Mystery in Space #66 is an issue of the series Mystery in Space (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1961.
Synopsis for Adam Strange: "Space-Island of Peril"
In a lab in Darwin, Australia, Adam Strange watches a demonstration of a 2000 year old seed budding to life in a jar of water. Amazed by the discovery, Adam leaves in order to intercept the Zeta-Beam that's scheduled to hit the Australian Outback. Arriving on Rann, Adam is greeted once more by Alanna who is riding a new species of bird. Alanna (giving Adam a new ray gun, his old one being destroyed last issue) explains that her father found an egg on the planet Anthorann and brought it back to hatch, the bird she is riding was what hatched from the egg. She then takes Adam on more sight seeing, taking him to the Dancing Waters of Athline and then stopping for a picnic.
This picnic is interrupted when a Palador attacks, Adam attempts to keep it at bay when suddenly Alanna's bird undergoes a transformation and changes into a humanoid being that fights the Palador to a standstill. This new creature introduces itself as a member of the Corytrix race. He explains this intentions are to destroy the entire planet. He then reveals that his species has a repeating life cycle that is activated by heat, going from egg, to bird creature, to a humanoid form which they can go through over and over, getting a new lease on life each time, to destroy planets at their leasure.
In attempting to stop the Corytrix, the creature uses the gem on its forehead to turn Adam's ray gun into stone. With the threat neutralized, the Coryrix goes about fusing powerful bombs into Rann's surface. When nothing seems to stop the creature, Adam tricks it onto a stretch of land which he knocks out of Rann's orbit and into space.
With the creature trapped on the piece of land, Adam keeps it occupied while it travels closer and closer to a near-by sun. He pushed Alanna off the newly formed space rock, and continues to battle the creature. Confident that he can hold out until the Zeta-Beam wears off, leaving the monster to perish by itself when the Zeta-Beam wears off.
Appearing in Adam Strange: "Space-Island of Peril"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- A Corytrix
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "Beauty and the Robot"
A two-man spaceship flying near Pluto discovers the first non-human spacecraft ever encountered. Inside, they find a beautiful woman and a robot in cryogenic stasis. They wake the woman Irilene Ifirst, whom through the use of a telepath band claims to be a policewoman bringing the killer robot in for repairs - but as soon as she steals one of the human's guns, she reveals that the robot's the police officer and she's a space pirate queen.
One of the humans, Steve Crandall, pretends to join Irilene's side. When Irilene's fellow pirates rendezvous on Earth, Steve reactivates the robot policeman, who quickly captures them all with its electromotes and contracti-hoops. Afterwards, Steve is amongst the humans who travel to the planet Nethe to make first contact, which in his eyes involves flirting with alien women.
Appearing in "Beauty and the Robot"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for Star Rovers: "Who Caught the Loborilla?"
In the year 2160, the Space-Zoo has offered a $10,000 prize for the capture of an alien creature called the Loborilla - which resembles a gorilla with the claws and legs of a crustacean. Three competing explorers arrive back on Earth from the planet Zaddara, each claiming to have been the one to capture it: supermodel Karel Sorensen, big game hunter Rick Purvis, and sportsman Homer Glint.
First, Karel claims to have successfully knocked the Loborilla unconscious with her stun gun, only for Rick to reveal that the Loborilla she caught was actually a tree it had altered to look like itself using its strange powers. He claims he himself captured the Loborilla, but Homer reveals he was also deceived - the Loborilla had created a mental mirage and Rick hadn't caught anything at all.
It seems Homer was the one to successfully capture the Loborilla, but it suddenly speaks and easily breaks out of its cage. The Loborilla is itself an explorer and hunter from a super-scientific planet, and it had been intrigued by the notion of it being the one hunted for once - it even recorded the whole encounter on tri-dimensional film. It then teleports back home, much to the shock of the three hunters.
Appearing in Star Rovers: "Who Caught the Loborilla?"
Featured Characters:
- Star Rovers (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Loborilla
Locations:
- 22nd Century
- Zaddara
Vehicles:
- Star Rover space vessels
Notes
- Adam Strange: "Space-Island of Peril" is reprinted in The Adam Strange Archives Vol. 2.
- Star Rovers: "Who Caught the Loborilla?" is reprinted in Strange Adventures #232.
- Although this is the first appearance of the Star Rovers, they don't actually begin referring to themselves as such until Mystery in Space #74. The Star Rovers appear next in Mystery in Space #69.