|.. Tom Corbett ..|.. Space Patrol ..|.. Solar Guard HQ ..|.. Site Map ..|

TOM CORBETT COMICS

By Cadet Ed with Introduction by Joe Sarno

INTRODUCTION

by Joe Sarno from SPACE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER

Tom Corbett, Roger Manning and Astro were early entrants to the SPACE ACADEMY. There they would train as cadets to someday become officers in The Solar Guard of the Solar Alliance. These cadets would be named to form the crew of The Polaris under the command of Captain Strong.

In early 1952 the first Tom Corbett, Space Cadet comic book would be published by Dell. The art in the first three issues was beautifully rendered by Alden McWilliams who brought with him a long association in Comic Art including Pulp, and Aviation illustrations. McWilliams would quit the book to draw his very successful TWIN EARTHS comic strip.

Issues 4 through 8 of the Tom Corbett book where drawn by Paul Norris, who would soon go on to draw the popular BRICK BRADFORD daily comic strip. And issues 9 through 11 of the Dell series was drawn by John Lehti, who would soon move his talents to draw the very successful TALES FROM THE GREAT BOOK for the Sunday comic pages.

As the popularity of the Tom Corbett TV series began to wane, and the comic drop in sales, Dell dropped the title. Prize Publications picked up the option in early 1955, and the three issues published by that company were all drawn by Mort Meskin, whose comic background included some of the more popular books for DC/National, including THE BATMAN, and AIR WAVE. The last issue of the comic was dated, Sept.-Oct. 1955; the program would last only a few months longer.

THE SERIES

By Cadet Ed Pippin

The following sections will present the published comics by publisher

Dell was the comic leader in adapting the heroes from the radio, movies and the "new" kid on the block television. Most of the titles began in Dell's "Four Color" tryout series. If the title was a success (i.e. a money maker), Dell would start the title as a regular series, starting the numbering system of the new series with the actual published number of the book. In the case of Tom Corbett, the series started with # 4. Many collector's would go slowly mad looking for the "first" editions of the Dell series without success. The first issue of Tom Corbett was issue 378 of the Dell Four Color series.

Prize comics picked up Tom After it had blasted off the airwaves for the last time in 1955. The series was short with only one artist and writer.

In 1990 Eternity Comics published a revival Comic based loosely on Tom Corbett Comic series.

DELL COMICS

The Tom Corbett comic by Dell had 34 pages of art with the inside front pages containing different action scenes from the TV series. There were no ads in the book and the back inside covers continued the story action in black and white with the back cover returning to color to complete the story . The cover for the first book ( Dell 4-color # 378) is a wrap around with a picture of Mars on the inside back cover. Note: Many Dell comics were issued with two different covers, therefore, check your comics and see if you have a different wrap around book. If you have a different cover than those on this page, please advise the Academy at the Solar Guard so it can be added to the archive.

Dell's printer, Western Lito, also published the giveaway promotional March of Comics for retail stores. The art in the last three books (# 9,10,11) of the Dell series resemble Ray Bailey's artwork for the Tom Corbett strips. Mr. Bailey along with Dick Rockwell assisted Caniff on the comic page of STEVE CANYON. Ray Bailey also worked on some of the Steve Canyon Dell comics the Four-Color Series and adapted the BRUCE GENTRY aviation comic strip for the Dell series. The BRUCE GENTRY strip was syndicated by Mr Bailey from 1948 to 1951 when he devoted his time and energy to the new Tom Corbett strip.The inside front of the Dell issues contained "candid shots" of Academy life with pictures of the cadets in their various activities as Space Cadets, giving a "club" feeling to the books, a privileged look into our favorite cadets daily activities.

An interview in the January 1997 COMICBOOK MARKETPLACE reveals that Paul S. Newman was the author of the syndicated newspaper strip as well as writing many of the Dell TC comics. Paul's record's indicate he wrote issues 4,5,6,7 of the regular Dell series and the March of Comics # 102.

---

Storylines

Dell 4-Color # 378 (#l)Cover artist: Alden McWilliams February 1952 - Inside cover: Picture of Space Academy

Title: " Titan Sabotage ", Art by Alden McWilliams -Fearing the Solar Alliance is after their Uranium ore, the Titans sabotage Academy equipment. Note: Several Academy training devices are similar to devices found in RAH's SPACE CADET

---

Dell 4-Color # 400 (#2)Cover artist: Alden McWilliams May 1952- Inside cover: Space Cadet Pledge

Title: "Space Pirates" Art by Alden McWilliams-Capt Strong and Tom are captured by pirates working in the Asteroids. Note: Art work on cover appears on several Tom Corbett items made by Usealite.

