Mystery in Space #71 is an issue of the series Mystery in Space (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1961.
Synopsis for Adam Strange: "The Challenge of the Crystal Conquerers!"
While waiting for the next Zeta-Beam to transport him to planet Rann, Adam Strange is knocked out by a whale and almost misses his ride, but manages to catch the beam at the last instant. Arriving on Rann, Alanna greets him and explains that a crystal like beings called the Karalyx have arrived on Rann. These beings began attacking the world immediately, and the weapons of Ranagar city were ineffectual against the creatures, she takes him to a secret hide out on Crater Island to hopefully design a weapon to defeat the Karalyx. There Adam devises a weapon that uses ultrasonics that he hopes will destroy the invaders. In attempting to use the weapon, it does not work, and "Alanna" reveals herself as Kathifran, one of the Karalyx who have taken Alanna's place. She explains that they are fugitives from the Karalyx's home world and they plan to switch bodies with all the humans of Rann so that when the police of their own world arrive, they would destroy the Karalyx bodies that contain the minds of the people of Rann. She goes on to explain that they created a being known as Akabubu an "electro-nuclear brain" that allows them to create this feat. With Adam Strange defeated, the renegade Karalyx plot to not only take over Rann, but other worlds as well, including Earth.
Taken to Akabubu, Adam has his body switched with one of the Karalyx, named Tragdol. Now in a Karalyx body, Adam is reunited with Alanna and the other people of Ranagar that have been converted. To their surprise they are unable to use any of the Karalyx's fantastic powers. Instead they secure weapons and attempt to attack, however in a subversive move, the fake "Adam" and "Alanna" use it as a way to convince the people of Rann that they are who they pretend to be. The fake "Adam" and "Alanna" then round up all of the Ranagarian's that are trapped in Karalyx forms and dump them in the Lake of Insalla.
There Adam realizes this lake is where Ranagar's drinking water comes from, and the group travel into the refinery plant. In traveling through the filtration system they realize the Chlorine that is used to purify the water weakens their crystalline bodies. Realizing that Chlorine is the weakness of the Karalyx, and that they can contact Akabubu telepathically, the converted Adam Strange has his soldiers collect bottles of pure Chlorine from the refinery and then orders Akabubu to change them back into humans. Before the now restored Karalyx renegades can command Akabubu to reverse the process, Adam uses Chlorine on them and they are soon defeated. Soon the police of Karalyx arrive and are informed of what happened.
Later, Adam tells Alanna that the he planned for the ultrasonic device to fail to begin with because he was tipped off that something funny was going on when the fake Alanna had kissed him. After getting a kiss from the real Alanna, the Zeta-Beam wears off and Adam is once more returned to Earth.
Appearing in Adam Strange: "The Challenge of the Crystal Conquerers!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Renagades of Karalyx
- Tragdol
- Kathifran
- Akabubu
Other Characters:
- Karalxy Police
Locations:
- Earth-One
- Rann
- Ranagar
- Crater Island
- Lake of Insalla
Synopsis for "The Last Space-Feud"
Appearing in "The Last Space-Feud"
- Appearances not yet listed
Notes
- Published 8 times a year by National Periodical Publications, Inc.
- Reprinted in The Adam Strange Archives Vol. 2.
See Also
Links and References
