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.