The Classics - Mystery In Space #81

It would be difficult to name a favorite DC comic book character from the 1960s.

I was a big fan of The Flash and Green Lantern, and always looked forward to their adventures - but if you forced me to choose, I'd say my favorite character was Adam Strange, whose adventures appeared in Mystery in Space.

He was just a regular man - an archeologist who was struck by the Zeta-Beam, which immediately teleported him to the distant planet Rann. Thanks to his quick wits and scientific knowledge, he became the planet's greatest hero.

After a set period of time, the effects of the beam would wear off and he'd return to Earth. In every issue he would intercept the Zeta-Beam (now that he knew where it would strike) and be whisked to Rann, usually just in time to face an apparently unbeatable menace.

There were several reasons to like the comic - the stories (mostly written by an uncredited Gardener Fox) were clever, they were usually based in science fact, the stories played fair with the reader but always managed a good twist, Adam got to fly around via a jetpack, and Adam was a likeable character, overcoming his lack of superpowers and defeating the bad guys with his intellect.

But the best thing about the comic had to be the art by Carmine Infantino. The book gave him lots of room to invent exotic locales, alien architecture, strange weapons and any number of monstrous opponents. He was at the peak of his powers here, and few in the business could match his slick, professional style.

Another thing I liked about the comic was that it seemed more adult. Adam was in love with Alanna, the beautiful daughter of the scientist who invented the Zeta-Beam. That's what kept drawing him back to Rann, and their relationship was free of the usual secret identity shenanigans that occupied most heroes. They loved each other and fought the bad guys as a team.

Of course, the comic owes a lot to past heroes like John Carter of Mars and Buck Rogers - but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

I picked this issue as today's "Classic" because it's the first issue I remember seeing. Cover dated February 1963, I read it at my cousin Jamie's house, and the cover stuck in my mind - you can see why.

The comic features a full-length adventure that has Adam facing two menaces - on Earth, he has to deal with a Cloud-Creature that freezes time - and on Rann, he must face a foe who holds an unbeatable weapon and is able to read Adam's mind!

But Adam is definitely the luckiest hero around - while most of them were trying to preserve their secret IDs, Adam was kissing two different Alannas on two different planets!

Grade: A-