The TV Comic Space Patrol Strips - Part Two

An overview of Space Patrol in TV Comic

Space Patrol on television was aimed at children or, at best, a family audience. Educational and moral concepts which kids could ask their parents while watching are abdundant. With the strip in TV Comic Roberta Leigh, as with her own children's books, was aware that children would probably be reading these alone and so had to change her approach slightly.

For one, with an average of five parts per story, the pace is a lot faster. After a couple of stories Professor Haggarty, who rarely left Earth in the series, became an unofficial fourth member of the crew of Galasphere 347. This meant that stories did not have to refer back to Earth for advice or information and as such Colonel Raeburn and Marla disappear into the background, only usually making appearances in the opening parts when an introductory briefing is required.

Like the series, the stories vary between the grimly dramatic - The Poisoned Planet stands up there with classics The Robot Revolution and The Invisible Invasion - to the humourous The Blue World, to the rather limp efforts of The Great Gold Bullion Robbery and The Hollow Moon, which recall similar episodes like The Forgers. And like the series, it is the ideas and visual realisation, rather than the scripts themselves, which hold the attention. While dull in story terms, The Great Gold Bullion Robbery gives Bill Mevin a chance to shine with a colourful and beautifully realised alien environment.

The use of weapons comes to the fore as well, though whether Roberta Leigh felt Larry Dart and his crew were almost always defenceless is not known. After the plastafoam guns make appearances in the second and third stories, the crew - including Haggarty - suddenly wear holsters and pistols as standard though, in all fairness, it was rare for anyone to be shot and killed. This is a marked contrast to the stories that would appear a year later in The Beezer, which in many ways was Space Patrol in name only.

The use of weapons as last resort still echoed the morality which, for the most part, was retained though it was not as rigourously signposted as on television. Because of their far briefer stories, it is the one-off strip in the Holiday Special and the first in the Annual that give an Aesop-type message at the end.

On the whole, the strip signals what could have been the way ahead for the series if it had continued - faster, more colourful but still with a moral and educational ethos in the background...


For ease of reference, titles have now been allocated to stories one, and three through eleven. We have tried to keep them in the same vein as the televised titles.

Story Six: 'The Planet Of Fear'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 692, dated 20/03/1965
Responding to a distress signal near Saturn, Galasphere 347 discovers a small planet. The signal is coming from there so Dart lands to investigate. On the airless, waterless surface they are amazed to discover a form of plant life. But the ugly thorned bushes are alive and advance on them....

Part Two: Issue 693, dated 27/03/1965
Dart, Husky and Haggarty flee across a chasm, which they leap over easily in the low gravity, and the plants plunge into the depths. They barely have time to recover their wits before they are attacked by another menace - vicious quadrapeds. A battle ensues and the patrol men fend off the creatures. But Haggarty believes all the life they have seen are one and the same - and they can change form into anything they like...

Part Three: Issue 694, dated 03/04/1965
Haggarty is right, and a new many-tentacled threat attacks Dart. He and the others flee back to the Galasphere, where the thorn plants surround the ship. Husky prepares to lift off but Dart stops him. He is convinced the creatures are trying to frighten them away but they can be fought. With that, Dart opens the airlock...

Part Four: Issue 695, dated 10/04/1965
Using the low gravity, Dart leaps over the thorn plants. Realising that they are simply trying to instill fear, Dart leads Husky and Haggarty to the marooned ship they were searching for. The four crew had nearly given up hope, having been trapped by the creatures for weeks, but now help is at hand.

out of 5

Notes:
• A superb story and intriguing idea, especially for children, that by overcoming fear you can do anything.
• In the first part, Haggarty states “ ...there are dozens of small planets, no more than chunks of rock a-travelling around the sun.” - seemingly Roberta Leigh's 'get-out clause' for introducing other small, strange worlds than the ones seen in the TV series.
• In their original form, the shape-changing creatures resemble large starfish.
• With issue 695, the Space Patrol title flash changes from blue to yellow.


Story Seven: 'The Power Thieves'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 696, dated 17/04/1965
A great glowing orb of metal lands in coastal marshlands near a small nuclear power station. Massive metallic claws reach out and scoop the station into the orb before it lifts into space again. Dart is alerted and with Professor Haggarty aboard, Galasphere 347 gives chase. But a second orb passes the fleeind first orb, straight on a collision course with them....

Part Two: Issue 697, dated 24/04/1965
Dart takes drastic evasive actions and avoids the orb. They follow the first orb back to its point of origin - a vast spaceship - and land on its hull. Spying a vent, Dart, along with Haggarty, takes his crew inside but beyond the end of the vent they see a vast hand. The ship is crewed by giants...

