Man Comics #26

Mr. Brant is on a mission for the U.N. to Idnshar, a small kingdom in the North African or Arabian desert. When the old king died, his teenage son ascended the throne as King Ibn-Taub. However, the boy's mother (who died in childbirth) was an Englishwoman and the young king "looks like an English boy." For this reason, his uncle Col. Faroun wants to dethrone him and rule in his stead. Once he is on the throne, Faroun plans to become partners of the Soviets, and to aid them in conquering the world. Because it is a school vacation and the government aircraft is large, Mr. Brant invites Bob, the Troubleshooters, and the girls along on the junket. Touring the local bazaar, the teenagers encounter American Willy Wonder, a salesman for Wonder Tractors, who was stranded in Idnshar when his company went out of business; he is trying to sell a tractor to get money for his fare home. The only person interested in the tractor is young King Iba-Taub, who incredibly turns out to be Bob's exact double! No sooner has the king placed his burnous on Bob's head, to show how much they resemble one another, than Col. Faroun's men arrive. Mistaking Bob for the king, they abduct him and lock him in "the dungeon that shrinks," a cell where the ceiling and floor move inexorably together. Fortunately, the Troubleshooters arrive in the nick of time, using Willy's tractor to free Bob. After Faroun's attack on the palace is repelled, thanks in part to the Troubleshooters and Willy's tractor, Faroun flees to a private airstrip near the Dervish Oasis. Bob and the Troubleshooters manage to get there first, breaking up the gang; his plans ruined, Faroun attempts to flee in a small airplane. As it takes off, Bob jumps onto a wing strut. When Faroun leans out the door to slash at the teen with his sword, the colonel slips and falls to his death. Once again, the boys' role in resolving the problem goes unrecognized by Bob's father.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).