Gold Key comics were published by Western Publishing, a company with an interesting and confusing history. Some comics in this series were published with US and UK price variants, pin-up photos, and the Whitman logo. For more detailed plot summaries, you can go offsite and visit Curt Danhauser's Guide to the Gold Key Star Trek Comics. You can view a gallery of all Gold Key/Whitman variant covers, Gold Key multipacks, and Whitman 3-packs. A gallery of painted cover art for Gold Key Star Trek comics is a work in progress.
#1 Oct 1967
The planet of no return
Kirk, McCoy and Rand explore a planet where plants are the
highest link in the food chain, and the plants are hungry.
Stardate 18:09.2
Photos of Spock, Kirk, and Sulu on cover. Janice Rand makes her only Gold Key
Star Trek comics appearance in this issue. Most guides list the publication date
of Star Trek #1 as Jul 1967. The date listed is based on the publisher code.
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide no longer lists a scarce variant edition of Star Trek #1,
sometimes designated Star Trek #1A. Star Trek #1
with a pin-up photo on the back cover is the only edition that exists.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Nevio Zeccara
#2 Jun 1968
The devil's isle of space
Kirk is trapped on a doomed asteroid with condemned convicts
awaiting an unusual execution.
Stardate 19:03.4
Photos of Spock and Kirk on cover. The common edition of this comic has advertising on the back page, with a 12c or 15c cover price. A variant edition, sometimes designated as Star Trek #2A in price guides, has pin-up photos on the inside and back covers, and a 15c cover price. The variant edition may also appear with a 12c cover price, but I haven't found any supporting evidence.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Nevio Zeccara
#3 Dec 1968
Invasion of the city builders
Kirk and Spock aid a planet whose out-of-control machines are
building over every available piece of land.
Stardate 20:14.6
Photos of Spock and the bridge crew on cover.
The common edition has advertising on the back cover and a 15c cover price. A variant edition sometimes designated as Star Trek #3A in price guides, has pin-up photos on the inside and back covers.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artists: Alberto Giolitti, Giovanni Ticci?
#4 Jun 1969
The peril of planet Quick Change
Spock helps revive an ancient civilization, but one of the
beings takes over Spock's body in order to leave his world and
travel into space.
Stardate 21:06.7
Photos of the Enterprise, Spock, Kirk, and an alien on cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#5 Sep 1969
The ghost planet
Kirk and Spock must prevent two warring leaders from resuming
hostilities after their planet is freed from deadly radiation
rings.
Stardate 26:06.4
Photos of Spock and Kirk on cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#6 Dec 1969
When planets collide
The Enterprise must save two planets from colliding. The
only choice appears to be destroying one of them, but both are
inhabited.
Stardate 23:009
Photo of Spock on cover. A poorly scaled cutaway drawing of the Enterprise
appears on page 27.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#7 Mar 1970
The voodoo planet
The Enterprise encounters a planet which is an exact duplicate
of Earth, without people. A madman uses voodoo to hold Earth
hostage until Kirk and Spock learn his secrets.
Stardate 24:17.9
Photos of Spock, McCoy, Kirk on cover. You can listen to the League of Ordinary Gentlemen Comics Podcast Oddio Comic adaptation of The voodoo planet:
Part 1 and
Part 2.
These podcasts are also available via iTunes, podcasts #37 (Part 1) and #34 (Part 2).
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#8 Sep 1970
The youth trap
Aliens experimenting with an age-ray cause members of a landing
party to grow young, forcing Kirk to deal with McCoy and Scotty
as children.
Stardate 31:09.5
Photo cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#9 Feb 1971
The legacy of Lazarus
The Enterprise discovers a planet inhabited by every famous
person who ever walked Earth. Spock is taken prisoner by their
creator, Lazarus, who wants Spock's brain.
Stardate 10:26.3
Photos of Spock and Kirk on cover.
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#10 May 1971
Sceptre of the sun
Kirk and Spock must help an evil sorcerer obtain "The Sceptre of
the Sun" or he will destroy the Enterprise. They battle against
living mountains and the robot guardian of the Sceptre.
Stardate 12:48.6
The Eugenics Wars are mentioned. You can see a series of cover proof images.
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#11 Aug 1971
The brain shockers
Bottled emotions from Vulcan's past break free and enter members
of the Enterprise crew. The ship is captured by an immortal
being who explores his captive's emotions to prevent boredom.
Stardate 11:26.1
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#12 Nov 1971
The flight of the Buccaneer
To prevent their cover from being blown, Kirk and McCoy
sacrifice Spock and Scotty to space pirates in search of a
dilithium crystal treasure.
