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The Space Patrol Strips in The Beezer - part 2 The thrilling adventures of Captain Dart and the crew of his Galasphere in the year 2100. It is also unfortunate that, owing to the copyright problems associated with the strip being based on a television series, the strip has never been reprinted after its initial run nor syndicated for use in other countries. Considering the popularity of the series in the US as Planet Patrol, the original artwork would have been ideal in producing a comic book tie-in in the States. However, according to the Syndication Department at D.C. Thomson, all the original black and white artwork still exists in the their own archives and they almost certainly retain the copyright for their usage. All it would take is for an agreement to be struck with the holders of the copyright of the television series itself (presumably Roberta Leigh and/or Network Video) for these to see the light of day again... Concluding the complete story guide to Space Patrol in The Beezer comic. The titles for each installment or story, where given, come from the 'next week' caption of the previous issue: Story Five: Writer: Unknown Drawn by Terry Patrick Part One: 'The mystery of the shrinking space-man' Issue 571, dated 24/12/1966  Captain Larry Dart grinned as he handed over the controls of Galasphere 347 to Slim the Venusian. "All quiet, Slim," he said. "Four more hours and we head back to Earth! D'you know, I missed the last two Christmasses on Earth. Last year I was on a special mission to Mars, and the year before that I was on duty patrol. Well, 2100's going to be different! Tomorrow, I'll sit down to a real Christmas tuck-in!" But Captain Dart spoke too soon. For at that moment, the space-ship radio crackled into life...The call is a distress signal from Rocket Ship Zero One Two requesting immediate assistance. Homing in on the signal's strength, Dart is surprised to see nothing in the area but suddenly there is a noise as something hits the outer hull. Slim is dispatched to investigate and is amazed to find the rocket which is now only two foot long! Taking the tiny occupant inside, they find he is Lee Martin from Earth who was on routine patrol until he passed the planet Migor and found himself like this. Galasphere 347 homes in on the planet but as it nears the controls stop responding. Dart manages to bring the Galasphere in for a landing but unknown to the crew, they have landed in the palm of a giant's hand... Part Two: 'The 'Giant' of Migor' Issue 572, dated 31/12/1966 But hardly had Husky spoken when a furry shape scuttled along a shelf and came swinging down on to the web. The spider had returned! Part Three: 'The spider attacks' Issue 573, dated 07/01/1967 But even as the spider scuttled across the web, a voice snapped into Dart's ear. It was Lee Martin, a fellow space-pilot who had been made even smaller by the shrinking ray. "Your knife, Larry!" he snapped. "Get out your knife! Slash through the web!" As the strand is cut Dart, Slim and Husky swing down to a table top with the spider in pursuit. A glue-pot provides a solution, and tipping the container over into the spider's path the creature becomes stuck! Sliding down the table leg, the small space patrol men find the laboratory, narrowly avoiding discovery as 'Egghead' emerges. Sending Lee under the narrow gap in the door, Dart is hopeful they may find a way of returning themselves to normal size inside. But when the door swung open, there was no tiny Lee to greet them! Instead, the three space-men found themselves looking at a pair of normal-size boots! Slowly, helplessly, their gaze travelled upwards... Part Four: 'Trapped by the Shrinking Ray' Issue 574, dated 14/01/1967   out of 5Notes: • Probably the best story of the run, with shrinking being a familiar theme from the television series. • The first part of the story is set on December 24th 2100 with Dart discussing spending Christmas on Earth, coinciding with the Christmas Eve release of that issue in 1966. Incidentally, does this mean the subsequent stories are set in 2101? • The size of the Galasphere upon its landing in the hand of the giant 'Egg-head' shows it to be only about an inch across but in subsequent frames it is shown to be more toy-sized. • The use of the miniaturised rocket to knock 'Egg-head' out is more in line with the feel of the series, and the destruction of the lab by the growing Galasphere is also a nice touch. • Presented with 'Egg-head's gun at the end of the story, Raeburn exclaims, "A gun that shrinks people or brings them back to normal size? You must be joking, Dart!" - again, very true to the series! Writer: Unknown Drawn by Terry Patrick Part One: Issue 575, dated 21/01/1967 For once, Colonel Raeburn was far from his desk of Space Patrol headquarters. While his second-in-command on Earth controlled the Galasphere space-ships, Raeburn was enjoying a well-earned holiday on the planet Minar with his little daughter, Tessa. But the peace of his holiday was soon to be shattered... Tessa dives into the swimming pool, to be grabbed underwater by a mysterious frogman who slips a breathing