Strange Adventures #227 is an issue of the series Strange Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1970. It was published on September 24, 1970.
Synopsis for "The Man Who Couldn't Drown!"
This story is reprinted from Strange Adventures #68.
A man realizes he can breath underwater during several hours after a liner accident.
Appearing in "The Man Who Couldn't Drown!"
Featured Characters:
- Paul Browning
Supporting Characters:
- National Science Foundation
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- An Atlantide
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Earth... Condemned World!"
This story is reprinted from Mystery in Space #50.
Appearing in "Earth... Condemned World!"
Featured Characters:
- Daryl Halbert
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- The Blue Boy
- Ultimate Bombs
Vehicles:
- Daryl's starship
Synopsis for Adam Strange: "Challenge of the Giant Fireflies!"
This story is reprinted from Mystery in Space #67.
On the planet Rann, Alanna arrives in near Lake Abonadda to await Adam's arrival on via the Zeta-Beam, however instead of Adam materializing there is instead a flame-creature that quickly makes an escape. On Earth, Adam realizes that the Zeta-Beam has not struck, and wonders if another creature intercepted it again (Much like in Mystery in Space #55) 6.5 days later, Adam intercepts the next scheduled Zeta-Beam in the Antarctic and soon finds himself transported in an area on Rann that is on fire. Alanna arrives and tells Adam that the fire was caused by their own doing. She explains that in order to solve a food shortage, the people of Ranagar had found a way to grow large vegetables, the only problem was that when a species of firefly ate the vegetables they themselves grew to enormous size. These giant fireflies would generate enough heat from their bodies to cause everything in the area to set on fire. Learning that ray guns have no effect on the giant bugs, the scientists of Ranagar created Oxyspray guns to spray the fireflies with a chemical that would kill them.
With her story finished, Adam helps Alanna kill the last of the giant fireflies. Returning to the lab, Adam explains what happened when the last Zeta-Beam attempted to strike the Earth, explaining that it must have struck a nearby sun the was flaring out, explaining the arrival of the flame creature that Alanna encountered.
Realizing that the room is getting hotter, Adam and Alanna go out to investigate what's causing the temperature to rise and soon find more than one flame creature jumping about Rann. The overhear that the flame creature was amazed by being transported to a world which has properties unlike it's home, and when it was returned when the Zeta-Beam wore off he returned to show some of his colleges this strange new world.
With the temperature climbing and none of their weapons working against the flame creatures, Adam begins devising a new plan of attack. Using a vinegar and baking soda mixture, Adam shows the scientists of Rann a method of fire extinguishing. Finding that some of the fireflies are still alive, Adam has them rounded up and he, Alanna, and a number of other people from Ranagar to ride the bugs with large payloads of the fire retardant. They kill the first two creatures, however Adam allows the last to leave warning it that if it or any others from his sun come to Rann they will be destroyed.
To celebrate their victory, Alanna and Adam visit the polar region of Rann to do some skiing, however as they are enjoying the sport, the Zeta-Beam wears off and Adam is sent back home to Earth.
Appearing in Adam Strange: "Challenge of the Giant Fireflies!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Giant fireflies (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)
- Sun-beings (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth's Sun
- Alpha Centauri
- Rann (Flashback and main story)
Items:
- Adam Strange's Ray Gun
- Oxispray Gun (Flashback and main story)
- Rannian Jet Pack
- Zeta-Beam
Synopsis for "The Time Killer"
This story is reprinted from Strange Adventures #35.
Alan Hunter is the curator of a zoo located next to the base where the world's only working time machine is kept under heavy guard, since it could be used to change the past in catastrophic ways. Vowing to be careful, Hunter takes advantage of a doctor friend's trip to the base in order to travel back "one million years" and take pictures of the dinosaurs, mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers that he sees, thus becoming the greatest zoo curator of all.
Just as he is about to return to the present he is attacked by a pterodactyl and accidentally crushes a small seed, leading to a chain of events that leave the world dominated by Native Americans. Horrified, Hunter returns to the past to avoid destroying the seed, but ends up taking the pterodactyl itself back to the present with him. He crashes the time machine in a cage at his zoo, but discovers that he is the only man alive in a world of enormous, sentient birds. As the story closes he is trying to repair the time machine and undo his mistake yet again.
Appearing in "The Time Killer"
Featured Characters:
- Alan Hunter, Zoo Curator
Supporting Characters:
- Dinosaurs
- Prehistoric Mammals
Locations:
- Metropolitan Zoo
- Time Machine Base
- The Age of Dinosaurs (and also some mammals)
- Alternate Present Dominated by Native Americans
- Alternate Present Dominated by Man-Sized, Intelligent Birds
Items:
- "Time Suit"
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Calling Space-Doctor Duncan!"
This story is reprinted from Mystery in Space #26.
Appearing in "Calling Space-Doctor Duncan!"
Characters:
- Doc Duncan
- Sawyer
- Wengarenians
- Roarers
- Nurse
Locations:
- 22nd Century
- Wengaren
- Wengaren
Synopsis for The Atomic Knights: "The King of New Orleans!"
This story is reprinted from Strange Adventures #147.
Appearing in The Atomic Knights: "The King of New Orleans!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- King Touro (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Sawyer (Single appearance)
Locations:
Notes
- This issue also includes an original six-page text story titled "The Winner" written by Dennis O'Neil.