Stardate 3246.3
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#13 Feb 1972
Dark traveler
The Enterprise picks up an intergalactic hitchhiker and is
forced to take him to his utopian homeworld, only to find cities
in ruin and murderous robots.
Stardate 14:83.4
This is the last issue to display exhaust flames coming out of the nacelles
and secondary hull.
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#14 May 1972
The Enterprise mutiny
Following a planetary survey, Kirk begins acting irrationally.
Spock and McCoy attempt to relieve Kirk of command but he
escapes in a shuttle, with the Enterprise in pursuit.
Stardate 18:41.2
This issue was published with 15c and 20c cover price.
Writer: Len Wein
Artists: Alberto Giolitti, Giovanni Ticci?
Cover artist: George Wilson
#15 Aug 1972
Museum at the end of time
The Enterprise is trapped in a graveyard for ships and needs
a Klingon starship's help to get out.
Stardate 24:53.2
Story is similar to ST:TAS episode
The Time Trap.
This issue was published with 15c and 20c cover price.
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#16 Nov 1972
Day of the inquisitors
Several crewmembers crash-land a shuttle on a planet still in
its dark ages. Kirk has to unite two sides, "barbarians" and
"religious extremists", before the planet tears itself apart,
with his shuttle party in the middle of it all.
Stardate 43:25.2
This issue was published with 15c and 20c cover price.
Writer: Len Wein
Artists: Angelo Todaro, Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#17 Feb 1973
The cosmic cavemen
An Enterprise landing party surveys a planet whose stone age
inhabitants worship an idol that looks like Spock.
Stardate 19:24.3
This issue was published with 15c and 20c cover price. The "primary" directive
is mentioned (not the "prime" directive).
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artists: Alberto Giolitti, Giovanni Ticci?
Cover artist: George Wilson
#18 May 1973
The hijacked planet
The inhabitants of an entire planet, recorded on magnetic tape,
are hijacked and held for ransom. The Enterprise must recover
the tape before the hijacker destroys it.
Stardate 3248.6
This issue was published with 15c and 20c cover price.
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artists: Alberto Giolitti, Giovanni Ticci?
Cover artist: George Wilson
#19 Jul 1973
The haunted asteroid
The Enterprise investigates an asteroid memorial to a long-dead
queen, where too many people have disappeared without a trace.
Stardate 24:92.5
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#20 Sep 1973
A world gone mad
The Enterprise returns the young heir to the throne of a planet
gone mad in the wake of a comet's passing.
Stardate 3247.2
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#21 Nov 1973
The mummies of Heitus VII
A mummy being taken to a research center by the Enterprise comes
alive and takes over the ship, steering it towards Romulan space.
Stardate 30:26:5
Writer: John Warner ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#22 Jan 1974
Siege in superspace
The Enterprise passes through a black hole to superspace, where,
on a marshy planet, a landing party and the planet's inhabitants
are besieged by an army of vegetable-metalloid monsters.
Stardate 36:24.3
The story is a stealth sequel to a story arc that appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #170 (Jun 1973) and Star Spangled War Stories #180 (May-Jun 1974).
Writer: Gerry Boudreau
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#23 Mar 1974
Child's play
Responding to a distress call, Kirk and and his landing party
transport to a planet where children are the only survivors of a
worldwide plague. The Enterprise must race across the galaxy to
bring back the only known cure before Kirk and his party die too.
Stardate 17:23.4
Writer: Gerry Boudreau ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#24 May 1974
The trial of Captain Kirk
Kirk is framed by a pirate iron-mining ring for accepting a
bribe to protect illegal mining operations. The crew of the
Enterprise goes after proof of Kirk's innocence, who undergoes
surgery to look like a native with an afro.
Stardate 19:26.2
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#25 Jul 1974
Dwarf planet
The Enterprise visits a planet whose population is slowly
shrinking from unusual solar radiation. While trying to discover
an antidote, Scotty is exposed to radiation and shrinks to
microscopic size.
Stardate 19:24.8
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#26 Sep 1974
The perfect dream
The Enterprise discovers a world where clones lead an idyllic
existence, but are not allowed to question or create.
Stardate 30:20:4
Writer: John Warner ?
Artists: Angelo Todaro, Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#27 Nov 1974
Ice journey
The Enterprise ignites a civil war on a doomed planet.
Stardate 20:27.3
Writer: John Warner ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#28 Jan 1975
The mimicking menace
Members of an Enterprise landing party find themselves facing
their doubles on a volcanic asteroid. The doubles were created
by a parasitic life form that feeds off of living and mechanical
energy.
