Finally, Gorgo gets a monster to fight. Not an overly impressive looking one, but at least it's something.
After a brief cameo of Gorgo & Ogra playing beneath the Atlantic Ocean, we get a breif glimpse of some military officers discussing the monsters. One general expresses concern about the damage they've done and worry about their possible return, but is reassured that they died at sea after their last contact with humans. (Guess these officers didn't talk to their own astronaut in the previous issue. This comic series reminds me of the Godzilla movie series for lack of internal consistency, but I still love both!)
Next, we are introduced to professor Henry Stoddard in New York., and his quarrelsome assistants, Jason and Maria (no last names given). Stoddard thinks it is a mistake for the military to try to destroy the Gorgos due to the scientific knowledge which could be gained from studying them. He expounds on his theory that saurians evolved at sea and were driven to land by an upheaval. (Hmm.. where DID this guy get his degree? Bad science and scientific concern about the kaiju's value- two more Goji hallmarks.} Some of the creatures were trapped in a crust formed on the sea bottom, sealing them in a subterraneun chamber. That's where the Gorgos evolved, according to Stoddard.
Stoddard informs them their boat is completely ready to take them next morning to a spot where they can find Gorgo & Ogra. Jason shows clearance papers he has obtained for the trip. Just then, some government officials knock at the door. They serve Stoddard with a court order forbidding him to move his ship out to New York Harbor. Maria angrily tells Jason it's his fault for giving it away "by getting those silly clearance papers."
After they leave, Stoddard tells his assistants they are going anyway, and leaving that night. But as they do, they are unaware the CIA is watching them depart. The government does not want to stop Stoddard, intending rather to use the professor's expertise to lead them to the creatures so they can destroy them.
When they reach the general area where Stoddard thinks the Gorgo family is hiding out, he informs his assistants they will be diving tomorrow. Jason expresses a doubt that Maria should dive, and this leads to another argument which is quickly squelched by the professor. He informs them they both will be diving and admonishes them to "Please, try to work in harmony just this once!"
Later, after their boss is asleep, the two renew their argument on the deck of the boat. So involved are they in their discussion they do not notice when Gorgo surfaces nearby. He watches the boat for a moment, then dives beneath it, his back gently bumping the bottom of the hull. The resultant tilting of the boat causes Maria to stumble and fall against Jason. As he reaches out to steady her, they both suddenly find their hostilities decreasing.
"Why do we fight so much?" he asks. She responds, "Perhaps because we were falling in love and didn't want to admit it." (Gorgo as matchmaker- Gotta love it!) They become so engrossed in each other that they fail to notice Gorgo resurfacing and Ogra joining him a moment later. Then the monsters submerge, heading into a huge undersea cavern.
Next morning, the young couple prepares to dive. Stoddard gives them a special serum which he says will cause equalization of pressure, allowing them to dive deeper than anyone has before. As they swim downward, our viewpoint shifts to Gorgo emerging from the cavern.
A few minutes later, the divers spot Gorgo who is very quickly followed by his mother. Jason and Maria surface, with the monsters close behind. Immediately after Stoddard cautions them not to excite the Gorgos, a pilot who has been watching them descends in his plane, opening fire on Gorgo with his machine guns. Stoddard is outraged.
Ogra descends and, multi-ton offspring in tow, heads north. Stoddard and crew follow their trail and it leads directly to New York Harbor. The military figures this out and prepares to defend the city. Arriving just outside the harbor, the beasts go to sleep on the ocean floor. Later, Gorgo awakens and heads to the surface.
Immediately after the giant saurian cub surfaces, he is attacked by several warplanes. This time, instead of diving, Gorgo heads for land. A nameless pilot eloquently states the obvious; "Our rockets and bullets seem to be ineffective," he says.
Watching the angered Gorgo tear up the town, the chief of Central Intelligence orders the attack to continue, and also tells his units to drop depth bombs at the spot where Gorgo emerged from the ocean, figuring Ogra must be down there. (Oh, that makes sense. Since the weapons can't stop the baby, lets see if we can piss off the mother! Military intelligence strikes again!)
Awakened by the depth charges, Ogra notices Gorgo missing and heads to the surface. She follows his scent onto land. Seeing his mother, Gorgo hides. Searching for him, she smashes everything in her path.
Meanwhile, back on the ocean floor, another sea monster emerges from a crevasse opened by the bombs. It can probably best be described as a huge worm with one eye, a serpentine forked tongue, legs and tentacles dangling from its face. On the cover, it was portrayed as mostly red with a segmented yellow underside. In the book, however, its main color was orange with blue polka dots. (!)
The creature surfaces and comes ashore. Ogra sees it and, sensing a threat to her offspring, attacks. The two leviathans fight for several minutes, with Gorgo and the humans watching. The fight carries them toward the harbor. At the water's edge, Ogra delivers a killing blow and her opponent sinks into the water. She then picks up Gorgo and heads out to sea. She is bleeding from the battle (Why, I'm not sure. The other monster didn't have any claws or teeth that I could see.) Seeing the water tinted with blood, the military concludes that she is "mortally wounded and will probably die somewhere out there." (I wonder if it's the same pilot who gave us that last wise observation.)
The story ends with Stoddard speculating about another search for the monsters, and Jason telling him, "Leave Maria and me out of it."
Special Thanks to Peter B. Hull for the Review and the Cover-Scan!!!
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