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“Land Beneath the Sea”
On a routine survey mission near the star classified as Beta 52, the spaceship U.S.A.F. 95711 takes heavy damage from a rogue meteorite. Inside Capt. Rex Venture and his lone co-pilot, one Lt. Scotty McKay scrambles to regain control of their guidance and communication systems, but it is no use. The ship’s power core has been compromised, leaving the men with basic thrusters and little else.
In minutes the gravity from the third planet they were investigating begins to pull the crippled ship through its harsh atmosphere. The two pilots brace themselves for impact as the oceanic surface draws nearer and nearer. Then, in an explosion of water, the Earth-made vessel submerges into the dark alien sea below.
Captain Venture and Lieutenant McKay watch helplessly as their ship slowly drifts down into a bottomless ravine with no end in sight. Suddenly alarms begin to buzz as the water pressure outside draws closer to the hull’s safety limits. It would be only a matter of time before the Earthlings are crushed into oblivion.
With a stroke of luck, a powerful under current slams into the port side causing the ship to float upwards towards the trench cliff face. As the two men pick themselves up off the deck they see out of the portholes a dark cavernous opening enveloping them. It was the break they were looking for as the current drove their ship up and into a pressurized jungle expanse lit by some kind of artificial sunlight.
“Keys of Knowledge – The Zebra”
A one page informational about the African Zebra. The target audience seems to be younger children, possibly grade school age readers. Unlike the other Keys Of Knowledge reference in reviews on Relic Keep, this version is in full color.
“Picture Dictionary“
Gold Key provides the readers with a visual dictionary, of sorts. This month’s word is “band”. Four explanations of the meaning are provided.
“Just for Fun”
A one page break with a list of various jokes. I’ve never seen anything like this in a comic before. The level of humor provided here would be considered “Dad Jokes” by today’s standards. I do love the barrel of monkeys art. Too cute!
“Dinosauria – Protoceratops”
Another interesting lesson on Dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period. I love anything dinosaur related. This one had an interesting take on a Velociraptor.
“Mini-Comics”
Two dialog-free comic strips located on the last page. Both strips appear to be for very young readers. Baseball and bees are the subject matter here.
Reviewer Notes
Issue one of Gold Key Comics “Captain Venture and the Land Beneath the Sea” is another perfect example of how the Western Publishing Company focused not only on entertaining kids, but also in educating them through the use of real world scientific facts and learning material. In the 1960’s Western was the largest producer of children’s books, games, and paper materials in the United States. They were a juggernaut in the field, employing many great writers and artists.
Now I realize I’m four decades past the target demo for these books. However, the main storyline here is still a solid science fiction adventure. If your a fan of movies like Planet of the Apes (1968), Logan’s Run (1976), and the much older Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) this book will be in your wheelhouse. The story is definitely pre-Apollo moon landing science fiction at its finest, and that is okay. The mid-century writers were never constrained by proven scientific facts as we know them today. The sky was the limit, and imaginations ran wild.
I’m giving this book a solid four out of five stars. There is enough entertainment here to occupy a wide range of readers. I myself enjoyed every bit, except for the Dad Jokes. Who can blame me for that?
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