Stardate 34.21.7
Writer: George Kashdan ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#29 Mar 1975
The planet of no return
Reprints Gold Key #1 with a painted cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Nevio Zeccara
Cover artist: George Wilson
#30 May 1975
Death of a star
On a mission to observe a stellar nova, the Enterprise finds
massive signs of life on a nearby planet, but only a single
individual, an ancient woman who invites the crew to witness her death.
Stardate 33:33.3
Writer: Allan Moniz
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#31 Jul 1975
The final truth
An Enterprise shuttle crashes on a world prohibited to
outsiders. Crew members are forced to wear punisher collars and
help feed the planet's life presence.
Stardate 20:1:7
Writer: John Warner ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: Chuck Liese
#32 Aug 1975
The animal people
The Enterprise comes to the aid of a planet which is being
overrun by maddened animals. Spock discovers that the "animals"
are intelligent, but this knowledge puts the landing party in
danger because planetary leaders want to keep this information
secret.
Stardate 19:26:11
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#33 Sep 1975
The choice
Kirk duels with his double from another universe to decide the fate of this universe.
Stardate 17:01.02
Writer: Allan Moniz
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#34 Oct 1975
The psychocrystals
An Enterprise survey party is captured by crystalline aliens and
sentenced to death for attempted kidnapping of crystal babies.
Stardate 19:27.4
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#35 Nov 1975
The peril of planet Quick Change
Reprints Gold Key #4 with a painted cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#36 Mar 1976
A bomb in time
Renegade scientists hold Earth for ransom by threatening to
explode a devastating new explosive device somewhen in Earth's
past. Scotty goes back to the old west of 1855 and Kirk goes
back to 1955 to search for the bomb.
Stardate 19:25.9
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson
#37 May 1976
The ghost planet
Reprints Gold Key #5 with a painted cover.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#38 Jul 1976
One of our captains is missing
Kirk is sent on a special assignment to investigate suspected
Klingon covert activities and a hard-nosed captain takes command
of the Enterprise.
Stardate 19:29:13
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#39 Aug 1976
Prophet of peace
The Enterprise recovers a brilliant scientist from cryogenic
deep-freeze but aliens may have planted a duplicate.
Stardate 18:06.9
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams, José Delbo ?
Cover artist: George Wilson
#40 Sep 1976
Furlough to fury
McCoy visits his daughter Barbara, a xenobiologist. Scotty and
Kirk thwart the larcenous plans of a former crewman with the
help of one of Barbara's alien beasts.
Stardate 19:25.9
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson
#41 Nov 1976
The evictors
The Enterprise is visiting a planet on a protocol mission when,
after hundreds of thousands of years, the original inhabitants
return to reclaim their home.
Stardate 19:27:12
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#42 Jan 1977
World against time
The Enterprise discovers a planet populated by children who were
adults, until radiation began to change them. Spock and Scotty
begin to grow young again as they attempt to shield the
radiation source.
Stardate 19:29:06
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#43 Feb 1977
World beneath the waves
After picking up Dr. Barbara McCoy, xenobiologist and McCoy's
daughter, the Enterprise heads for a world where air-breathers
have developed into water-breathers to escape a planet-wide
catastrophe. The Enterprise crew is drawn into a conflict
between the ocean-dwellers and surface-dwellers.
Stardate 19:26:03
Writer: Arnold Drake or George Kashdan ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson
#44 May 1977
Prince Traitor
Kirk, Spock, and Scotty are captured by a rebel leader who turns
out to be the Emperor's son. He plans to barter their lives for
the freedom of his people.
Stardate 19:26:4
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson
#45 Jul 1977
The voodoo planet
Reprints Gold Key #7 and photo cover. This is the first issue with
a barcode.
Writer: Dick Wood ?
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
#46 Aug 1977
Mr. Oracle
Spock's brain is filled with the knowledge of an entire world.
He becomes insane and imprisons Kirk, Scott and McCoy on a
hostile world that obeys only his orders.
Stardate 23:19.2
Writer: Arnold Drake ?
Artist: Alden McWilliams
#47 Sep 1977
This tree bears bitter fruit
The Enterprise encounters energy beings who are being nurtured
to take care of the universe. Kirk engages in single combat with
one of the beings to save humanity.
Stardate 67:32.4
Writer and artist credits begin with this issue.
Writers: George Kashdan, Doug Drexler
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Mike Roy ?
#48 Oct 1977
Murder on the Enterprise
A renowned scientist is murdered aboard the Enterprise while
being taken to a conference. The suspects are his colleagues.
Spock and McCoy solve the crime.
Stardate 5716.4
Writers: Arnold Drake, Doug Drexler
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Mike Roy ?
#49 Nov 1977
A warp in space
Kirk seeks the aid of Zefram Cochrane and the Companion
(Metamorphosis) after several experimental starships disappear
while testing a hyper-warp drive.
