OGARTH
Real Name: Ogarth
Identity/Class: Human mutate (see comments) (1950s Era)
Occupation: Ruler of New Atlantis
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Cnidos, his invasion force
Enemies: Junior
Known Relatives: Father (name unrevealed), Zeno (ancestor)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New Atlantis
First Appearance: Strange Worlds#2/5 (February, 1959)
Powers/Abilities: A military leader with ambitions of conquest, Ogarth was the ruler of the technologically advanced undersea civilization of New Atlantis. He commanded a vast army, complete with submarine vessels and atomic cannons. Like all of his people, Ogarth was of microscopic size.
History:
(Strange Worlds#2/5 (fb)) - Many centuries ago, the continent of Atlantis sank during the Great Cataclysm; countless millions perished that day, yet miraculously 2,000 survivors were drawn into an eddy current, which pulled them down into the Earth's abysmal reaches, where they were trapped in a giant air pocket. Convinced that the entire world had been engulfed by floods, the survivors appointed Zeno to be their leader. Zeno immediately organized the people to work for their continued survival, and began construction of a large protective dome to cover the air pocket to make sure the water never came in. But Zeno believed the disaster had only sunk Atlantis, and that there were still people living on vast continents above the sea.
(Strange Worlds#2/5 (fb) - BTS) - Isolated from the rest of the world under the glass dome, the undersea civilization of New Atlantis grew and flourished, and the the 2,000 survivors multiplied into millions as the centuries passed. However, unbeknown to the survivors, they had been reduced to microscopic size (see comments).
(Strange Worlds#2/5 (fb)) - Eventually, Ogarth was born; as a boy, he always listened intently to his father--the king of New Atlantis--when he told him the tale of their kingdom's founding by their ancestor, Zeno. The king reminded Ogarth that he must believe what Zeno and all of their ancestors believed: that there were still people living on continents above the sea.
(Strange Worlds#2/5) - Years later, the king died and Ogarth became the 423rd ruler of New Atlantis. Wanting to know the thrill of combat as once his ancestors did, and thinking his people were dull and soft and needed the stimulus of battle, Ogarth began to make preparations to invade and conquer the surface world, despite doubts from his adviser Cnidos and others. He ordered the construction of a war fleet and atomic cannons.
In 1959 (see comments), Ogarth launched the invasion. Although their ascent seemed endless, the fleet finally reached the surface. Ogarth led his troops as they stormed a beach. He was confident that his soldiers could conquer any opposition they encountered, that is, until they heard the deafening thumping of footsteps and saw the terrifying sight of Junior approaching! Ogarth ordered his men to retreat--he even told them to abandon their largest atomic cannon on the shore. Realizing that his people had changed over the centuries they had lived in the depths, the tiny tyrant canceled his ill-fated invasion and returned home.
Comments: Created by an uncredited writer and Dick Ayers (art).Ogarth's final thoughts after he saw the "gigantic" Junior ("Too much had changed during the ages we had dwelt in the depths! The pressures of the deep had changed us...") would seem to imply that the New Atlanteans height had diminished over generations of evolution. But if that's the case, you'd think such a drastic reduction of size--from 6 feet, to almost microscopic--even spread out over centuries, would have been noticed in such an isolated community much sooner (For example: Staircases would have had to have been constantly rebuilt to accommodate smaller people). So I'd speculate that Zeno and the other survivors were originally shrunk to microscopic size, and they never realized this because they had nothing to use as a reference. Maybe a magnetic disturbance from the Great Cataclysm caused a portal to open into a microverse (you know, the kind of thing that only happens in comic books) and the 2,000 survivors were pulled into it.
Despite being completely isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years, a New Atlantean mentioned in the first panel of the story that it was the year 1959--I guess we can write it off as artistic license.
Ogarth wanted the thrill of combat, but he'd get wiped out in a war with the surface people--if he's still looking for a fight, maybe he'd have a better chance against the Goloks or Tim Boo Ba.
This plot was first used in "Invaders of Earth!" [Mystical Tales#4 (December, 1956) 5th story] but these tiny humans (led by Jo-Sep) were in an aquarium (still frightened away by children, a boy & girl).
--Gammatotem
And a BIG Thank You to Pappy's Golden Age for letting me use the scans for this story!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Ogarth has no known connections to:
Cnidos was Ogarth's adviser. Despite initially doubting that any others had survived the Great Cataclysm, he followed his leader's instructions to rise to the surface and aided in the preparation for an assault.
--Strange Worlds#2/5
Junior was a normal human child (probably about 5 years old) who was enjoying a day at the beach with his family. While playing in the sand, he unknowingly frightened off Ogarth and his invading army, who all made a hasty retreat at the mere sight of this "mammoth" moppet. As his mother called him to lunch, Junior bent down and picked up the tiny invaders' abandoned atomic cannon--he thought the little trinket would look nice on his mom's charm bracelet.
--Strange Worlds#2/5
New Atlantis was a tiny undersea city beneath a protective transparent dome. It was originally founded centuries ago by 2,000 survivors of the sinking of Atlantis who were led by Zeno. By 1959, the population had multiplied into the millions, and Ogarth was the ruler of the highly advanced civilization. The inhabitants were actually of microscopic size in comparison to their surface brethren.
--Strange Worlds#2/5
Ogarth's invasion force comprised the military of New Atlantis and were led by Ogarth. Their weapons included at least eight submarine vessels, three landing craft, and a large atomic cannon. They established a beachhead and were about to make an assault on the surface world, but were frightened off by Junior.
--Strange Worlds#2/5
Zeno was one of Ogarth's ancestors. He was once a general in the military of Atlantis. After the Great Cataclysm, Zeno was among the 2,000 survivors pulled to the bottom of the sea by an eddy current into an air pocket on the sea floor. The survivors appointed Zeno as their leader and he organized them to undertake tasks that would ensure their continued survival, the first of which was the construction of a protective dome. He was the founder of New Atlantis, and believed that there were still people living on the surface of the world.
--Strange Worlds#2/5
images:
(without ads)
Strange Worlds#2/5, p5, pan3 (main image)
Appearances:
Strange Worlds#2/5 (February, 1959) - Dick Ayers (artist)
First Posted: 12/26/2009
Last updated: 10/14/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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