Gorgo #12
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Monsters' Rendezvous is the eleventh issue of the comic series Gorgo, published by Charlton Comics in April 1963. The issue includes three stories, a main adventure starring Gorgo and two backup stories titled "Strange Beast, Past and Present" and "Deep Water Dream!", alongside a informational text story called "A Second or an Eon?".
Plot
"Monsters' Rendezvous"
Another Venusian spacecraft, this time including octopus-like Venusians, flies to Earth. The Venusian Leader says that they will wait for night time, land in water close to the selected island, and release the Gifted Ones with their orders. One of the Venusians, Ferd, finishes this by saying they will build their scientific research city, but then asks what will happen if the humans find out. The Venusian Leader assurs him that the humans will not cause them any trouble. The spaceship lands near a isolated tropical island but, unknown to them, Gorgo is nearby. He raises his head beneath the water and observes it but, still needing to heal from his wounds along with his mother, goes back beneath the sea and rests with his mother. Meanwhile, on the island, the Venusian Leader has the Gifted Ones, strange globs of matter under the control of the ruling race of Venus, brought to him. They are then ordered to take the form of humans. Lieutenant Keith Maynard, who was on leave to recover from his experiences with Gorgo, Gorgo's mother, and the Communist, visits a old school friend of his, Dr. Rod Spencer, who has heard of Maynard's experiences. They then talk with each other about it. Keith Maynard notices something is bothering Rod and asks him to open up about it. Rod tells Keith that he has sensed something strange; the world's greatest scientists are all disappearing. Rod continues by saying that nobody knows what is happening, but the doorbell rings and Keith leaves. Then a person enters and offers to speak in private. The person asks Dr. Rod Spencer if he could borrow his identity. At night time, in the bedroom of the supposed Rod Spencer, two of the disguised Gifted Ones kidnap the supposed Rod Spencer, bring him into a smaller spacecraft, and zip into the air. In the sea, Gorgo and his parent continue resting.
The saucer lands next to the Venusian research city, which has a dome surrounding it that camouflages it, allowing it to stay hidden from the rest of the world. One of the other scientist who was captured, Dr. Cal Manus, is ordered to care for the supposed Rod Spencer. The Gifted Ones place Rod on the bed of Carl's room as his daughter, Judy, exclaims how they captured another one, but Carl Manus knew that he was not Rod Spencer, as he knew him and assumes that the supposed Rod is one of the Gifted Ones. Spencer wakes up and asks where he is. Carl Manus and Judy tell him that they knew he was not Spencer and, in fact, a Venusian spy. The impersonator then reveals himself to be Dan Stockton of the F.B.I. and that they have been trying to understand the disappearances of the scientists. It took a while, but Manus and Judy eventually accept Dan's story as the truth. Judy tells Dan to be quiet as they do not know what hearing capabilities the Venusians have. This confuses Dan, so they tell him about how the Venusians have kidnapped all of Earth's greatest scientists to help them in the fields of research that they do not know, and that when they are done, they will kill the humans and use the newly obtained knowledge to conquer the world. Dan tells them that he has a powerful signal transmitter under his waist that will alert the F.B.I. of his location, but he has to exit the dome for it to work. Meanwhile, Gorgo and his parent start to go hunting. Judy doubts this, as the doors are guarded by Venusians, but Dan assures her that it will work. Meanwhile, in the ocean, Gorgo and his mother awaken and feed on the sea life. The next morning, all of the captured scientists are brought to the Venusians, who order them to go to their assorted labs. Knowing Dan will be discovered to be a fake, Manus comes up with the excuse that Spencer (Dan) is still ill and that he can be a laboratory assistant. The Venusians allow it, but say that he must recover soon in order for them to know about his work with enzymes.
At Manus' lab, Dan thanks him and informs them that the Venusians have water in their helmets and evidentially breathe through gills. Manus continues by saying they are sea creatures and cannot breathe on land, so Venus must be a planet of mostly water with little land. Meanwhile, in their own element, Venusians in the sea near the shore of the island are processing what they have learned from the Earth scientists, but they are quickly interrupted by Gorgo, who was hunting for food, attacking them. One of the Venusians surfaces on the island and sounds the alarm, which rings throughout the domed city. The guard who is in Manus' laboratory rushes out and Dan uses a rod to smash the guard's helmet, killing him. Dan then runs through the city. Because the Venusians in all their power never thought that the alarm would ever sound, there is panic and chaos among them. Near the door to exiting the city, a Venusian tells the leader about the monster and how it is four times greater and more savage than the Griptocs of legend that their ancestors supposedly killed off, while Dan hides from them and prepares to activate the signal transmitter. When the Venusians leave, Dan rushes through the door and activates the signal, but it is only a second before he is caught. The Venusians then order that Dan be returned to the lab and all other Venusians be called to the dome, as Gorgo was now gone. The leader then commands the captain to be ready to strike, as he can sense approaching danger. At F.B.I. HQ, two people discuss the brief signal. They then infer that it came from a island and Rangers are sent to it. Gorgo, sensing the alien nature of the creatures, re-surfaces to find out where they came from. He then goes under the water and calls his mother by roaring, which she hears and comes to aid her son. American planes surround the island and drop several parachuters. With the jumpers gone, the pilot of the first plane signals the others about the alien saucers. The Rangers land, take off their parachutes and begin firing at the dome, but no matter what they do, they cannot penetrate it. The Venusian leader tells the captain of the ships to fire at the humans' airplanes and wipe out the Rangers, then orders that all the human scientists be killed, as they are no longer of any use to the Venusians. As the Venusian saucers go to the island, another monster, Reptilicus/Reptisaurus, flies by the island and starts attacking the saucers. The Venusian leader is informed about the other monster. Meanwhile, the humans, having surrounded the dome, now only need a way to get inside. Gorgo and his mother approach the dome and start to lift it up. As the Venusians flee, the Rangers fire their weapons on the aliens, and the nearly-dead leader sends a message to Venus to avoid Earth at all costs. Gorgo, his mother, and Reptilicus/Reptisaurus all go back to where they came from, and while a Ranger tells the scientists that they will send a Pontoon plane at 6:00 to pick them up, Dan Stockton and Judy fall in love with each other.
"Strange Beast, Past and Present"
This is a non-fiction educational story which depicts various strange animals throughout history and ends with saying that, in the eyes of the animals, humans are the strangest of all.
"A Second or an Eon?"
This is a educational short story which goes over the "Time Concept" and multiple scenarios, studies, and disagreements regarding it.
Appearances
"Monsters' Rendezvous"
Monsters
- Gorgo
- Gorgo's mother
- Griptocs (mentioned)
- Reptilicus/Reptisaurus
Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations
- Venusians
- Venusian saucers
- The Gifted Ones
- The F.B.I.
- Signal transmitter
Characters
- Venusian Leader
- Ferd
- Lieutenant Keith Maynard
- Dr. Rod Spencer
- Dan Stockton
- Dr. Carl Manus
- Judy
- Joe
Locations
- Venusian island
- Venusian research city
Trivia
- The Gifted Ones are similar to the aliens from the Showa era of the Godzilla films, as they are an alien race who can take on the form of humans.
- Dr. Carl Manus said that due to the Venusians' aquatic nature, Venus must be a planet of mostly water, which heavily contradicts what Venus is like in real life.
- The underwater city in Deep Water Dream! is similar to Atlantis from Gorgo #6, as they are both underwater cities that have a cave entrance.
External links
References
This is a list of references for Gorgo issue 12. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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