Futura - Chapter 3

The Futura story in Planet Comics #45 (November 1946) begins with the lead character in a pose and setting that is reminiscent of previous work seen on the covers of several Fiction House titles. Hiding up in a tree is a poor idea tactically since there is no where to flee if discovered. It is likely the reason so the setting was drawn that way is to get all the principles in one panel with the added benefit of being able to show a nice shot of the heroines' derriere.

In this chapter Futura is on the run both the Brain-Men and the locals who took up the occupation of being rebels after "failing" to pass the tests of the Masters of Pan-Cosmos and suffering abandonment on a world of monsters. Moments away from freedom, Futura saves the life of the leader of the renegades, leading to being captured once again. 

In this issue the artistic format of the story telling is becoming less creative and begins to resemble the standard layout for a more economic style of comic book. If I have a critique of the Futura series it is the seeming "hiccup" in story telling at this point. After only a few issues the kidnapped secretary from Earth is abruptly promoted from lab-animal to the warrior-queen leader of  the rebellion. A bit sudden for an unknown quantity who's only previously demonstrable skills were the operation of a typewriter.

Later, after what I call the "Magic Sword of Destiny" arc concludes the story of Futura reboots after a fashion and takes on a more logical progression of her journey through hostile space. It was as if the creators had a long story planned but were under the impression they had to wrap it up quickly, then got the news they would be hanging around for a while like the other Planet Comics serials.

  

  

  

  

 

Futura vs. Futura

A commenter asked if the Futura Saga was ever collected in a trade. I could never find one and it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but I doubt it was ever collected. The main problem with Futura ever being collected is because of the market. The comic book market for the most part is obviously fueled by the visuals and a good chunk of the Futura tale may not be appealing to readers. The less-appealing chapters would fill an entire first volume, turning off fans and making the likelihood of a second volume being printed unlikely.

While some comic book are collected and anticipated because of the writer it is usually the art, with some notable exceptions, that is the foundation of what makes a particular book a success. Perlin, Ditko, Kirby, Anderson, Swan, Trimpe and Heck were masters of artistic story-telling but in the 1980s the evolving tastes of fans led many books (and perhaps the aging talents of the artists or inability to adapt to the changing market) to be doomed to cancellation or obscurity.

What I am getting to is that I'm interested in posting the entire Futura run from Planet Comics but I'm torn about the work involved and what the results might be. After the first few chapters the art becomes quite simplistic. Nothing wrong with that as the story is just as important as the visuals. But I'm very disappointed in the direction the series went for about ten issues. It wasn't until about issue #54 of Planet Comics that the art changed for the better with artist Joe Cavello.

As a completist, I'm probably going to include the entire run but comic fans and blog readers (not to mention myself) are notoriously impatient and would lose interest because a portion of the Futura story is not as "cool" as some of the other entries.

A few examples in the contrasting art and story styles:


This panel is the start of the "Magic Sword" story arc. This example isn't too bad but it becomes progressively stiff and simplistic. The promising weirdness of the Insect Men quickly fades as by the next issue they appear as normal humans with ill-defined wing-shapes protruding from their shoulder-blades. The art became a rather average example of Golden Age comics. The plot is also uninspiring and the story appears to be filler supporting the other more established serials. This is lent credence by the Futura serial rarely being given any cover credits, if any, alongside the other serials. The entire arc is a long way from the Alex Raymond-inspired story-telling and fine art by Joe Cavello.

I really favor the "Citizen of the Galaxy" type of plot over the "Magic Sword of Destiny" storyline. So the question is: Should I skip the "Magic Sword" arc completly or make it available as links in one post and then rocket off at ludicrous-speed into the Awesome Galaxy for the rest of the Futura Saga?

Regardless, more Futura to come!