---

Dell 4-Color #421 (#3)Cover artist: Alden McWilliams Aug 1952 - Inside cover: Academy Class room with Polaris crew & Alfie

Title: "Colonist of Space Colony lo" Art by Alden McWilliams - McKay almost destroys the Io colony when U235 is found at the colony site. Note: Similar storyline found in Grosset & Dunlap's SPACE PIONEERS.

---

Dell TC series (# 4)Cover artist: unknown Nov-Jan 1953 - Inside cover: Looking into the Polaris through the Space Port with Cadets and Capt Strong.

Title: "Lost Race of Assorians" Art by Paul Norris - Script by Paul S. Newman. Prof Thornton lost on Mars. Cadets and Martian Picpup search and find the Prof, a lost city and the outlaws of Bor Borito.

---

Dell TC series (# 5)Cover artist: unknown Feb-Apr 1953 - Inside cover: Inside the Polaris with the Cadets

Title: "The Smugglers of the Moon" Art by Paul Norris - Script by Paul S. Newman. Pirates using the moon as a hideout,capture the cadets. The cadets find a world within the Moon with people only 4 1/2 ft tall.

---

Dell TC series ( # 6)Cover artist: unknown - Script by Paul S. Newman. May-July 1953 - Inside cover: The Cadets and Capt Strong suited up in Space suits.

Title: "Blue Men of Tara" Art by Paul Norris - Alfie Higgins join the Plaris unit on Tara in Alpha Centuri system and discover a race of giant ants and blue caveman.

---

Dell TC series (#7)Cover artist: unknown - Script by Paul S. Newman. Aug-Oct 1953 -Inside Cover: Inside the Polaris with the cadets and Capt Strong floating in the Air trying to return to the wall of the Polaris

Title: "The Space Traitor" Art by Paul Norris -Bob Keen is about to be commissioned into the Solar Guard, but helps his brother escape from a prison on the moon.

---

Dell TC series (# 8)Cover artist: unknown: Nov-Jan 1954 - Inside Cover: Roger is showing a spaceship model to Astro while Tom looks on.

Title: "Spaceship Graveyard" Art by Paul Norris - While patrolling the Saturn run the Polaris is wreaked by Space Junk and the cadets float to a planetoid with a magnetic graveyard.

---

Dell TC series (# 9)Cover artist: unknown: Feb-Apr 1954 -Inside Cover: Tom is at the controls of the Polaris while Capt Strong and Dr. Dale watch him go through some Astro-Navigation.

Title: "The World of Deep Waters" Art by John Lehti - Unknown code is received from the Sirus star system indicating no life was found on the 3rd planet, EARTH!!!

---

Dell TC series (# 10)Cover artist: unknown: May-July 1954 -Inside Cover: The Polaris unit pose for a group picture.

Title: "Asteroid Treasure Hunt" Art by John Lehti - A young orphan, Jimmy, is looking for uranium with Dr. Gulliber, only the Dr. is using the boy as a front for claim jumping.

---

Dell TC series (# 11)Cover artist: unknown: Sept-Nov 1954 - Inside Cover: The Polaris unit as seen through the viewport as they prepare to blast off on their first solo trip

Title: "The Forbidden Forest" Art by John Lehti - Spaceships are crashing because pilots have space blindness due to lack of Vita Q, an element is harvested in the swamps of Venus.

---

March of Comics 102Cover artist: unknown - Script by Paul S. Newman. 1953

Title: "Slavers of Space" Art by John Lehti - While patrolling a Mars Orbit , the cadets find a ship adrift with captive people only 6"tall.

---

PRIZE COMICS

Cover and art by Mort Meskin. Each book contained three stories each with many pages of ads. A Capt Quick & the Space Scouts were included as fillers along with a "Space News" page with space science (?) stories.

	Prize TC Vol.2, #1- May-Jun 1955 1) "The Spaceship of Doom" 7 pages 2) "Octopus Tree" 8 pages 3) "The Spaceways of Peril" 7 pages Filler: Capt Quick: "Mystery on the Moons of Mars" 2 pages
	Prize TC Vol.2, #2 - July-Aug 1955 1) "The Outlaws of Uranus" 9 pages 2) "The Invaders" 7 pages 3) "Wolf Planet 6 pages
	Prize TC Vol.2,#3 - Sept-Oct 1955 1) "Dangerous Cargo" 8 pages 2) "The Drifter" 7 pages 3) "The Craters of Mercury" 7 pages Filler: Capt Quick: "Hermit of Callieo 2 pages

Comments & suggestions may be sent to the Solar Guard Academy