Planet Comics
Debuting in January of 1940, Planet Comics was a comic book spin-off of Planet Stories, a pulp science fiction magazine. The focus of both Planet Comics and Planet Stories was space opera: powerful young men, beautiful and scantily clad young women, ray guns, space ships, and plenty of technobabble.
Planet Comics started off as a monthly book then, perhaps because of paper rationing during World War 2 dropped down to a bimonthly title. Towards the end of the 1940s, Planet Comics was reduced again, this time to a quarterly title. Unfortunately, things didn't improve from there. For three years, 1950, 1951, and 1952, Planet Comics was released annually. After 1952, the title returned to a quarterly release schedule but the last nail was already in the coffin. The final issue of Planet Comics was number 72, released in the fall of 1952.
It is notable how many female led features appeared in the pages of Planet Comics. In addition to Futura, female leads included Gale Allen and her Girl Squadron, Mysta of the Moon and Amazona the Mighty Woman. Female characters were also prominently featured in male lead features such as the Lost World, Flint Baker, and the Space Rangers. Cynically, the reason for so any female characters is that many of Planet Comics' readers were men and liked looking at beautiful women in tight and revealing clothing. Despite this, the female characters in Planet Comics spent as much time being capable adventurers as damsels in distress.
Notes:
"Tests by heat, by cold, by stress... neuroscopes, kinetographs, machines and screens to probe body and mind..."Comments:
*Guest*
Guest post by "Jasae Bushae"
Wow, this has been very educational so far. ^^
So far I have gotten the chance to discover a probably public domain badass lawyer who DC should seriously consider scooping up, and im learning about a stranger in a strange land kickass hero ^^
Of those names you mentioned, im actually vaguely familiar with Mysta. One of my school teachers would keep referencing her as 'the champion of learning' and had a blown up picture of the heroine on a wall.
Submitted April 11, 2014 at 9:51AM
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I'd be happy to put Mysta on the list of characters we'll spotlight if you like. She was certainly a champion of learning!
Submitted April 11, 2014 at 7:37PM
*Guest*
Guest post by "JD"
Yes, well, it wouldn't be very much of a story if specimen nine didn't show promise, eh?
A neuroscope to test the endurance of the mind, and perhaps pain threshold of the body. A kinetograph could be for testing the limits of extra-sensory capability, such as manipulation of objects outside immediate reach... or for testing range of physical movement and power. Obviously measuring kinetic energy and transference.
Uh, or could be fer shootin' stuff.
Submitted April 11, 2014 at 3:56PM
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Guest post by "Peaches"
she passed out when the alien grabbed her, looks like. So all the narration along the way was while she was unconscious? The pearl city does kinda look like the inside of a clam
Submitted April 11, 2014 at 6:00PM
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Peaches, like with Prince Valiant there's an omniscient third person narrator. A storyteller if you will.
Submitted April 11, 2014 at 7:38PM
*Guest*
Guest post by "Jasae Bushae"
@ J Gray
Out of curiosity, how many characters do you intend to spotlight? Or do you intend to eventually cover every overlooked heroine of the golden age?
Submitted April 12, 2014 at 3:12PM
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March 8, 2014
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I already have about twenty names on my list - mostly characters but a few creators as well. Heck, there are over 150 pages of Futura stories! I could do nothing but that for a whole year... and I've already been asked to revisit her in the future. I might make her a once a month feature.
Submitted April 12, 2014 at 5:36PM
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