Strange Sports Stories (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1973.
Synopsis for "Karate on the Moon!"
Sammy Lee has studied Karate for years. He wants to train his body and use Karate as a means of defense only if necessary. By contrast, Davey Raines wants to use karate as a means to build up his tough guy reputation. Both of the boys are preparing to take their Black belt examinations. As they walk home one evening they hear moaning coming from a deserted alley. Sammy Lee rushes to help but Davey refuses and declares that he only looks out for himself. As Sammy rushes into the alley he finds an old homeless man that appears to be hurt. Sammy offers to take him to a doctor but the old man requests to be carried to a his personal traveler spaceship. Sammy places him in the ship and the old man declares that he must travel to his world to be healed. He thanks Sammy for his kindness and bestows upon him the Blessing of the Kirth. He mentions that it will serve him in the moment of his greatest need. There is a blinding light and the old man is gone. Sammy then heads to his tenement building where he is attacked by a pair of thugs that injure his knee with a piece of pipe. The thugs are then seen meeting with Davey Raines who has apparently paid them to attack Sammy. Raines reveals that he does not like the idea of two black belts on the same block. Sammy proceeds to prepare for his upcoming black belt trial. He gets by the first phase displaying various skills but then he has to go up against a live opponent. By coincidence his opponent turns out to be Davey Raines who goes after his injured knee. Sammy struggles to keep up with Raines when all of a sudden he finds that the setting has changed. They are both fighting on the moon but only Sammy seems to notice the change. The decrease in gravity allows Sammy the ability to utilize his skills to the fullest and he winds up beating Raines. The setting then changes once more and Sammy finds himself back at his dojo. They bestow the black belt on him but Davey Raines finds that he will be forbidden from earning his belt due to his bad sportsmanship. Sammy Lee is left staring at the moon wondering if it all really happened.
Appearing in "Karate on the Moon!"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "Volley of Death"
Len Ashton finds himself in an incredible tennis match against an opponent by the name of Roy using a live grenade as the ball. The two opponents struggle to keep the grenade in play knowing that it will explode if their continuous volley is not successful. Ashton glances to his right and notices that his guardian professor Malden is looking on. He also notices Roy’s adopted father Doctor Alphos on the left side of the court. Ashton then recalls how his guardian first came to the county orphanage and selected him for adoption over all the other kids. The professor trained him day and night to be the perfect tennis champion. Roys father did the same thing with his son. They challenged each other to see who could develop the perfect tennis player. Now the two men find themselves in this bizarre death match struggling to stay alive. Their volley continues for hours and it seems that Roy is determined to finish off Ashton. Ashton takes the advantage and lobs the grenade directly at his opponent. There is a huge explosion and Roy is seen lying on the court in pieces. Apparently Ashton had been playing against a robot this whole time. His guardian was pitting him against a machine to see who would survive. Ashton finally reveals that he know that Roy was a machine because he had not grown any razor stubble and he did not sweat.
Appearing in "Volley of Death"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "Tall in the Saddle"
A local witch name Nosegay Nellie makes a bet on a longshot horse named Tyro Rex. The odds on the horse are 40-1 but the witch is confident that she has picked a winner. The race begins and Tyro Rex is kicked by another horse. The horse comes to a complete halt much to the frustration of Nosegay Nellie. In her frustration, the witch casts a spell on the horse turning it into an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. The dinosaur resumes the race with the jockey hanging on for dear life. The other jockeys notice that they are being pursued by the deadly dinosaur and they start to run at record speeds to stay away from it. Nosegay Nellie sits in the stands shocked by what she has done. She tries to think of a counter spell to remedy the situation but is unable to come up with one. In the meantime the dinosaur wins the race by a nose as a thunderstorm sets in. Tyro Rex then changes back to his original form as Nosegay Nellie utters his name. To this day no one knows the real story behind the strangest horse race of all time except Nosegay Nellie and the readers of this story.
Appearing in "Tall in the Saddle"
Characters:
- Silky Sands, jockey
- Nosegay Nellie, flower vendor, daytime witch
- Big Ben, gambler
Locations:
- Broadway, New York City
- race track
Animals:
- Tyro Rex, racehorse and dinosaur
See Also