If you missed the last one…
“Kenton of Star Patrol” was a Space Opera comic created by John B. Michel and possibly continued by Gardner F. Fox (who was writing “Crom the Barbarian” for the same comic.) The character appeared in the early issues of Avon’s Strange Worlds. (If Fox did write these comics, his years of writing for Planet Stories couldn’t hurt.) Beginning with the second issue, Wally Wood drew a table of contents in black & white.
The writers and artists of this comic had a strong connection to the Pulps which were slowly dying around this time. Fox, Michel and Henry Kuttner wrote for the Pulps. Artists like Everett Raymond Kinstler, John Forte and John Giunta illustrated Pulps like Weird Tales and Science Fiction Adventures in the early 1950s. Wally Wood and Norman Nodel would illustrate the Science Fiction magazines that came after the Pulps, like Galaxy and If. Wood, along with Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino and Joe Orlando all would become famous names in the 1960s and 1970s.
Issue One
“The Corsairs From the Coalsack” (Strange Worlds #1, November 1950) was written by John B. Michel, penciled by Joe Kubert and inked by Carmine Infantino. This story introduces Patrolman Dave Kenton and the pirates of the Coalsack. Kenton is to go alone to penetrate the gang but a girl bell-hop knocks him out with a Kayo pellet.
Disgraced, Dave is fired. Stealing a rocket he goes to the Coalsack and sneaks into the pirates’ domain.
He sees Maeve Malloy, the bell-hop there. She is actually a reporter who is trying to break the story. She has been posing as a dancing girl.
Called to the pirates’ inner sanctum to dance, Dave follows along as her accompanist. He plans to destroy the force field that surrounds the Coalsack. Things look bad when he is captured…
This first adventure feels like good Edmond Hamilton-style Space Opera.The Coalsack is portrayed as a cloud in space which is not good Science, nor is the idea of a force field that protects such a vast area. Such details are not important, of course. Space pirates, yah!
Issue Three
“The Alien Raiders” (Strange Worlds #3, June 1951) was drawn by Wally Wood with ink assist by Joe Orlando. Aliens from Flann attack Earth stations and take platinum and prisoners.
Kenton ends his holiday to pose as a prisoner.
The prison is attacked and he pretends to be dead, allowing him to sneak onto the aliens’ shuttle.
Later he sneaks onto their base and finds a translation machine. From this he learns of the Flann’s history and their silicon rather than carbon nature.
Discovered, he has a desperate time to get to the atmosphere controls. He cranks up the heat, turning the aliens into glass.
A nice use of Science to solve an alien invasion. This plot frame would be used for the rest of the series.
Issue Four
“The Vampires of the Void” (Strange Worlds #4, September 1951) had art by Wally Wood and Joe Orlando. Earth ships are attacked by a mysterious sleep ray.The invaders take all the crewmen from the ships.
Kenton goes to Palmoora to spy on Myrza and her people living in a doomed city. A patrol discovers Kenton making microfilm photos and capture him.
Dave learns that the Palmoorans are using human energy to power their ships. He calls them vampires. He attacks their queen.
Subdued, Kenton appears to have joined the ranks of the Palmoorans. Myrza figures he will will be good bait for other Earthlings. Working from the inside, Kenton learns about their life-dynamos and about the jewels the Palmoorans wear to protect them from the Metaboliray which causes the sleepiness. Kenton discovers if the jewels are subjected to UV they melt.
In a last desperate gamble, Kenton melts all the jewels of the Palmoorans, ending their evil reign.
A silly idea, using human energy to run spaceships, but it’s a good Pulp device that movies and television have used in variation. Myrza is the first of two femme fatales to appear in the strip.
Issue Five
“Sirens of Space” (Strange Worlds #5, November 1951) was drawn by Wally Wood with ink assist by Joe Orlando. Lura and her sirens strike with their paralyzing songs.
Reporter Maeve Malloy is on a ship that gets attacked. She uses a jewel Dave Kenton gave her to send out an alarm. Kenton, who has been hunting the person taking the ships, comes running.
He finds Lura and her girls in space bubbles but gets captured.
Lura shows him her empire of stolen ships and their cargo, slaves kept docile with narcotidrugs, and her Hall of Living Statues where Maeve is.
Lura decides to freeze Dave as well. He uses electricity to stay warm. He also puts lactic acid in the water supply.
He gets recaptured but the acid makes all the sirens weak. The plot feels like a re-do of the last episode.
Issue Six
“The Monster-Men of Space” (Strange Worlds #6, February 1952) was drawn by Everett Raymond Kinstler. Dave Kenton is in space as bait for an evil that is attacking ships with hideous monsters.
Maeve has stowed away on the ship, looking for a story. The monsters break in and Dave fights bravely. The duo are captured and Maeve reveals that Dave’s ship is rigged with special location devices to warn Earth. She can not stop herself because her mind has been taken over.
Now mind-slaves, Maeve and Dave build weapons to attack Earth. Dave manages to make a helmet of lead and blocks the signals. He confronts the master, Amalfa the Ancient, a super-brain of an long-died out race.
Kenton blasts the master and his minions to save the galaxy.
Kenton’s last adventure dropped from eight pages to only six. Obviously the writers were getting less fond of him. Everett Raymond Kinstler drew this last foray. His work almost feels like Frank Frazetta at time.
Conclusion
“Kenton of Star Patrol” was not trying to be innovative. There were plenty of star jockeys in the comics. Planet Comics had been producing them for ten years before Dave Kenton showed up. Everybody was trying to be Flash Gordon, of course. Edmond Hamilton would write some for DC Comics like “Chris KL-99” a little after this, coming full circle. What makes the “Kenton of Star Patrol” memorable was Wally Wood’s classic SF artwork. (At this time Wally was also working over at EC Comics with Harry Harrison.)
These comics are available free at DCM.
Next time..Lance Lewis, Space Detective!
