The Devil's Isle of Space
The Devil's Isle of Space
Attribution
Series:
Writer(s):
Artist(s):
Publication information
Publisher:
Pages:
Chronology
Stardate:
- Prisoners on theplanet of the condemned sentenceCaptainKirk to share their fate! — "The Devil's Isle of Space" was the second issue of theTOSGold Key Comics series. It was written byDick Wood and drawn byNevio Zaccara. Published inMarch1968, it was also notable as being the fifth licensedStar Trek story, behind only "The Planet of No Return" and stories inA Book to Color.
Description[]
- Mr.Spock was powerless to help asCaptainKirk and hisexploration team battled for their lives on a mysteriousasteroid. And Mr. Spock would soon uncover the asteroid's terrifying secret, a secret which would challenge him with an impossible choice: either risk thestar shipEnterprise and all her personnel, or abandon his captain to certain death!
Summary[]
The Devil's Isle of Space, Part I[]
- Captain's log,stardate 19:03.4
- On the outer fringe of the galaxy Nabu, came upon a strange belt of uncharted asteroids - strange for obvious reasons.
The asteroids are glowing, like nothing the crew has ever seen before. Captain Kirk orders the navigator to set a course to the nearest one, but upon reaching it, theEnterprise becomes caught in a electronic field shielding the planet. Kirk leads alanding party to the planet to discover the source.
On the planet, the party discovers machines that dispense food, water and clothing. They are then attacked by a group of humanoid aliens led byTargu, but Kirk convinces them of their friendly intentions. Targu explains that he and his men were marooned on the asteroid a year ago when their freighter crashed, but claims to know nothing about the electronic field.
The party finds the crashed ship, but learn from Spock that it was not a cargo ship. Another alien,Lara, arrives to tell him the truth: the aliens are convicted criminals exiled viarockets to glowing asteroids where they await execution. Targu sees Lara talking with Kirk and attacks the landing party, capturing them in a net.
On board theEnterprise, Spock and Scotty manage to free the ship from the force field, but find that they cannot beam up the landing party without bringing the convicts with them. Furthermore, Spock discovers that the asteroid will explode within 24 hours.
Part II: The Secret of… Execution Asteroid[]
- Captain's log, stardate 19:04.5. We are in a desperate plight! Mr. Spock has just informed us that the criminal asteroid we are upon is due to explode within 24 hours… and there is no chance of escape without endangering theEnterprise and her mission…
Targu tells Kirk how he came to the asteroid and made himself leader of the other criminals who were also stranded there. He contacts theEnterprise with Kirk'scommunicator and demands that Spock beam up him and his men. Spock refuses, and Kirk orders Spock to take command of theEnterprise and to take the ship far away from the asteroid. Spock obeys the first order but not the second, reasoning that since Kirk was not in command when he gave it, he is not bound to it. Spock sends a rescue party to the asteroid in a ship disguised as a rocket bringing more convicts. The landing party is freed and beamed up to theEnterprise, which departs shortly before the asteroid explodes.
References[]
Characters[]
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Nabu system
- Referenced only
- Nabu native homeworld
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- Colouring Book – The designs ofTargu,Lara, and one of Targu's followers were reused as new characters in thiscoloring book story.
Background[]
- This story has been printed 13 times inEnglish and also released on DVD. It has also been translated 15 times into otherlanguages:French (4x),Italian (3x), Portuguese (3x),German (2x), Dutch, Finnish, andSpanish.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: #1:The Planet of No Return | TOS comics (Gold Key) | Next comic: #3:Invasion of the City Builders |
| Previous story: The Planet of No Return | Stories by: Dick Wood | Next story: Invasion of the City Builders |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Prince Traitor (flashbacks) | Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Cosmic Cavemen |
| Previous story: Prince Traitor (flashbacks) | Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Year Two | Next story: The Cosmic Cavemen |
Production history[]
- March1968
- First published byGold Key Comics
- 1969
- Printed in hardcover inStar Trek Annual 1969 (World Distributors Limited)
- 1972
- Printed in b/w inGreat Britain inStar Trek Comic Album (1972) (World Distributors Limited)
- 1974
- Printed b/w inAustralia inStar Trek #24009 (Rosnock Publications)
- 1974
- Printed b/w inHong Kong and thePhilippines inStar Trek #24009 (South Pacific Publications)
- 1976
- Printed in theomnibusThe Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
- August1976
- Printed in b/w in Great Britain inStar Trek Winter Special (1976) (Polystyle)
- 1979
- Printed b/w in Australia inStar Trek #29028 (Rosnock Publications)
- 1979
- Printed b/w in Hong Kong and the Philippines inStar Trek #29028 (South Pacific Publications)
- June2004
- Printed in the omnibusThe Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group)
- 2004
- The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #2 in the card setQuotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
- September2008
- Included onThe Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
- August2014
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibusGold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
- 19 January2017
- Remastered in hardcover in the omnibusGraphic Novel Collection #2 (Eaglemoss)
Translations[]
- January1972
- Portuguese: As "A Ilha Infernal" in b/w inJornada Nas Estrelas #2 (1st series) (Ebal)
- 13 May1972
- Spanish: As "La Isla del Diablo en el Espacio" inTV Mundial #222Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
- June1972
- Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" inStar Trek Albi Spada #2 (1st series) (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- 9 July1972
- French: As "L'île du Diable" inLes Héros de L'aventure #6 (Remparts)
- 1972
- French: In the omnibusStar Trek Album #1 (Remparts)
- 1972
- French: In the omnibusMagnus Album #3 (Remparts)
- 1972 -1973
- German: Serialized over four issues as "Planet der Geächteten" inZack 1972 #51 -Zack 1973 #1 (Koralle)
- 1974
- Dutch: As "Duivelseiland van de Ruimte" in b/w inStar Trek #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
- 1974
- Finnish: As "Avaruuden Pirunsaari" inAvaruusmatka Star Trek #1 (Apulehti)
- 1974
- Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" inRaccolta Superspada #1 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
- August1975
- Portuguese: As "A Ilha do Demônio Espacial" inDiversões Juvenis Presents Jornada Nas Estrelas #1 (Abril)
- 1976
- German: As "Herrscher der Verdammten" in the 228-page omnibusZack Parade #20
- 22 March1978
- Portuguese: In b/w inO Caminho das Estrelas #2 (Aguiar)
- September1978
- French: As "L'Astéroïde du Diable" inRin Tin Tin et Rusty #104 (Sagédition)
- 2005
- Italian: As "L'Isola Spaziale del Diavolo" in the omnibusThe Gold Key Collection, Volume 1 (Free Books)
External links[]
- The Devil's Isle of Space article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.
- The Devil's Isle Of Space article atWhen Comic books Ruled the Earth.