Admittedly, The First Satellite (Space Adventures 25, Sept. 1958) was a pretty predictable piece.
Bellicose Earthmen are attacking peaceful Venusians, held off only by Venus’ dwindling supply of radium energy. When the Venusian scientist Crandor develops a solar energy weapon, Venus uses its “terrible heat rays” to burn terrestrial cities “off the face of the globe.”
Ouch.
Crandor also suggests that the Venusians launch a satellite into permanent orbit around Earth so that they can continue to monitor the threat we pose.
Of course, the twist is that this isn’t really the far future but the ancient past, and the Venusian spy satellite is called the Moon.
Two things make this Charlton science fiction story distinctive.
First, it’s emblematic of its era. Less than a year before, on Oct. 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile had launched the world’s first artificial satellite, something the Russians called “Fellow Traveler” (or “Sputnik”). The achievement spooked Americans, who immediately became science-conscious, igniting the space race.
And second, the five-page story showcased the unique and emerging style of artist Steve Ditko. Ditko’s curvilinear, free-floating Venusian architecture anticipates the weird dimensions that Dr. Strange would visit half a decade later. The huge Venusian solar ships, with their prominent forward disks, resemble a rough early sketch of the Starship Enterprise.
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