CAPTAIN FUTURE

   US PULP MAGAZINE, 17 issues Winter 1940-Spring 1944, quarterly (but Fall 1943 missing). Published by Better Publications; ed Leo MARGULIES with Mort WEISINGER (1940-41) and Oscar J. FRIEND (1941-4). A companion magazine to STARTLING STORIES and THRILLING WONDER STORIES, CF was an attempt to establish a SPACE-OPERA equivalent to the popular SUPERHERO pulps (DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE and the like). Each issue ran a complete novel about tall, cheerful, red-headed Curt Newton, alias Captain Future, "Wizard of Science" or "Man of Tomorrow" according to the magazine's successive subtitles. With his trio of assistants, "Grag, the giant, metal robot; Otho, the man-made, synthetic android; and aged Simon Wright, the living Brain", he thwarted a succession of evil (and, more often than not, green) foes. All but two of the novels were written by Edmond HAMILTON (whom see for details), twice under the house name Brett STERLING. They were later reprinted in paperback form. After CF had become a casualty of WWII paper shortages, the character continued to appear intermittently in Startling Stories to 1946, and again 1950-51. CF also serialized some abridged reprints from WONDER STORIES and published a few short stories, including Fredric BROWN's debut, "Not Yet the End" (1941). Like its companion magazines at that period, CF was unabashedly juvenile in its appeal.

   MJE/PN