Part Three: Issue 698, dated 31/04/1965
Dart and the others try to explore the vast ship but they are trapped on a table top and have a long perilous descent to ground level. An alarm sounds, deafening the crew, and in the chaos one of the giants drops a tool. Reaching for it, the crew cower in fear of being discovered...

Part Four: Issue 699, dated 07/05/1965
They are saved when another giant hurries the first along but the tiny crew have no time to think before they are scooped up on the front of a vehicle. In a vast laboratory, they watch as the power station is unloaded from an orb. Dart thinks they are scientists studying Earth but Haggarty is outraged that the men in the station may be harmed. Then two giants arrive, carrying an object between them - their Galasphere...

Part Five: Issue 700, dated 14/05/1965
Realising they must act to protect the men in the station, Dart fires at one of the giants. Knowing it will not kill them, all four open fire. The giants advance angrily at the stinging pain of their weapons until stopped by their leader. Shining a ‘translator ray’ on Dart, the leader explains their mission and an accord is reached. But their gift of an advanced power system is so alien, Haggarty and every other scientist on Earth is baffled by it!

out of 5

Notes:
• An interesting story, though the giants initially come over as a bit of a cliche.
• In the opening part, we see Bill Mevin's take on monobiles (right) - large, cigar-shaped transports in transparent tubes. Very nice!
• Perhaps a little too conveniently, the vehicle the aliens use has a net across the front that scoops up the tiny Space Patrol crew, rather than crushing them.
• The giant leader’s speech to a tiny Dart in the final part is of particular note “You are creatures of courage... Brave little things of great cleverness.”
• The final 'twist', that the alien's power system is so alien as to be useless is an interesting touch.


Story Eight: 'The Plants Of Flora'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 701, dated 21/05/1965
Colonel Raeburn is briefing Dart and his men on planet ‘Flora’, so named for its wonderful plant life, but where two ships have vanished without trace. Galasphere 347, with Haggarty aboard, journeys to Flora and lands next to the other two Galaspheres. Exploring, The beautiful Floran plants seem to be like a vast garden, and Dart has a suspicion that whoever tends it is watching them! He is right, as Haggarty spies a small, brown, native humanoid running away and they give chase. Splitting up to search along seperate paths, Slim marks a tree to show the path being taken but suddenly he feels something on his arm and is dragged into the shadows...

Part Two: Issue 702, dated 28/05/1965
Dart and the others search for Slim but find no trace of him. Intrigued by the plants, Haggarty starts to take specimens but he is attacked by creepers and dragged away. As Dart and Husky investigate his cry for help, Husky sees another Floran humanoid and gives chase. Too late Dart realises what is hapening and shouts a warning not to damage the plants. Husky is grabbed by green tendrils and lifted off the ground...

Part Three: Issue 703, dated 05/06/1965
Helpless, Dart watches as the Martian is tossed from tree to tree away from him. Alone, the captain proceeds cautiously through the landscape, taking care not to harm any more plants. He discovers more of the humanoid Florans, and the missing men working alongside them in a thorned bordered field. They are tending the plants, who are the true masters of this world. Dart is suddenly hailed by Haggarty, who is also toiling away as punishment for harming the plants. Despite a warning from the professor, Dart pulls his gun and opens fire at the thorny plants...

Part Four: Issue 704, dated 12/06/1965
The plants surrounding their ‘slaves’ retaliate and fire their thorns at Dart, who narrowly escapes by diving into a lake. Escaping grasping tendrils and slashing briars, he approaches the clearing where the Galasphere is landed, only to be encompassed by a blizzard of fine plant down...

Part Five: Issue 705, dated 19/06/1965
Quickly Dart produces his pocket lighter and taking a risk, lights it. The down ignites in a firestorm which Dart is able to fight his way through to the safety of the Galasphere. He lifts off, which Husky and the others see, making them think Dart has abandoned them. But it is Haggarty who realises the only way to rescue them is for the Galasphere to land right next to them. The Galasphere crews battle their way to the landed ship as the plants hurl thorned fruits at them. With Haggarty, Husky, Slim and the other crews safely aboard, the Galasphere heads home....

out of 5

Notes:
• Another reasonable story, although the nature of the plant creatures is pretty obvious early on.
• This is the only TV Comic strip in which we see Galaspheres other than 347, although one had been mentioned in story two, The Great Gold Bullion Robbery, and two others feature in 'The Monsters', in the TV Comic Holiday Special.
• The other Galaspheres are also coloured reddish,suggesting they have rusted slightly. This would imply the crews had been lost on Flora for some time .
• It is also implied that although the Floran plant creatures are the dominant life form, they and the small humanoids may actually co-exist relatively peacefully together, and that the 'slave camp' is actually a kind of 'prison' for those who harm the plants.
• Among the 'prisoners' seen are another human and a Venusian space patrol crewmember.
• Dart carries a pocket lighter - does this mean he smokes? (see also Super Mag Issue 24).
• Interestingly, in August 2000, a real asteroid was discovered between Mars and Jupiter and designated ‘Flora’. It is about 140 miles in diameter.