Stardate 3803.6
The back cover of this issue advertised the four Golden Press Enterprise Log collections.
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#50 Jan 1978
The planet of no life
Kirk and a young ensign are trapped, facing slow
death, while an old nemesis of Kirk's (Gold Key #41, "The
Evictors") enjoys their suffering. The ensign agrees to kill
Kirk if he is allowed to live.
Stardate 19:28:07
This issue was published with 30¢ and 35¢ cover price.
Writer: Arnold Drake
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson (attributed)
#51 Mar 1978
Destination annihilation
Absent-minded Prof. Osric Whipple, an old friend of Kirk's,
inadvertently starts, then stops an interplanetary war.
Stardate 26:04.4
Mazda spaceship on cover.
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson
#52 May 1978
And a child shall lead them
The Enterprise breaks up a black market mining operation on a
primitive world led by a child.
Stardate 28:11.5
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Luis Dominguez ?
#53 Jul 1978
What fools these mortals be
On an uncharted planet, Kirk, Spock and McCoy relive the voyage
of Ulysses for the amusement of Zeus and other Greek gods.
Stardate 2901.1
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson
#54 Aug 1978
Sport of knaves
Kirk, Spock, and Scotty go undercover to track down stolen
endangered birds.
Stardate 3004.8
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#55 Sep 1978
A world against itself
After their brains are altered, Spock and Scotty lead two
warring tribes into combat.
Stardate 72:35.3
Error on cover "Spock vs. Slott".
Writer: Arnold Drake
Artist: Alden McWilliams
#56 Oct 1978
No time like the past
A deposed dictator escapes and travels back in time via the
Guardian of Forever (The City on the Edge of Forever). Kirk,
Spock, and McCoy must alter history so that Hannibal is
defeated by the Romans.
Stardate 3275.2
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#57 Nov 1978
Spore of the devil
Kirk, Scotty and Spock discover an alien directing the
development of a medieval world. The alien does not know where
he is from.
Stardate 19:29:51
Writer: Arnold Drake
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: George Wilson ?
#58 Dec 1978
Brain-damaged planet
McCoy must help a planet fend off huge parasites, or its
inhabitants will all be driven mad.
Stardate 3315.5
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Chuck Liese
#59 Jan 1979
To err is Vulcan
Spock makes not one, but two errors. Kirk suspects a plan to
discredit Spock and has a plan of his own.
Stardate 9126.1
Writer: Arnold Drake
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Mel Crawford
#60 Feb 1979
The empire man
The Enterprise protects a colony under attack by a powerful
cyborg. Each time an attack occurs, a beautiful ghost appears,
but she can't communicate until she enters Spock's body.
Stardate 2314.6
Writer: John Warner
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Mike Roy or Frank Bolle ?
#61 Mar 1979
Operation con game
Harry Mudd's (Mudd's Women) dilithium con could ignite a war
between the Federation and the Klingon empire. Kirk and Spock
transport aboard a Klingon warship while Mudd kidnaps McCoy.
Stardate 3504.7
Writer: George Kashdan
Artist: Alden McWilliams
Cover artist: Mike Roy or Frank Bolle ?
[#62] 1979 not published
Trial by fire!
The Enterprise responds to a request for help from a corporate energy research
platform. A ship testing experimental fuel has exploded, creating a moon-sized
self-sustaining fireball that threatens Orgone, a nearby inhabited planet. Kirk,
McCoy, two redshirts and Varrik, the platform manager, transport planetside, while
Spock and Scotty try to stop the fireball. The pastoral Orgonians are led by
Talon, a shaman, who interprets the fireball as a test of faith which must be
met by ritual. Unfortunately, there is more to Varrik's involvement in the crisis
than anyone is aware of.
Stardate 3708.2
John Warner wrote a 22-page script
which was apparently intended for publication
as issue #62 until Western Publishing cancelled the series. Warner also wrote the
script for issue #60. He is better known for his work on the Gold Key Flash Gordon
series. He also worked for DC, Marvel, and Warren Publications. The two security
guards in this story are named after two of his colleagues, artists John Byrne
and Dave Cockrum. Nineteen lettered art pages with very faint pencil breakdowns
were completed but never delivered to the scheduled artist, Frank Bolle. Bolle
may have been the cover artist for issues #60 and #61. He also worked on many other Western
Publishing projects. The script and lettered art pages have been reproduced in
Volume 124 of the Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection.
Artist Matt Shults
has published his adaptation of Trial By Fire online and I've included his cover art in this list. Check it out!
Writer: John Warner
Scheduled artist: Frank Bolle
Artist: Matt Shults
