Star Trek #53 – Gold Key Variant CBCS 9.2 NM- Painted Cover White Pages

Boldly go where few copies have gone before! This scarce Gold Key variant of Star Trek #53 (1993, DC Comics) pays homage to the classic publisher with a beautifully stylized painted cover—a tribute to the vintage flair that defined an era.

Professionally graded CBCS 9.2 (NM-)
Certification #: 18-1412a13-022
White pages with excellent contrast and preservation
Encased in a scratch-free CBCS slab for maximum protection and presentation

A must-have for Trek fans and variant hunters alike—this sleeper issue rarely appears in high grade, especially with white pages and flawless casing. A true niche collectible that bridges classic Gold Key aesthetics.

Warp this one into your collection before it vanishes into deep space!

Star Trek #53 (Gold Key Variant) delivers a cosmic twist on Homer’s Odyssey, blending Greek mythology with sci-fi adventure in classic Trek fashion.

Plot Summary
Responding to a distress call from the Starship Pathfinder, the Enterprise crew rescues it from Klingon attackers—only to be drawn into the orbit of a mysterious planet. The crew begins acting strangely, lulled into a state of blissful apathy. Sensing something is off, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to investigate.

Myth Meets Space
On the planet’s surface, they encounter surreal phenomena echoing The Odyssey:

• A Cyclops traps the crew, mirroring Odysseus’s legendary foe
• The Sirens lure them with haunting songs
• They battle Scylla and Charybdis, monstrous forces of nature
• Even Zeus and the Olympian gods appear, revealing they abandoned Earth for more amusement among the stars

Themes & Twist
Spock draws parallels between the crew’s trials and Ulysses’s journey. The gods manipulate events for entertainment, testing the crew’s resolve. In a final twist, the gods choose to leave the planet—but the reason remains ambiguous. Did Kirk outwit them, or was it something deeper?

With painted cover art and a story by George Kashdan (art by Al McWilliams), this issue is a niche gem for fans of myth-infused sci-fi.