mask over her face and drags her through an outlet. When she doesn't surface, Raeburn dives in only to find a ransom note demanding £10,000. The dismayed colonel calls on Space Patrol and the nearby Galasphere 347 responds immediately. As Raeburn explains the situation to Dart and his men, a small rocket smashes through the window and a recorded message from it gives instructions for delivering the money. With time close to the deadline, the Galasphere crew have no option but to take the money in the hope of tailing the crooks when they collect. Slim places the case in the telephone kiosk as ordered and the space patrol men get ready to follow when a man arrives to collect it. Part Two: Issue 576, dated 28/01/1967 PHUT! The magnetic bullet from Dart's gun clung to its target - and straightaway began to 'bleep' a message back to the three spacemen! Dart's quick action means the rapidly disappearing kiosk can be tracked by a detector, which the three space patrol men do. In deserted grounds on the outskirts of the city, Dart, Slim and Husky can find no trace but unknown to them they are being watched and a hidden hatch opens under them! Slim manages to grab the edge and haul himself out, using a grappling hook from the patrol buggy to gain access to the top floor of the nearest building. Inside, Dart and Husky are being held by kidnapper Fleck and his henchman. Realising one of the them is missing, Fleck asks Dart where he is. The answer comes from Slim, sliding down the bannister to hit Fleck squarely in the back. In a brief struggle, the kidnappers are overpowered.  out of 5Notes: • A short and undeveloped story, but one packed with gadgets that are seemingly inspired by The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and other 1960s spy series. • And we're not saying anything about where the idea for the flying phone box came from either! • Raeburn has a young daughter, seemingly around 7 or 8, but no Mrs Raeburn is apparent. • The rendezvous for the ransom money is at the junction of Venus Avenue and Jupiter Freeway. • The cover of issue 577 features the popular character 'Ginger' reading his copy of The Beezer, and mentions several strips including Space Patrol (see image in Part One). Story Seven: Writer: Unknown Drawn by Terry Patrick Like a sentinel guarding the last relics of old London, the statue of Lord Nelson looked down on Trafalgar Square. It was the year 2100, and the new London was a city of skyscrapers - but the sightseers who came to the capital in their sky-cruisers and hovercars still made their way to Nelson's Column. And then, one morning, as the usual crowds milled around the towering column, it disappeared - VANISHED BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES! Similarly, around the world, the Sphinx in Egypt, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the American Statue of Liberty also disappear. Colonel Raeburn summons Larry Dart and his crew to investigate when he receives a ransom document, threatening to make ten vital buildings disappear every day until his demands are met. With the note is a photograph showing the missing monumnets on another planet, which Dart is able to identify as Nimbus. After a three day flight, Galasphere 347 reaches the alien world and lands. Using hover-jets, Dart, Husky and Slim start to explore... But as the three space-men sped across the barren landscape, a strangely-shaped hoverplane slid out from behind a rocky outcrop and set off in pursuit. Already, Dart and his crew-men were in deadly danger! Swiftly and silently, the hover-plane overtook the three space-men. Too late, Slim the Venusian sensed the danger behind him. A long snake-like arm stretched out and snatched him from his hover-jet! As Slim cries out, Dart and Husky pursue but the alien hover-plane leaves them standing! Noticing the craft holding him has a tele-view lens, Slim uses his pen to squirt ink at the 'eye'. Dropping speed and veering wildly, the craft smashes into a cliff throwing Slim clear. Dart and Husky catch up and rejoining Slim, they discover the pilot to be a small robot. No sooner have they pulled it from the weckage than a new danger threatens. The ground cracks and heaves, and the space patrol men suddenly find themselves trapped by shining robotic snakes! Like some strange serpents, the robot "snakes" of Nimbus planet reared their menacing heads at Captain Larry Dart and his two crew-men. For a moment, Dart forgot the tiny robot in his arms - the robot they had found in the wreckage of an enemy hovership they had brought down - but suddenly, it whined into life and rapped out an order to the snakes - "Strike... strike... STRIKE!" Twin streaks of lightning flash from the robots' 'fangs', knocking Dart, Husky and Slim unconscious. As the snakes withdraw into the ground, the small robot signals a hovership to pick up the prisoners. In flight, the space patrol men recover and see the stolen monuments as their captors fly past them en route to their base. Imprisoned, Dart can stare out of a barred window when he spies a monkey picking fruit from a nearby tree. Tempting it with his shiny watch, Dart is able to get the monkey