more faithful to the source material than either movie. But is the original the Day the Earth Stood Still best known for that "misbegotten message"? Would it be remembered at all if the twist was just the robot was really the boss? Also, I do like the next issue tease, that admits it'll either be "Arena," or "Black Destroyer," depending on which one was done in time for deadline!