If you missed the last one….
Cosmic Carson was an early Jack Kirby character at Fox Comics. Jack had worked earlier for Will Eisner’s shop and Max Fleischer’s animation studio before going to Fox and partnering up with Joe Simon in 1940. (They would be partners for the next two decades.) By 1941 he would be gone to Fawcett and later Timely, the earliest version of Marvel Comics. Before he left Fox, he produced parts of the “Cosmic Carson” strip for Science Comics. (And lets be honest, this is a blip on the screen for Jack who would create Captain America and the X-Men and Thor, etc. etc. etc.)
“Cosmic Carson” by “Michael Griffith” was a Flash Gordon-style space man who liked to punch up baddies (a lot!). He appeared in nine episodes, in the complete run of Science Comics #1-8 and the first issue of The Big 3. The writers of these comics are all unknown except for one. (Some of these titles are my own.)
“The Fang Men of Jupiter” (Science Comics #1, February 1940) begins with the Fang Pirates attacking Carson’s ship. CC shoots down all but one of them then faces off against their ruler. The villain throws himself into acid rather than be caught. Carson talks to a partner, Roland, but we never see him.
George Tuska is quite a new artist when he drew this. He started at Fox in August 1939. You can see his layout and anatomy improve even month-to-month with the first three issues. He would, of course, go onto become one of the greats, working for both DC and Marvel, drawing classic characters like Iron Man and Superman.
“Master of the Ice Ray” (Science Comics #2, March 1940) has an expedition from Earth frozen with a ray and its members captured. CC goes in search of them. He too is brought down by the ray but thaws out the door and escapes the trapped vessel. He sneaks in, hears plans to kill the Earthlings then gets captured. He escapes and rescues the others. There is a reference to Popeye when he snaps his chains. He says: “…But on Earth we eat our spinach.”
This story is very yellow. It is hard to tell how much the original comic was colored that way and how much is yellowing from age. Still, very yellow!
“Prisoner of the Hoof-Men” (Science Comics #3, April 1940) starts with an explanation: CC is in search of Professor Darrell and his daughter, June. The planet they investigate has a thick atmosphere so the two don spacesuits (which they later discard). They find June and she tells of her father’s capture and impending torture by aliens with hooves. The trio go to the rescue, with CC punching out the torturer. When another ties to grab them, Roland shoots him with a ray gun. One alien takes June to another torture chamber to stab her with the electric needle. He gets the jolt when CC punches him out. This time we get to actually meet Roland, who proves to be useful, if a second banana.
“The Attack of Iako” (Science Comics #4, May 1940) was written by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Fort Roosevelt is destroyed by rockets. CC suspects it is Elramis and her cutthroats. Carson saves a space woman from a crew of Mekkanos, mind-controlled men. These belong to Iako the Saturnian trader. Iako shows up and we learn the gal is Elramis. Lang at HQ sends ships to the rescue but it is a trap. Elramis tells CC to fight and he does. He punches out Iako but is now Elramis’s prisoner. The Saturnian recovers, drawing a gun…. A cliffhanger that won’t be concluded!
Jack only drew this one issue. Being a good artist even at the beginning, he was bounced around from comic to comic drawing different strips as needed, like Samson and Space Smith (Another spaceman for another post!) at Fantastic Comics. The writing makes a cosmic leap forward too, with more characters, interesting motivations and all the hallmarks of later comics.
“The Cannibals of Eros” (Science Comics #5, June 1940) has the art return to a George Tuska-style but with better consistency. It is likely the uncredited artist drew Issues 5-7, maybe 8. The plot has become simple again with a rocket load of people captured by green cannibals on Eros. Olaha, a beautiful woman, is taken as is CC. The hero punches and kicks his way to a shoot-out where he blasts the king. The last frame implies CC is in love with Olaha and no longer going to be a bachelor.
“Back to Ancient Britain” (Science Comics #6, July 1940) is a historically messed up piece. CC uses a time machine to go back to ancient Britain where Wotan-worshipping Viking types are fighting the Romans. He interferes (Obviously he hasn’y read of Bradbury’s butterfly!) and uses the ships lasers to blast the Romans. The British king declares them gods and asks them to rescue his daughter from the Romans. Which CC and his men do. Another kiss and a hint at a failing bachelorhood.
“Outlaws of Space” (Science Comics #7, August 1940) has Earth running low on Astron gas for electricity. They plan to get it from Pluto but that planet is held by the evil Arambi. CC goes to Pluto and shoots the crap out of Arambi and the other Plutonians. Yah for Imperialism! The fact that this plot was seen as entertainment begs a lot of questions…
“The Globes of Brigo” (Science Comics #8, September 1940) begins on the planet Morta, where Brigo talks to his scientist crony about the globes. The women inside them are trapped because if regular air gets in they will die. Brigo pursues capturing CC but gets captured himself. Carson rescues the women, freeing them of the globes (without the air killing them????) and Brigo jumps to his death.
“The Ultimatum of Lobar” (Big 3 #1, Fall 1940) was a left over from the canceled Science Comics that appeared as filler in a new comic, Big 3 (That’s Samson and David, Blue Beetle and The Flame.) It lasted seven issues. The artist has changed again with a slightly different look. Lobar and his fleet of alien ships demand a base on Earth. The Earthlings refuse and fight a huge space battle. All the Earth ships are destroyed except CC’s. He and his lieutenant are captured. The aliens plan to inject them with a substance that will make them explode. CC bursts his bonds and captures the ship. He gets to watch his torturer explode in his place. CC frees the rest of his crew. The aliens try to kill them with chlorine gas. When the men take the ship they throw the aliens out the window. Earth is saved!
Conclusion
Cosmic Carson is from the formative years of comics. Jack Kirby is the best thing in the comic, if only for one brief moment. His contributions may have helped keep the character around a little longer. Without a champion to put in good material, both story and art, CC was doomed. It is no surprise he didn’t survive Kirby’s departure with simple plots and almost simpler politics. Science Comics offers us Cosmic Carson’s few adventures as well as the first incarnation of Dr. Doom. We also had the intriguing jungle girl, Marga the Panther-Woman. Ultimately the entire Fox Feature Syndicate would succumb to sharp business practices that did nothing to keep artists and writers there.
All these comics are available at DCM…
