Having looked at this one in the Pulps, it makes sense to see what the Interplanetary Graveyard of the comics is like. A Sargasso of Space, some vast interplanetary graveyard, is a no-brainer for space-oriented comics. You will see some familiar names and others are curiously absent. Planet Comics gets things started, being the biggest collection of SF comics in 1940. Charlton, Prize Comics, Marvel, DC, Dell and Gold Key all show up. Where is Space Family Robinson? I suppose when you are stuck on a distant planet each week you don’t have to go looking for whirlpools in space. Space 1999? The people on Moon Base Alpha have other problems. I am sure I haven’t got every comic book version of this theme. That just means I can do another post later!
As with so many old comics, the authors are often unknown. I have indicated them where possible.
Golden Age
“The Sargasso of Space” (Planet Stories #13, July 1941) text story by Toni Blum. Bland Mason and the his pal Tug, figure out why cargo ships have been disappearing in space. Pirates are involved. A spaceman named Bland! How appropriate.
“The Graveyard of Space” (Planet Comics #17, March 1942) was written by an unknown author. Star Pirate and his cyclops helmsmen enter a galactic whirlpool to throw off the law. Inside their ship is shattered by meteors. Dagara, queen of the pirates capture him and the usual bravery wins out. There is a hilarious shot of the cockpit of Star Pirate’s ship. The seat looks like that of a car with a steering wheel like that of an old ship. For more on the heroes of Planet Comics, go here.
“Spaceship Graveyard” (Fight Comics #79, March 1952) Flint Baker’s ship gets zapped by cosmic lightning and sinks beneath the ocean on a remote planet. He falls into the hands of Satura, Queen of the Pirates. She feeds her enemies to a giant squid. Baker escapes by releasing the stinky gas from his cargo hold.
“The Graveyard of the Sky” (Space Adventures #2, September 1952) has Tyranno of Ganymede set a trap for the space fleet. The Staritania has to land on the Red Spot of Juipter. The planet is similar to the cold of the Arctic. From that vantage point they see the major moons of Jupiter line up. The gravitational pull is the trap! The officers pull through and defeat Tyranno. For more on Space Adventures, go here.
“Graveyard For Ships” (Tom Corbett, Space Cadet #8, November 1953-January 1954) begins in the rings of Saturn. There Tom discovers a planetoid where ships are wrecked and men are stranded. There is also a really big tiger.
“Sargasso of Space” (The Adventures of Brick Bradford #102, March 1954) was the story from the Sunday newspaper from March 29 to July 19, 1953. The story was written by William Ritt with art by Clarence Gray. This story was collected and reprinted several times.
Silver Age
“Whirlpool of Space” (Strange Journey #4, June 1958) was written by unknown author. Patrol Seven, with Tom and Al, responses to a call about a whirlpool in space. The space tornado is full of ships, including a liner that has Al’s sister on it. The men rescue her and others. Al gets a ten day furlough but Tom ends up with a bride.
“The Planet of Lost Space Ships” (Tales of the Unexpected #28, August 1958) has Lt. Brice finding a planet that draws ships down to their destruction. The culprits are a bunch of pirates who claim the salvage from the wrecks. Brice plays a game of chicken with the bad guys to win his way off the planet.
“The Graveyard of Space” (Action Comics #248, January 1959) written by Otto Binder. Tommy and friends are drawn into the Spiral Nebula. Inside is a graveyard of ships. A beautiful woman helps Tommy to escape the giant robot hand that keeps the ships inside the nebula. When he meets her, he discovers she is a giant fifty feet tall. Binder knew a thing or two about writing space adventures. Not only did he write SF for the Pulps, but he wrote the Jon Jarl text stories for Fawcett.
“Mystery of the Magnetized Planet Parts 1-3” (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea #9-11, August-November 1967) was written by Dick Wood. Space cops go to Planet Big Puzzle to solve a mystery. That title is a bit of a giveaway. The planet is a magnet and grabs ships.They are also cavemen.
Bronze Age
“The Museum of Lost Ships” (Star Trek #15, August 1972) was written by Len Wein. The Enterprise becomes the captive of a cosmic storm. After which they find a fantastic space castle where the Museum of the Doomed lies. Kirk and his crew have become exhibits in the collection. The Federation joins up with some trapped Romulans and they shoot their way out.
“Trapped in the Sargasso Of Space” (Fantastic Four #209, August 1979) was written by Marv Wolfman. The Fantastic Four is in a war with the Skrulls. They find the Sargasso of Space where hundreds of ships lie. They have to deal with the Grogarr, a race of space-traveling bugs.
Conclusion
Interplanetary Graveyard of the Comics didn’t really innovate after the Pulps. These stories are all fairly close to what came before. There sure seem to be a lot of women space pirates out there. I suppose that is what happens when only men are allowed in the Interstellar Patrol. The artists sure love to draw those space graveyards full of ships too…
Next time… Home is the Hunter…
While Moon Base Alpha might have encountered a Sargasso of Space in the comics, it did in the “Dragon’s Domain” episode.
That’s a great episode!