Strange Planets #18

When the Earthian Task Force finds themselves unable to breach a Belzarian fortress on Mars without destroying a vital dam and drowning thousands of innocent Martians, Captain Andall devises a daring plan: infiltrate the stronghold using a frogman squad to access hidden intake ports and reach the force screen controls from within. As the disguised team navigates the enemy corridors, they encounter the Empress of Belzar herself—a discovery that becomes the key to turning the tide of battle.

In 1904 St. Petersburg, terrorist leader Ievno Azeff coordinates attacks on the Czar's secret police while hunting for a spy he believes has infiltrated his organization—but Azeff himself harbors a dangerous secret that threatens to unravel both sides of the conflict. This gripping true-crime tale exposes one of history's most audacious double agents and the high stakes of espionage in revolutionary Russia.

In this biographical account from Strange Planets #18, a young Venetian merchant named Marco Polo recounts his extraordinary thirteen-year journey through the Far East to a fellow prisoner in a Genoese jail, describing his appointment as roving ambassador to Kublai Khan's court and his travels across deserts, mountains, and vast Chinese cities. From tales of marble palaces and ingenious messenger systems to wonders like coal-burning and thousands of stone bridges, Marco's vivid recollections captivate his French cellmate, who meticulously records every word—notes that would eventually become the celebrated Book of Marco Polo and reshape European understanding of the Orient for centuries to come.

Explorer Joe Thomas arrives in Darjeeling to recover vital data from an explorer who died on the treacherous peak of Chomo-Lalti—but the story surrounding the death doesn't add up, and a mysterious knife-wielding warning suggests someone doesn't want the mountain searched. Joe and his companion Gadabout set out to climb the mountain anyway, determined to find the truth and the missing explorer's diary, even as forces on the peak work desperately to keep them from reaching the summit.

When the Black Baron puts a bounty on Robin Hood's head, the outlaw finds refuge in a blacksmith's shop where an orphan boy works—only to have the smithy betray Robin for the reward money. As the Baron's men close in, the boy must choose between staying silent and watching his newfound friend face capture, leading to a desperate fight for survival in the forge.