Ogra and Gorgo have migrated south and are resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, on the surface, a U.S. Naval flagship, under the command of Admiral Jesse Burr (Any relation to Raymond?), is engaged in an atomic weapons test. A bomb is released, with a timer set to give it enough time to reach a 5,000-foot depth.
The shiny, rocket-shaped cylinder attracts Gorgo’s attention. Grabbing it in his mouth, he swims up to the surface. Burr spots him and orders the ship to retreat, noting that the bomb is due to explode in 90 seconds. The whimsical young reptile dives, heading back toward the bottom. Then Burr orders the remaining five atomic bombs to be jettisoned.
Meanwhile, at the ocean bottom, Ogra sees the bomb in her child’s mouth and swats it away from him, just a few seconds before the explosion. Looking up, she spots the remaining bombs descending. She picks Gorgo up to protect him as atomic explosions surround them. Angrily, the monstrous reptiles surface, taking a swipe at a military aircraft passing overhead. Plane and ship both retreat, with Burr ordering a message sent alerting all shipping and aircraft to avoid the area.
The beasts do not bother to pursue the vessel. Instead, they swim in the opposite direction. After a day or so, they come upon a small barren island, barely big enough to hold them both.
Four thousand miles to the northwest, Major Charles X. Dunne is preparing to blast off, in a prelude to the real-life mission of John Glenn. The blastoff occurs with no problem, and Dunne orbits the Earth for 96 hours. After a brief cut to Gorgo and Ogra chasing fish and sleeping, we see Dunne’s space capsule reenter the atmosphere. After it slows down, the parachute opens and the capsule begins drifting toward splashdown- in a spot near Gorgo’s island.
Gorgo stirs and opens his eyes, looking at the descending parachute. The drowsy reptile closes his eyes again for a moment, then reopens them and begins moving toward the capsule.
Dunne’s craft splashes down, and the automatic transmitter begins signaling. Naval vessels and planes begin homing in on the signal. Help is on the way- but so is Gorgo, who is much closer.
Looking out his porthole, Dunne sees the reptile approaching. Then Gorgo grabs the capsule in his jaws and dives beneath the sea. Looking at his depth gauge, the astronaut sees that it reads 4,000 feet. He is concerned about how much external pressure the capsule, designed for the vacuum of space, can take. He presses the Klaxon horn button, and the loud noise startles Gorgo into releasing the capsule, which shoots up to the surface.
Dunne sends out a Mayday call as Gorgo surfaces and once more takes the capsule into his jaws. Going back to the island, he drops it on the rocky surface, then begins gnawing on it, much like a dog with a bone. Grabbing a radio, Dunne exits the capsule. He tries to run, but finds himself facing Ogra. So he stands still as Gorgo sniffs at him.
With surprising delicacy, Gorgo picks up the tiny human. That’s when Dunne says what I consider to be one of the funniest lines in comicdom; "Go ahead and look, ugly. Don’t get gay with me or I’ll smack you in the eye!" (Of course, it meant something different back then!)
Gorgo puts him down as he and his mother continue looking at the man. Dunne relaxes a little, realizing he’s in no immediate danger. Just about then, the first Air Force bombers go cruising over. This excites the reptiles and Gorgo inadvertently knocks Dunne over, although the man is not hurt. He then communicates with the pilots via radio, instructing them to keep their distance so the monsters will stay calm.
After they calm down, Gorgo pays the most attention to Dunne. Ogra ignores him. The astronaut tunes in some music on his radio, which the creature seems to enjoy. Later, while Gorgo is carrying his new pet atop his head, he spots a dolphin and jumps into the water to chase it. Dunne holds on while Gorgo dives. After they surface and Gorgo swims around, Dunne realizes he is able to influence the direction Gorgo takes by signaling him with kicks on one side or the other of his head. This gives the Major an idea.
Radioing his superiors, Dunne tells them to clear a lane between his present location and New York harbor. Then, next time he and Gorgo go swimming, he directs him on a northwestern course. After a 40- hour cruise, they arrive in New York Harbor. Remembering other encounters with humanity, Gorgo is apprehensive, but cooperates as Dunne directs him to a pier. After climbing off, Dunne tells Gorgo to head back the way he came and the reptile obeys.
A general expresses amazement at Dunne’s feat, saying "No man ever succeeded in getting Gorgo to follow a spoken command." (Guess he didn’t read the previous issue, eh?) Major Dunne expresses a profound sympathy for Gorgo, saying the beast is lonely. "I’d like to look it up someday just to say hello and I’m not kidding a bit," he says.
Special Thanks to Peter B. Hull for the Review and the Cover-Scan!!!
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