Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Operator #5 005 - The Cavern of the Damned

The Cavern of the Damned
Operator #5 005
by Frederick C. Davis as Curtis Steele
August, 1934

pulpcovers.com

Operator #5 faces an insidious cult, whose tentacles reach into the Secret Service itself.  Worshippers of Zaava use the fumes of bhang (cannabis) to enslave victims to their will, including the head of the Secret Service itself.  Operator #5 is accused of treachery and runs fugitive from his own organization,

I've read references to Operator #5 picking up some Weird Menace traits, but this is the first time I've seen it.  Death traps involving freezing victims solid and hordes of killer ants, and the finale takes place in a hellish underground cavern.

A whole different vibe from the earlier issues - less military, more secret agent.  Fails to pick up a lot of the loose ends, like how or why the leaders face was projected into the sky, or what happened to an entire missing girl's college.

1 comment:

  1. I read it 30 years ago, or longer. Can't remember much about it.

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