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Aku, Chief of the Sun People
Akuchiefofthesunpeople

Real Name

Aku

First Appearance

Space Western #42 (Feb. 1953)

Original Publisher

Charlton Comics, Inc.

Created by

Walter Gibson

Origin[]

When a massive, shining saucer appeared over Earth, Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes flew their rocketship to meet them outside the atmosphere. In a full spacesuit, Aku explains he is Chief of the Sun People, who lived on the Sun. He describes his people have access to an amazing energy source. Offering to share the source with the people of Earth, he requests the ship be allowed to land.

Spurs Jackson gets in contact with the proper authorities, and Hank Roper informed Aku the ship is permitted to land.

Talking to General Joyce of the United States Army back on Earth, Spurs says he thinks the aliens appear friendly, but he doubts they ever lived on the sun. The General agrees, but says they will provide equipment in hopes of gaining the secret of their solar energy science.

The general and Spurs visit the camp of the Sun People, which has burgeoned into a full-fledged city. The General says that Professor Cray and his assistant, Thelda Barnes, are working with the aliens. When the general and Spurs attempt to go meet the pair in their laboratory, they are forbidden by a guard to enter the city's rear entrance.

Aku meets them and offers a tour of the city. They go to the solar labs, where Professor Cray shows them a vial of 'Solarnine', which is a powerful energy source.

Thelda Barnes, the professor's assistant, shows Spurs out of the lab. When the pair are alone, Thelda tells Spurs of her concerns that the professor and she are not permitted in certain areas. She suspects nefarious intentions on the Sun People's part.

Later in Spur's jeep, Hank notices a flare in the sky, bringing it to the attention of Spurs and the general. It's determined to be a nova; another sun expanding or exploding. Spurs suggests the Sun People are from a planet around the dying star that they are just now seeing going nova. Spurs further surmises the inhabitants of the planet found it too hot, escaping in flying saucers like Aku's. When the Sun People discovered Earth was inhabitable, they decided to take over.

Hank asks how come they are on Earth while they had just seen the star expanding. Spurs reminds Hank the saucer of the Sun People can travel faster than light, and they arrived before the light of the nova. Spurs orders Strong Bow to alert the crew of their rocketship, and Hank to round up the other Space Vigilantes.

Spurs drives his jeep behind the city, shooting the guard at the rear entrance. He pistol-whips another while Thelda and Professor Cray look on. He tells the pair to run for the jeep and start it while he keeps the other guards distracted by shooting at them.

Thelda starts the jeep, telling Spurs it's going. The group retreats to find General Joyce. Spurs tells the general, "It's no good, sir! Professor Cray says they're extracting energy from our sun! When they have enough they'll burn the surface of the Earth and us with it! They can stand more heat than we can..."

Spurs says he'll take care of it with his rocketship. The general says Spurs can use anything he needs. Spurs says he wants to use the A-bomb set for testing the following week. The general says he can't give Spurs that bomb.

Retrieving supplies with Thelma, Spurs sees the bomb in the corner. Despite Thelma's reminder of what the general said, Spurs takes the bomb.

Over the radio, Aku hears about Spurs taking the A-bomb in his rocket. Aku urges the pilot to hurry. The pilot says the reactor isn't warmed up yet. Spurs targets the saucer with his rocketship and sends the bomb. The explosion is massive, destroying the saucer.

Later, General Joyce informs Spurs the bomb dropped was only a 1,000 pounder, as the A-bomb wouldn't be delivered until the following week. Spurs replies that he knew it wasn't the A-bomb. He used the radio to let Aku hurry to escape, so the aliens wouldn't have enough time to dispose of their stock of solar energy—tripling the power of the blast and destroying the gargantuan saucer.

Public Domain Appearances[]

  • Space Western #42
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