to come to the window where he is able to grab the fruit, which he uses to spread syrup on the floor. Getting Husky to lure the robot guard into the cell, it becomes stuck and an escape bid is made... Part Four: 'The secret weapon strikes again' Issue 580, dated 25/02/1967 "RUN FOR IT!" Captain Larry Dart's shout echoed along the deserted corridor of the prison on Nimbus planet - and out of their cell scrambled the space pilot's two crew-mates. Close behind them, Dart side-stepped the robot guard struggling in the sticky trap they had set, and followed the others outside. They were free - but they still had a mission to complete before they could leave Nimbus... Part Five: 'Trapped by the robot patrol' Issue 581, dated 04/03/1967 Dart let fly with one of the electro-guns they had captured. ZIPP! The streak of lightning hit its target and the robot dropped lifeless. But before Dart could fire again, the others had run for cover. A firefight ensues between the trapped space patrol men and the robots from behind a large pipeline. A trap-door in the control room reveals fast flowing water. Dart suddenly has the idea of using ink to colour the water to determine how long it takes to reach the outlet to the nearby river. Using grenades found in the building, Dart sets the fuses to coincide with the point at which they will be close to the robots - with spectacular results! With the robot patrol dealt with, the remaining grenades are used to destroy the control building and their mission complete, Dart and his men return to the Galasphere.  out of 5Notes: • There are some nice ingenius touches, and depriving the crew of their weapons means they have to use their brains - until they obtain some of the robots' electro-guns and grenades 'as if by magic' in the final part. • Slim also obtains a bottle of red ink 'as if by magic' in the final part to colour the water. Nice idea but where did the ink come from! (Mind you, the robots did write a ransom note so maybe... ) • The small robot who Dart pulls from the wreckage is called Ikon, and another robot - possibly the leader - is referred to as Myno but never seen. • Slim is seen to quip "Tch - Shocking, shocking" after electrocuting one of the robots. • The motive of the robots in stealing the monuments is never really explained fully either. Writer: Unknown Drawn by Terry Patrick Part One: 'Pirates in Space' Issue 582, dated 11/03/1967 For three days and three nights, the unmanned Freighter 171 sped through space en route from Venus to Earth. Then suddenly, and without reason, the big, radio-controlled space ship changed course - and headed straight for a distant meteor storm! Deaf to the urgent radio signals from Earth, she plunged into the deadly "rain"... Leaving the shower a battered, scarred hulk, the lifeless freighter is swooped upon to two rocket ships. On Earth, the lost of the freighter - the sixth in the space of a month -is reported to Colonel Raeburn who immediately summons the crew of Galasphere 347. Space agents have reported that they believe a man by the name of 'Black Patch' - potentially a space pirate - may be responsible. Raeburn has a plan, and Galasphere 347 is despatched to escort Freighter 240. As before, the freighter veers off course into a meteor shower but the Galasphere is able to use the ship as a shield as they pass through it. But as one danger passes, another appears - for two rocket ships are homing in on them, and Larry Dart doesn't think they are friendly... With the pirates only five minutes away, the crew of Galasphere 347 act fast. Donning space-suits, Dart and Slim head over to the wrecked freighter while Husky takes the Galasphere out of range. Four men travel over from the rockets, and the space patrol men are able to ambush them and get information on the base of Black Patch - the Antarctic! However, Black Patch has chosen well and in the white expanses of snow, no-one can approach his space-ship or the aerial mast used to alter the freighters unseen. But some nearby penguins sliding on nearby ice slopes gives Dart an idea. Slim rigs up a dummy penguin with a radio-controlled bomb which slides ignored to the base of the mast - where Slim detonates it with devestating impact! The aeriel teeters and falls onto the ship, leaving the stunned pirates to be rounded up... Half an hour later, all the pirates were safely trussed up in the Galasphere, and Captain Dart set course for home. "Better radio H.Q., Husky, " he said. "Tell them we're on the way back - mission completed!" out of 5• The freighters are marked 'AUTO FREIGHTER' with their number, and are a nice sleek design. • Black Patch is only ever seen in a photo in Raeburn's report, never in person - though he is referred to being pulled from the wreckage of his ship at the conclusion. • The idea of using a bird to plant an explosive is strangely reminiscent of Paul Starr, an unsold pilot film made after Space Patrol. • Galaspheres apparently have a stock of, or the means to make, dummy penguins! • The Space Patrol strip was replaced the following week by a strip called 'Dee For Danger'. Back to TV Comic
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