Showcase #15

The Great Plutonium PlotSpace Ranger fighting Martian piratesThe interplanetary liner Asterex, travelling between Earth and Venus, is attacked by space pirates. Jarko, the Jovian Space Pirate, steal their shipmen of plutonium. Meanwhile, the Martian raider Gurph attacks the plutonium factory on the moon, stealing plutonium as well. When word gets back to the headquarters of Allied Solar Enterprises, young Rick Starr is interested. After touching base with his father, millionaire Thaddeus Starr, Rick Starr (aka Space Ranger) and his secretary Myra Mason head off to investigate.Space Ranger uses the spaceship Utopia, carrying plutonium as bait. Sure enough, while heading to Mars, the ship is attacked by pirates. The pirates steal the plutonium, but also steal a tracking device. Space Ranger traces the pirates to Mars. He first heads to his secret base, an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, where he meets his shape-changing sidekick, Cryll. The two go to Mars, and infiltrate the pirate hideout.Breaking in, Space Ranger is confronted by pirates defending their base. Even Space Ranger’s numb ring is enough to prevent the Martian pirates from capturing him. They bring Space Ranger to Ganymede, where they bring the captured Ranger in front of their leader, the renegade scientist Zandor. Zandor has created a Teleporator, a device capable of teleporting anyone from anywhere within the solar system, and plans to use it aboard his ship to rob the solar system blind.However, Cryll transforms into a Neptunian Electric Eel and short-circuits the energy cell that Space Ranger is in. Space Ranger uses a stolen ship to ram Zandor’s ship. With Zandor and the Teleportator disabled, Space Ranger’s job is done.The Robot PlanetWhile exploring the gulf of space outside the solar system, Space Ranger discovers a satellite. Back at his headquarters, Myra Mason reveals that all of the planets are now moving closer to the sun. Myra examines the satellite Space Ranger retrieves, and discovers...