Story Nine: 'The Hollow Moon'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 706, dated 26/06/1965
Cities are being shaken by burrowing termoid creatures weakening the foundations of buildings. Raeburn is convinced the termoids are aliens but at a loss as to their origin. Haggarty has just finished his ‘hollow Moon’ theory but Raeburn is too wrapped up in the termoid problem to let Galasphere 347 take him there. Disgruntled, Haggarty goes to Dawlish Lunalt Mining who mine the Moon for minerals but shortly after Raeburn receives a distress signal from him...

Part Two: Issue 707, dated 03/07/1965
Galasphere 347 is despatched and finds Haggarty adrift in space. The professor had been telling Dawlish of his theory when the man knocked him out and set him adrift. Landing at Dawlish’s mining city, Dart and the others investigate. But Dawlish, panicking at the sight of them, opens a valve and an avalanche of molten rock sweeps towards them...

Part Three: Issue 708, dated 10/07/1965
Dart and his crew are able to leap out of the way in the low gravity and see the fleeing Dawlish. They give chase into the underground mining tunnels but as they explore, the side of one tunnel bulges and starts to fall towards them...

Part Four: Issue 709, dated 17/07/1965
A termoid shoots out of the tunnel wall and burrows into the opposite side. Haggarty sees their appearance here as proof of his hollow Moon theory but Dart is more concerned with Dawlish. Cornering him, Dawlish explains he took the termoids to Earth when they threatened to destroy his mining city but now they have been discovered they will destroy everything on the Earth and Moon...

Part Five: Issue 710, dated 24/07/1965
Dart decides the only way to stop the termoids is to use the Lunalt ore that they cannot burrow through. The quickest way is to crash a ship full of ore into the mine to act as a giant plug. Dart decides he must go alone but Dawlish overpowers him and crashes the ship himself. Having ejected at the last minute, Dawlish has realised the error of his ways and helps in the rebuilding of the cities on Earth.

out of 5

Notes:
• The termoids are the most unbelieveable elements - while the creatures themselves are okay, it is their little burrowing machines (a bit like the Mole from Thunderbirds) that stretches credulity here.
• Interestingly, in the final part, Dawlish is referred to as helping in the rebuilding of London - implying (as seen in the first part) this may be where Space Headquarters is located...


Story Ten: 'Shock Tactic'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 711, dated 31/07/1965
Raiders have attacked and looted three ships in the space of a week. Galasphere 347 is despatched to investigate but on arriving in the area finds Freight ship G722 already attacked. The surviving crew explain the raiders used a massive electrical charge, against which they had no defence - and neither does the Galasphere...

Part Two: Issue 712, dated 07/08/1965
Dart notices that the freighter has cans of rubber paint in the hold and uses it to insulate Galasphere 347.A long hunt for the raiders ensues, but is rewarded when the attack is repulsed. The raiders flee but Dart opens fire and cripples the ship. Slim, Husky and Haggarty spacewalk over to the raider ship to deal with the crew...

Part Three: Issue 713, dated 14/08/1965
On board, the three men are cautious but does not prevent them from being overpowered by a robotic creature with a net gun. Dart is contacted by Voltek, the commander of the ship, who wants to bargain with his hostages. He agrees one man can go free if Dart comes across as an exchange hostage. Realising it may be a trap, Dart can only agree but it is Voltek - clamped in a chair on the ship - who rejoices his freedom...

Part Four: Issue 714, dated 21/08/1965
As Dart arrives, Voltek is freed and robots seize the Space Patrol captain, placing him in Voltek’s chair which clamps him in as a prisoner. Voltek explains the chair was his punishment for space piracy - the robots would do anything but free him unless someone agreed to take his place. Haggarty was watching Voltek and he tells Dart how to control the robots, freeing them from their bonds. But Voltek has got to Galasphere 347 and is escaping...

