“The Derelict Fleet” from Adventures Into the Unknown #47 (September 1953) is jam-packed with William Hope Hodgson-isms. Set in the Sargasso Sea, it draws from several of his major works. The comic’s author is unknown but the art was done by Jon Blummer.
Walter and Joyce are on a honeymoon is the South Seas. While on the beach they are approached by a creepy-looking boat with a sailor dressed like a pirate. It turns out he is a ghost of a real pirate. He plans to take them to the derelict fleet of ghost ships. There he will sell them to the Sea Hag, who subsists on living souls.
The pirate takes them to Sea hag. She is a hideous monster with green-skin and fangs.
The pirate is paid in gold. The mistress of the ship controls all kinds of evil sea creatures including devil-fish. One of these creatures holds Walter down.
The Sea Hag is ready to devour Joyce. Walter gets loose and finds a flintlock pistol. He grabs Joyce and makes for a life boat. The ghosts pursue but using the pistol, Walter sets the derelicts on fire.
The couple flee in their boat. A sea monster tries to get them but is frightened away at the last second. Is it the swarms of squid? The couple fight off the creatures until a seaplane can rescue them. The derelict fleet is no more. Only a scaly hand remains to tell us it is not all over…
Wow! That’s a lot of Hodgson to fit into six pages! We have the devil-fish from The Boats of Glen Carig, spectal buccaneers from The Ghost Pirates, sea monsters from “A Tropical Horror” and killer squid from “The Finding of the Graiken”. The only thing we are missing is the mold people from “A Voice int he Night”. The Sea Hag is a typical AITU villain except Popeye’s nemesis had that name too. Poking a little fun? Whatever the case, this is a comic that H. P. Lovecraft would have enjoyed.
Read the original comic free at Digital Comic Museum.
