Space Hero Satudays BRANT CRAIG: INTERPLANETARY DETECTIVE "Space Pirates of Lanthus IV"

He's not the first "Interplanetary Detective"...

...that honor goes to Planet Comics' Fero: Planetary Detective (who went "inter"planetary in his second appearance)!

But Brant Craig was the longest-lasting, with seven appearances!

Yeah, let's not worry about the innocent spacemen who were just killed during this raid, or their families.

They're just collateral damage...

This never-reprinted premiere from Youthful's Captain Science #2 (1951) was probably illustrated by Bill Molno.

The writer is unknown.

Brant Craig continued through the remaining five issues of Captain Science.

When the book was re-titled Fantastic, Brant (and Captain Science) made their final bows in the first issue.

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Reading Room: CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "World War III with the Ants"

I'm Having Serious Problems with Ant Infestation...

...but never anything like this ant-ageddon (or ant-pocalypse) from Youthful's Captain Science #6 (1953)!

As for who was responsible for writing and illustrating this cult comic classic, theories run from Harry Harrison (who became a major sci-fi novelist and editor), to Dick Ayers to Lou Cameron, but nobody knows for certain.

BTW, this story came out over a year before the classic giant-ant film THEM!

Reading Room CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "Spawn of Saturn"

Welcome to the Cover Featured Tale from Captain Science #1 (1950)...

...except it's not about Captain Science!

In fact, the story's title isn't mentioned on the cover at all!

(You can find the actual Captain Science stories from #1 HERE and HERE.)

It's interesting to see a sci-fi tale where a handsome starship captain doesn't go on a landing party to a potentially-dangerous locale!

The writer is unknown, but the art is by Walter Johnson, who not only penciled and inked his own work, but ran a studio that supplied material to a number of comics companies, so some of his "signed" jobs (like this one) show elements of several artists' styles.

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Reading Room CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "When Time Stood Still"

It's the gift that keeps on giving...

...a trip through time and space on New Year's Eve!

Illustrated by Myron Fass, this never-reprinted tale from Avon's Captain Science Comics #4 (1952) is a classic example of how weird and wild (and totally-illogical) 1950s sci-fi can be!

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Monday Mecha Madness CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "Robots of Ra"

For sheer weirdness (not to mention incomprehensibility), few stories can top this tale...

...from the back of Youthful's Captain Science #2 (1951)!

You'll note the art style for this never-reprinted story varies wildly from page to page.

The credited artist, Walter Johnson, depended heavily on assistants to produce a high volume of pages for the various comics companies (including Avon, St John, Fiction House, and Youthful Publications) he supplied art to!

The work of several different illustrators with varying levels of draftsmanship is apparent on this one story, including one or more who swipe from both Flash Gordon's Alex Raymond and Phantom Lady's Matt Baker!

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Reading Room CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "Ghosts from the Underworld"

In the scientific world of the future, there's no place for unexplainable things like ghosts...

...or is there?

So there was a plausible (albeit far-fetched) explanation for the "ghosts"!

This one-shot tale from Youthful's Captain Science #3 (1951) was illustrated by Don Perlin at the beginning of his long (45+ years) comics career.

In fact, it was his first published work!

Don continued working steadily (writing/penciling/inking/editing/art directing) until the mid-1990s, when he went into semi-retirement.

He still does an occasional cover or spot illustration as well as private commissions.

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Ghosts

Reading Room CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "Flower of Death"

In sci fi/fantasy, meteors and meteorites often brought aliens to Earth...

...as in this never-reprinted tale from Youthful's Captain Science #5 (1951) shows!

NOTE: May be NSFW due to politically-incorrect ethnic stereotypes.

Both the writer and artist(s) of this odd tale (that would've made a kool B-movie) are unknown!

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Mysteries in Space

The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics