Brain Bats Of Venus, etc.
Oh, what a pickle! Meela has an alien attached to her head, and it has taken control of her mind and body. This is an oft-used sci fi trope. Edgar Rice Burroughs did it in a John Carter of Mars story. Star Trek did something similar with the Original Series Operation: Annihilate! parasites, and those Next Gen Conspiracy slugs that made you want to eat worms. Futurama has them there Brain Slugs.
But the actual inspiration for this Space Base 8 storyline comes from Basil Wolverton’s sci fi/horror comic story, Brain Bats Of Venus, printed in Mister Mystery #7 in 1952. Do yourself a favor and look for more Wolverton stuff. It is all spectacular. He has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid and saw his stuff in Plop! comics. I am proud to rip off ideas from the best.
I really appreciate this background! Thank you.
Dave: The literary reference that you evoked for me was Robert A. Heinlein’s “The Puppetmasters.” I’ve been suggesting, somewhat obliquely, that Meela was actually faking it, and that Murphee is just a formerly close friend getting reacquainted. However, unlike the usual fare, I have yet to be able to accurately predict where you are heading in any story line. Well done.
OK, this time all together now…”You don’t have to throw the blinding white light at him!”
Just found your comic and I’m liking it. You automatically get extra points for citing Basil Wolverton!