Can't See the Forest for the Trees

The Planet of No Return
Stardate: 18:09.2
Comic: Star Trek #1
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: October 1967* (Reprinted in #29—March 1975)
*Most guides list this as being published in July 1967, but the publisher’s code suggests an October 1967 publication date.

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Nevio Zeccara

On its first comic book mission, the starship Enterprise encounters in "Galaxy Alpha" a fertile planet that for some strange reason the crew nicknames "Kelly-Green" or K-G. (On the cover of the reprint it is renamed K-2.) Once on the planet, a crew member is transformed into a mutated plant. The rest of the landing party discovers a race of "plant-monsters" that stores and uses animals for food. Janice Rand, in her only Gold Key appearance, is captured and held in one of the food pens. Kirk orders Spock to use the Enterprise’s "laser beam destruct ray" to destroy the plants. Spock is apparently an amazing shot, as he manages to destroy the plants without touching Rand. Once the landing party is back onboard, Spock tells the Captain that all life on the planet must be destroyed so that travel in the area will be safe!

The Devil’s Isle of Space
Stardate: 19:03.2
Comic: Star Trek #2
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: March 1968

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Nevio Zeccara

On the edge of an asteroid belt, the Enterprise is immobilized by a mysterious electronic field surrounding a planetoid. When a landing party beams down to investigate, they find two gigantic dispensing machines: one for food, and one for clothing. Eventually Kirk and company discover that the planetoid is in fact a prison for "The Condemned." The leader of the criminals traps Kirk and tries to get him to transport the prisoners onto the Enterprise. When this fails, they imprison Kirk on the doomed planetoid, which is due to go supernova within 24 hours. Spock, meanwhile, arranges for Scotty to lead a rescue party. Once the Enterprise crew is saved, the ship pulls away… just before the planetoid explodes.

Invasion of the City Builders
Stardate: 20:14.6
Comic: Star Trek #3
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: December 1968

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artists: Alberto Giolitti (& Giovanni Ticci?)

The Enterprise arrives at the "Planet Questionmark" to follow up on mysterious "radio films," recorded a hundred years earlier, depicting a large mechanical city. Using its rockets (!) the Enterprise drops into the atmosphere and flies over the planet, finding it almost totally covered by buildings yet with little sign of any inhabitants. Eventually the crew makes contact with the few remaining inhabitants of the planet, who are being driven into extinction by the machines that they themselves created. The thinking machines continue to build cities even though there is no one to live in them, and consequently destroy the ground needed to grow crops. Kirk and Spock discover the machines’ weakness and help the people of the planet destroy them and start to reclaim the land.

The Peril of Planet Quick Change
Stardate: 21:06.7
Comic: Star Trek #4
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: June 1969 (Reprinted in #35—November 1975)

Synopsis:

Writer:Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The Enterprise discovers that the planet Metamorpha in Galaxy Telpha Z not only appears to have the ability to change its chemical makeup every few minutes, but also that it is a source of Tiantianium, "the most precious metal in the galaxy"—so powerful that an ounce can power a starship for a year. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a landing party beam down, leaving Scotty in charge. On the planet, the landing party is attacked by strange lights that swirl around Spock. Later Spock demonstrates super-strength when he rescues McCoy and Kirk from danger. It transpires that Spock’s mind has been inhabited by six aliens from the planet who inform him how to extract the ore they need, and return the changing planet to its natural state. Once this has been achieved, five of the aliens leave Spock, but the sixth, who wishes to escape the planet, refuses to abandon Spock’s mind. Back onboard the Enterprise, Spock throws himself into the transporter while it is somehow simultaneously set on both materialization and dematerialization, thereby separating himself from the reluctant alien.

The Ghost Planet
Stardate: 26:06.4
Comic: Star Trek #5
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: September 1969 (Reprinted in #37—May 1976)

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

Deep in Galaxy Zelta the Enterprise discovers a planet hidden inside a series of interstellar rings. A landing party beams down and finds a ruined, deserted city, which Spock surmises is the result of a war. The landing party is brought before the twin rulers of the planet, Justin-I and Justin-2, who tell of when The Terror of the rings descended on their world and the population left the planet’s surface to take up residence in two orbiting stations—stations that are now overpopulated. The Justins ask Kirk for help. Spock speculates that the Enterprise’s laser beams may be powerful enough to destroy the rings and remove The Terror. After the Justins sign off, Spock isn’t convinced about their story, and his doubts are confirmed when the discovery of a hidden library shows that the two Justins were in fact leaders of opposing factions in an ongoing civil war until the rings arrived. Confronted with the truth, the Justins declare they have no more weapons and mean only good for their people. The Enterprise uses “electronic rifles” and “magnetic generators” to pull the rings into deep space. Of course, the two Justins have been lying and have a stockpile of hidden weapons. Confronting them once more, Kirk points to the sky where the deadly rings appear to have returned. It is in fact film of the rings played back into the atmosphere by McCoy on the Enterprise, but it is enough to convince the Justins to destroy their weapons and agree to continue to work together.

When Planets Collide
Stardate: 23:009
Comic: Star Trek #6
Publisher: Gold Key
Date: December 1969

Synopsis:

Writer: Unknown / Artist: Alberto Giolitti

The crew of the Enterprise is ordered to investigate an unusual reading coming from the Alpho galaxy. The reading turns out to be two apparently uninhabited planets on a collision course. A landing party is sent to plant hydrogen charges on the first planet, where (of course) they find a humanoid civilization living underground. The crew heads for the second planet. While in orbit they surmise that the mountains of the second planet, which are of a strange metallic ore, have a strong natural magnetic attraction to the rocks of the first planet, and that this is what is pulling the two together. The crew beam down to the second planet and discover yet another subterranean civilization that derives its power source from the magnetic mountains. Spock proposes a fast return to Vulcan space to fetch a 10,000-ton particle of the former star named Doona, renowned for its natural "repelling force." The Enterprise attaches an “electronic tow rope” to the star fragment and tows it back across space, through a dangerous asteroid field, to place it between the doomed planets.

NEXT POST: 2262 Part 3

Previous Entries
– 1953
– 2056
– 2063
– 2250
– 2251 – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
= 2253-2259
= 2262 – Part 1

—————
NOTES:
(1) This timeline covers Star Trek comics published in the USA and UK between 1967 to 2007 (i.e. from Gold Key to TokyoPop) – it does not include any stories from current Star Trek comics publisher IDW.
(2) See the start of this post thread for the Time Line Introduction explaining the background, definitions and considerations for this Star Trek Comics Time Line project.
(3) For more information on the history of Star Trek in comics check out my book STAR TREK: A Comics History. now available in stores.