Space Crazy Comics: Encounter In Space

Encounter In Space is a story from Space War #2 (downloadable on Golden Age Comics). It demonstrates, quite succinctly, that you can be nonviolent/pacifistic and still a huge jerk.

We start with Ship #67, a patrol vessel-wait, "#67?" Not again.

If this seems reminiscent of the early panels of "The Incredible Giants," well, it is. Don't worry-this story'll have a different stupid twist at the end.

They spot an unknown object-again, very similar (how many science fiction stories start this way? It's probably incalculable)-and near it.

The ship is not, in fact, a Venusian experimental, as they speculated, and it's downright rude when they hail it:

...Though I'll admit, I have no idea what they were trying to say to it.

Then, the ship responds ominously.

This is reminding me of something, but I can't think what.

Hmm...

Oh, snap. The ship is populated by be-tentacled aliens... which rather have a resemblance to the ship and its... probes... as well.

And it turns out that this is more than something that looks kind of wrong-it's something that simply is kind of wrong:

Or very wrong, depending on your stance on ethics in fiction.

The captain makes a last-ditch effort to defend the ship.

Sadly, it's pretty ineffective.

The aliens decide to leave, because they got what they wanted: Data.

It turns out that they're merely peaceful explorers of a more advanced race, who were casually examining the subjects...

...with painful mind probes and ship-to-ship tentacle attacks.

Oh, yeah, sure, they're such nice guys, aren't they?

-Signing off.