Enter: Tarko the Terrible! Right away we watch as Tarko is frozen in time by a notoriously named “Time-Master.”
Portrayed as a monsterous and unstoppable viking warlord, Tarko is discovered by Space Ghost, Jace, Jan, and Blip as they stop some sort of scheme by a villian sporting a Cryogenic Cannon.
Astonished by their discovery, they opt to bring this conundrum back to the lab of Dr. Henry Contra, who still remains unaware that his own grandchildren are the wards of Space Ghost. As they try to figure out what to do, the decision is made for them as the ice begins to thin, and Tarko awakens! He smashes out of the ice, demanding to know where and when he is.
Dr. Contra informs him of the current place and time, and their rescue. However, this only enrages the warlord further, but makes a very curious statement that he can “Smell the Time-Master’s noxious stench all over…”
The rest of the Space Ghost Season 2 Issue #3 features a knock-down, drag-out brawl with Tarko wrecking everything in his path, much like the Hulk would on a blind raging rampage.
The final pages show Space Ghost and the kids re-freezing Tarko and placing him on a planet where he can hunt and ravage all his own. However the undertone of the issue features more of Dr. Contra, lamenting the lack of connection with his family and being jealous of Space Ghost and the bond he has with his wards.
I imagine the drop of “The Time-Master” and Contra’s jealously becoming more of a focal point as the series progresses.
