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Prisoners on the planet of the condemned sentence Captain Kirk to share their fate! — "The Devil's Isle of Space" was the second issue of the TOS Gold Key Comics series. It was written by Dick Wood and drawn by Nevio Zaccara. Published in March 1968, it was also notable as being the fifth licensed Star Trek story, behind only "The Planet of No Return" and stories in A Book to Color.

Description[]

Mr. Spock was powerless to help as Captain Kirk and his exploration team battled for their lives on a mysterious asteroid. And Mr. Spock would soon uncover the asteroid's terrifying secret, a secret which would challenge him with an impossible choice: either risk the star ship Enterprise 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, the Enterprise becomes caught in a electronic field shielding the planet. Kirk leads a landing 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 by Targu, 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 via rockets 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 the Enterprise, 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 the Enterprise 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 the Enterprise with Kirk's communicator and demands that Spock beam up him and his men. Spock refuses, and Kirk orders Spock to take command of the Enterprise 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 the Enterprise, which departs shortly before the asteroid explodes.

References[]

Characters[]

FosterKentJames T. KirkLaraLeonard McCoyMontgomery ScottSpockTargu

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • one-way missiles

Locations[]

Nabu system
Referenced only
Nabu native homeworld

Races and cultures[]

HumanNabu nativeVulcan

States and organizations[]

FederationStarfleet

Other references[]

asteroiddeath penaltyearthquakeelectronic fieldnetrocketseismographstarship

Appendices[]

Related media[]

Background[]

  • This story has been printed 13 times in English and also released on DVD. It has also been translated 15 times into other languages: French (4x), Italian (3x), Portuguese (3x), German (2x), Dutch, Finnish, and Spanish.

Images[]

Connections[]

Gold Key Comics stories and publications
Issues "The Planet of No Return" • "The Devil's Isle of Space" • "Invasion of the City Builders" • "The Peril of Planet Quick Change" • "The Ghost Planet" • "When Planets Collide" • "The Voodoo Planet" • "The Youth Trap" • "The Legacy of Lazarus" • "Sceptre of the Sun" • "The Brain Shockers" • "The Flight of the Buccaneer" • "Dark Traveler" • "The Enterprise Mutiny" • "Museum at the End of Time" • "Day of the Inquisitors" • "The Cosmic Cavemen" • "The Hijacked Planet" • "The Haunted Asteroid" • "A World Gone Mad" • "The Mummies of Heitius VII" • "Siege in Superspace" • "Child's Play" • "The Trial of Captain Kirk" • "Dwarf Planet" • "The Perfect Dream" • "Ice Journey" • "The Mimicking Menace" • "Death of a Star" • "The Final Truth" • "The Animal People" • "The Choice" • "The PsychoCrystals" • "A Bomb in Time" • "One of Our Captains Is Missing!" • "Prophet of Peace" • "Furlough to Fury" • "The Evictors" • "World Against Time" • "The World Beneath the Waves" • "Prince Traitor" • "Mr. Oracle" • "This Tree Bears Bitter Fruit" • "Murder on the Enterprise" • "A Warp in Space" • "Planet of No Life" • "Destination... Annihilation!" • "And a Child Shall Lead Them" • "What Fools These Mortals Be.." • "Sport of Knaves" • "A World Against Itself" • "No Time Like the Past" • "Spore of the Devil" • "The Brain-Damaged Planet" • "To Err Is Vulcan" • "The Empire Man!" • "Operation Con Game"
Additional stories "James T. Kirk: Psycho-File" • "A Page From Scotty's Diary" • "Spock: Psycho-File" • "From Sputnik to Warp Drive"
Games "Voyage of Discovery" • "The Tunnel of Death" • "... Wild Goose Chase!" • "A Hint of Life" • "Space Chase" • "Escape from the Clinging Dags"
Collections Star Trek Annuals (1969197019721973197419751976197719781979198019831986) • The Enterprise Logs (Volumes 1234) • The Key Collection (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key Archives (Volumes 12345) • Gold Key 100-Page Spectacular
Related media "The Exile" • "The Red Hour" • "Colouring Book" • "Eye of the Beholder" • "The Menace of the Mechanitrons" • "Trial by Fire!"

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[]
March 1968
First published by Gold Key Comics
1969
Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual 1969 (World Distributors Limited)
1972
Printed in b/w in Great Britain in Star Trek Comic Album (1972) (World Distributors Limited)
1974
Printed b/w in Australia in Star Trek #24009 (Rosnock Publications)
1974
Printed b/w in Hong Kong and the Philippines in Star Trek #24009 (South Pacific Publications)
1976
Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press)
August 1976
Printed in b/w in Great Britain in Star Trek Winter Special (1976) (Polystyle)
1979
Printed b/w in Australia in Star Trek #29028 (Rosnock Publications)
1979
Printed b/w in Hong Kong and the Philippines in Star Trek #29028 (South Pacific Publications)
June 2004
Printed in the omnibus The 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 set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives)
September 2008
Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies)
August 2014
Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW)
19 January 2017
Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #2 (Eaglemoss)
Translations[]
January 1972
Portuguese: As "A Ilha Infernal" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #2 (1st series) (Ebal)
13 May 1972
Spanish: As "La Isla del Diablo en el Espacio" in TV Mundial #222 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro)
June 1972
Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" in Star Trek Albi Spada #2 (1st series) (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
9 July 1972
French: As "L'île du Diable" in Les Héros de L'aventure #6 (Remparts)
1972
French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #1 (Remparts)
1972
French: In the omnibus Magnus Album #3 (Remparts)
1972 - 1973
German: Serialized over four issues as "Planet der Geächteten" in Zack 1972 #51 - Zack 1973 #1 (Koralle)
1974
Dutch: As "Duivelseiland van de Ruimte" in b/w in Star Trek #1 (De Vrijbuiter)
1974
Finnish: As "Avaruuden Pirunsaari" in Avaruusmatka Star Trek #1 (Apulehti)
1974
Italian: As "L'Isola de Diavolo" in Raccolta Superspada #1 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada)
August 1975
Portuguese: As "A Ilha do Demônio Espacial" in Diversões Juvenis Presents Jornada Nas Estrelas #1 (Abril)
1976
German: As "Herrscher der Verdammten" in the 228-page omnibus Zack Parade #20
22 March 1978
Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrelas #2 (Aguiar)
September 1978
French: As "L'Astéroïde du Diable" in Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #104 (Sagédition)
2005
Italian: In the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 1 (Free Books)

External links[]

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