From Beyond the Unknown #5
In "The Gorilla Who Challenged the World," alien emissary Jul Van arrives on Earth to build a device that will stop a looming Plutonian invasion, but before he can complete it, he’s found dead—leaving behind only a mysterious sound that can activate the machine. With the fate of Earth hanging in the balance, scientist Ralph Baxter must race against time to uncover the key to the device’s activation. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Carmine Infantino, this 1970 DC thriller blends sci-fi intrigue with a tense, race-against-time mystery, all framed by Murphy Anderson’s striking cover.
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Jul Van, a peace-loving alien from Pluto, arrives on Earth ahead of a Plutonian invasion force to construct a machine that will repel the invaders. The machine, which can only be triggered by a particular sound that Jul Van refuses to disclose, passes its preliminary tests. Then, Jul Van is found dead, leaving the Earthmen to frantically try to identify the key-sound that will activate the machine. With time running out, scientist Ralph Baxter puts a desperate plan into action.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).