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| Captain Science #1, Nov. 1950, published by Youthful Magazines. Wally Wood art/story in this issue. The series ran from Nov 1950 (#1) through Dec. 1951 (#7). |
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| In "The Spawn of Saturn", it really does look as if somebody came in and drew helmet-bubbles around the heads of the characters--perhaps to make a Flash Gordon-type story into something more contemporary. At any rate, they never quite got the guy's beard inside his helmet... |
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| It's always fun to see which influences comics artists drew upon. In the last story, Walter Johnson pulls out his early Mac Raboy "Flash Gordon" strips for the greenskinned baddie. The hero's bod, on the other hand, is 100% Burne Hogarth Tarzan. |
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| Captain Science is HOT! Ha, ha! (At least on the cover of Volume 1.) |
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| I love these old comics. The modern comics aren't bad, but the artwork in the old ones just can't be beat! |
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| It's interesting to see the 2-page text feature synopsis of the movie "Destination Moon" on pages 18-19 here, in addition to the official comics adaptations in Fawcett's one-shot DESTINATION MOON, and DC's STRANGE ADVENTURES #1 (on which it was also cover-featured, although the DC adaptation was a mere 8-page condensation). That indicates to me that the film's production company was actively reaching out to comic book publishers for tie-ins -- something that hadn't been done by studios with movies featuring science fiction themes before. George Lucas took a similar active approach in reaching out to Marvel Comics in the 1970s. He wanted a Star Wars comic book to happen so much that the property was basically offered to Marvel royalty-free -- simply as a tool to help promote the film. Perhaps a similar thing was going on with Destination Moon. |
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| 'Hey, I've got a great idea for a superhero origin!'
'Yeah?'
The hero finds a dying alien in a spaceship who gives him a very powerful item to help him save the universe!'
"Yeah?'
'And the alien chooses him deliberately because he is the only person on earth who is up to the task!'
'So what do we call him? Green Lantern?'
'No, How dull is that?'
His powerful item is a Robot brain, so we'll call him Captain Science. Sounds much better!'
So what else has he got going for him?
Well he has a boy sidekick and his best advantage is that the boy sidekick has a wealthy father who can fund the derring-do. Oh, and he picks up a Gal Friday on his first mission!'
'So he can take her into danger and rescue her, right?'
Well, actually on the next mission he leaves her at home to answer the phones and takes the boy sidekick along.'
'Hmmm.'
Serious question: 'Were there any Silver Age characters, names and ideas that were not plundered from the Golden Age?'
Cheers!
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| Dragged in by Panther’s astute comments, I skipped lightly over the pedestrian Captain Science story and focussed instead on the magnificent Monster God of Rogor – those marvellous Wally Wood pencils.
A rather delightful high priestess from the Lost Continent of Mu embroils our hero into helping her dispose of an upstart warrior priesthood – with nothing to aid her other than a slit satin gown and hair that slowly changes from brunette to blonde as the story unfolds – it’s a Mu thing. |
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| To be fair, less than 10 years separate Captain Science #1 and Showcase #22 (Green Lantern's origin).
It's 2020 now, and it's even hard for me to think that it's been 9 and a half years since DC Comics rebooted its entire universe. |
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| It's also possible both series were ripping o... er, "homaging" E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series which started in the 1930s. |
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| Scrounge, Not 'Possible', try 'Probable'. That's the general opinion on GL.
positronic1, In my lifetime, counting the 60's reboot which first gave us the 'Earth one' versions, [The Justice League rather than the JSA] , there have been at least 4 reboots, I have lost count. And track. |
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| I have 'Capt. Science' discovered today and I am very impressed, the trivial happiness in its highest perfection. :-) BTW, why do all superheroes have the title 'Capt.', why not 'General'? And why do all super villains have PhDs? Can I call me Capt. Comickraut, or better yet Dr. Comickraut? Question after question . . . ;-) |
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| Additional Information |
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| Publication | November 1950 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: quarterly |
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| Featuring | Captain Science |
| Credits | Pencils: Walter Johnson (signed) | Inks: Walter Johnson (signed) |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction | Characters: Captain Science |
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| Comic Story | Tracking the Flying Saucers (7 pages) |
| Featuring | Captain Science |
| Credits | Pencils: Gustav Schrotter | Inks: Gustav Schrotter |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction | Characters: Captain Science [Gordon Dane] (first appearance, origin) |
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| Comic Story | Traitors to the Earth (8 pages) |
| Featuring | Captain Science |
| Credits | Pencils: Gustav Schrotter |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction | Characters: Captain Science [Gordon Dane] |
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| Text Story | Destination Moon (2 pages) |
| Credits | Pencils:? (photographs) | Inks:? (photographs) | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction |
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| Comic Story | The Monster God of Rogor (7 pages) |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction | Characters: Tayne Whitney; Mr. Dillon; The High Priestess Maryl; Sek (villain) |
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| Comic Story | The Spawn of Saturn (7 pages) |
| Credits | Pencils: Walter Johnson (credited) | Inks: Walter Johnson (credited) |
| Content | Genre: Science Fiction | Characters: Thomas Varn; Crystal Varn; Jrld Anders (sic) |
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| The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |
