More Outer Space

The phrase “You don’t judge a book by its cover” certainly applies here. At first glance you’d assume that this UK black and white reprint album was going to contain at least some old Charlton Science Fiction comic strips. Actually the Charlton connection begins and ends with the cover (borrowed from Outer Space No 19 from 1958….you never know, there may be a test later…..). And I’ve never heard of the “Comic Bureau” that gives a ficticious seal of approval to this book. At Half a Crown (2/6d) it would have been an expensive purchase in 1959/1960 when the average price of a UK comic would have been a mere 3d or 4d !!

The whole book comprises of an assortment of UK Science Fiction comic strip reprints (mainly “Captain Future”) originally drawn (and written ?) and self-published (as Gould-Light Publishing) by Norman Light in his “Spaceman” comics in the early 1950s.

Actually they are quite well done and it is a shame that this was the last time Captain Future or Bill Merrill of the Scientific Investigation Bureau (by Ron Embleton) would be published or even ever be mentioned again until Mike Higgs’ “Great British Fantasy Comic Book Heroes” compendium of 2009. (see an earlier post on this site)