Space Aces

Todays post has the chance of pushing my little spot on the web to the pinnacle of “The World’s most boring Blog” listings. I’m even yawning myself, and I’m the one typing this. Surprisingly I managed to locate my copy of “Space Aces” as it was actually on a shelf rather than in a box like most of my stuff.

Mr Gifford’s “Space Aces” from 1991 was a wasted opportunity to provide a detailed history of those odd 1950s British Comics. 40 or so pages are taken up with full page oversized cover reproductions. The facing pages give us a potted history of the character featured in the comic and sometimes sketchy details on the company that produced the comic but always leaving at least half the page blank. It wouldn’t have taken Mr Gifford long to write this book. So I’m afraid I’m still no wiser about the history of Atlas Publishing. If anyone can point me in the right direction please let me know. It’s possible that there is more info in his companion publication entitled “Super Duper Supermen.Comic Book Heroes from the Forties and Fifties” if I can find it…..

Interestingly, although this book is arranged chronologically, half of the comics/characters featured inside are from 1952/1953. That must have been the pivotal time when the popularity of Science Fiction really headed off into space….. ace.