Part Five: Issue 715, dated 28/08/1965
Husky and Dart use the robots to fix stolen weapons to the hull of Voltek's ship and fire at the Galasphere, crippling it. The robots are despatched to recapture Voltek, who resists futilely. Haggarty has devised a way of freeing Dart and he, Husky and Slim volunteer to replace the captain at the same time. Dart's bonds open but the robots try to fit all three of the men in the chair at the same time, causing them to blow a fuse. With Voltek their captive, the space patrol team return to the Galasphere to repair it and return home.

out of 5

Notes:
• There are some nice touches to the story, with Voltek not being revealed as a prisoner until the end of part three.
• Curiously the space patrol crew, including Haggarty, are seen wearing full spacesuits for their trip to Voltek's ship, and continue to wear them through to the conclusion of the story.
• However, the robot's revealed as guarding Voltek, and obeying his will, could not possibly be the raiders seen in the first part...
• The solution to Dart's imprisonment is also interesting and clever.
• However, the convenient cargo of 'rubber paint' allows Galasphere 347 to be protected a little too easily...
• It is interesting to note that rubber paint (i.e. latex) was also used in the making of the puppet faces in the pilot film Paul Starr.


Story Eleven: 'The Price Of Freedom'
Written by Roberta Leigh. Drawn by Bill Mevin

Part One: Issue 716, dated 04/09/1965
The small peaceful world of Larta is on the fringe of the galaxy but space bandits terrorise the inhabitants regularly and plunder their crops. A young Lartan called Sked contacts Space Patrol for help. Raeburn is reluctant - Larta is beyond their patrol zone and not being a member of the Galactic Union, the planet is not entitled to help. However Marla pleads the case to assist them and Raeburn changes his mind. On its next patrol, Galasphere 347 is despatched to the distant world but on landing the crew are attacked by Lartans...

Part Two: Issue 717, dated 11/09/1965
The attacking Lartans are stopped by Sked, who explains they thought the Space Patrol crew were more bandits. Dart realises the Lartan city and peaceful inhabitants is a sitting target for the space bandits, and not easy to defend with a single Galasphere - however, three or four could do it. Unseen by Dart while he is musing, Haggarty abducted by a group of Lartans. But as Dart turns to ask the professor for a second opinion, Sked explains he is safe but he will be held captive until the bandits are defeated...

Part Three: Issue 718, dated 18/09/1965
Haggarty is incensed at his captors, even though he is being well treated in pleasant quarters. Dart has no option but to repel the next bandit attack and he doesn’t have long to wait. Bandit craft seem to appear from nowhere and the Galasphere destroys several of them. Landing to investigate, Dart and his men spy two bandits placing a device outside the city. Believing it to be a bomb, Dart waits for them to leave and throws it into space just as it explodes...

Part Four: Issue 719, dated 25/09/1965
The Lartan city sudders under at the detonation but Dart notices the bandit ships are reappearing in the oddest places, with one smashing into the surface of the planet. After several more crashes, the bandits stop arriving and the remaining ones pull out. Realising what has happened Dart asks Sked if they can make a powerful explosive, out of the chemicals they use to feed their crops, that can shift Larta from its current orbit. The larger detonation moves Larta from its expected position, causing the bandits to materialise in deep space where they are easy targets for the Galasphere. Dart is sure that they will not return after such a defeat, and another explosive charge is left to shift Larta's orbit again if they do. Haggarty is freed and, with the future of Larta secured, the Galasphere returns home.

out of 5

Notes:
• Like the television series, the strip showed some sign of running out of steam towards the end, but this story has some nice redeeming features.
• The Lartans are colonists from Earth - pioneers who left many years ago.
• Raeburn's mention of 'the Galactic Union' may be a reference to the UGO.
• There is an error in part one, when it states Galasphere 347 is leaving Earth of the 21st century.
• As in the series, the strip makes the mistake of referring to our solar system as a 'galaxy'. If Larta were actually on the fringe of the galaxy it would take tens of thousands of years to reach.
• Haggarty's abduction is also nicely realised, never referred to in the dialogue or speech while it is happening, though Sked is aware of the event and suggesting this was his plan all along.
• Dart's closing speech - in response to Haggarty's question about what they got out of the endeavour - sums up nicely the philosophy of the series and makes a nice conclusion to the strip: “The pride of having helped someone... and the thought that we have many more such struggles and battles ahead of us in future... after all, that’s why we belong to Space Patrol.”.
• Space Patrol was replaced in the centre pages the following week by Doctor Who, making its debut in colour and again drawn by Bill Mevin.


And so Space Patrol came to an end in the weekly TV Comic, but the story was not quite over.


With thanks to David Mirfin, David Brunt and the Book Palace.