Terror in the Sargasso Sea began when sailors sailed the Carribean in search of land and gold. It was Horror master, William Hope Hodgson, who turned the Sargasso legends into a major spot for evil. Hodgson wrote of the sea with a knowledge few Horror writers have (Arthur Conan Doyle was another.) Hodgson sailed for eight years before giving up the life, which he said was grueling and lonely. To add monsters was not difficult.
Some of Hodgson’s classics include “From the Tideless Sea” with its giant crabs, “The Stone Ship” and a “A Voice in the Night” with killer fungus, “The Finding of the Graiken” with killer squids, “A Tropical Horror” with a squidgy that comes aboard and eats everybody, and his classic novels The Boats of ‘Glen Carrig’ (1907) , with Weed men and plenty of other horrors and The Ghost Pirates (1909) with obviously, ghosts. Hodgson was a major influence on H. P. Lovecraft and his squidgy-filled Cthulhu Mythos.
In the comic books, the Sargasso was used as a place where anything could happen. Adventure heroes like Mandrake the Magician, Airboy, Don Winslow, and Jonny Quest as well as cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse matched wits with the dangers. Superheroes fought battles there, including Capt. Battle, The Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Sub-Mariner, Namor. The best comics were the Horror titles though, being closer to the spirit of Hodgson (sometimes unofficial adaptations.)
Golden Age (1940s)
The first comics all have a wartime theme, with brave Americans defeating the enemies of the USA.
“Perils of the Sargasso Sea” (Capt. Battle Comics #2, Fall 1941), our first title was written by Science Fiction author, Otto Binder and illustrated by his older brother, Jack Binder. Capt. Battle uses the Curioscope to locate a sub belonging to Ali Hasen. Sea serpents and pirates happen.
“The Sea of Grassy Death” (Marvel Mystery Comics #28, February 1942) was written by Mickey Spillane, who would later become famous as the author of Mike Hammer. Mickey, like Patricia Highsmith, got his start in the comics. Jack and Slim get marooned in the Sargasso but find hidden Germans. A destroyer takes care of them.
“The Living Graveyard of the Sea” (Green Lantern #3, Spring 1942) was written by Bill Finger. Finger would return to the Sargasso seventeen years later in 1959 for an adventure there with Batman and Robin. This is a long one with ancient warriors and a giant octopus. And of course, plenty of Nazis to punch.
“Legend of the Sargasso Sea” (Don Winslow of the Navy #63, November 1948) was written and drawn by unknown creators. Vikings from the 10th Century return to terrorize the seas.
“The Sargasso Spectre” (Adventures Into the Unknown #8, December 1949-January 1950) was written and drawn by Robert Brice. Trapped in the weedy Sargasso, a gigantic ghost destroys a ship but our hero and his girl escape.
Golden Age (1950s)
On September 17, 1950, Edward Van Winkle Jones, a newspaperman, gave us the expression “The Bermuda Triangle”. This area, which is part of the Sargasso Sea, replaced the name for many readers in the coming decades. Whatever term they used, the new interest in the area drove more comic stories.
“The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea” (Airboy #78, August 1950) was written and drawn by Ernest Schroeder. Twisted ancestors of pirates haunt the weed sea. Airboy and Candy fall into a long overdue drama.
“Monarch of the Sargasso Sea” (Wonder Woman #44, November-December 1950) was written by Robert Kanigher as Charles Moulton. Master Destroyer has a secret empire hidden in and under the Sargasso Sea.
“Graveyard of Ghost Ships” (The Beyond #21, July 1953) was written by an unknown author. Gil Morgan falls in with ghost pirates, lead by the sassy Anne Bonny. But since they are dead, what romance can really happen? This is a far cry from Hodgson’s ethereal ghost pirates.
“The Derelict Fleet” (Adventures Into the Unknown #47 (September 1953) was written by an unknown author. Ghost pirates and a sea hag in a plot that is becoming familiar. Was there more Popeye influence than WHH?
“Floating Coffin” (Fantastic Fears #3, September 1953) was written by an unknown author. The weeds of the Sargasso become an actual monster rather than just a decoration in this one. The last frame ends with a sailor going mad with despair. Very Lovecraftian.
“The Half-Creatures of the Sargasso Sea” (Web of Evil #19, October 1954) was written and drawn by unknown creators. Paul Raymond tries to prove the existence of a civilization in the Sargasso. He encounters some very Deep One-like fish-men, escapes their grip only to be placed in an asylum like any respectable Lovecraft character.
Silver Age
“The Weeds” (Strange Stories of Suspense #10, August 1956) was written by an unknown author. Dave and Bill go to the Sargasso after reading a pamphlet by Dr. Warren. They encounter some old-fashioned people who eventually attack them. Having escaped they learn that the chemicals in the Saragasso can prolong life for centuries. The port they return to doesn’t look like it used to…
“Prisoners of the Sargasso Sea” (Batman #122, March 1959) was written by Bill Finger. Batman and Robin follow Blackjack’s submarine into the Sargasso.
“Secret of the Sargasso” (Forbidden Worlds #82, September 1959) was written by Richard Hughes as Greg Olivetti. A ship rescues a man lost at sea who has a strange story to tell. Lancelot Boggs finds himself in the Sargasso, haunted by a pair of gigantic eyes. The men who find him inherit the curse.
“Secret of the Sargasso” (Mandrake the Magician comic strip, December 28, 1959-December 24, 1960) was written by Lee Falk. For an entire year, Mandrake worked in the Sargasso, diving and doing daring-do. (Daring-do was done?)
“The Sea That Time Forgot” (Sub-Mariner #16, August 1969) was written by Roy Thomas. Namor goes to the Sargasso in pursuit of Tiger Shark. He finds Egyptians and modern subs. There is a lot of punching, of course.
Bronze Age
“Creature of the Sargasso Sea” (Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #29, March 1970) was written by an unknown author. Sailors in the Sargasso try to destroy the weeds with a fireball. This causes a gigantic weed creature to attack them. Dynamite succeeds where fire could not.
“Sargasso Trap” (Haunted #17, July 1974) was written by Joe Gill but seems to be based on “From the Tideless Sea” by Hodgson. A couple are trapped in the Sargasso and are attacked by giant crabs.
Some of these comics are available for free at DCM.
Conclusion
