Captain Future Yesterday
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CAPTAIN FUTURE YESTERDAY’S MAN OF TOMORROW by Will Murray Edmond Hamilton was possibly the ture's device which intercepted most famous name in pulp science light rays that had traveled off fiction during the thirties. He into space, thus enabling him to was a pioneer, a master of a then- see events in the past. Superman new form, called "Space Opera." needed no such device to accomplish In an absolute sense, he was to this handy feat, however. One of pulp SF what George Lucas is to film Future's sidekicks, as outlined SF today: a giant. As such, he by Weisinger, was a robot construct was the logical choice to write ed in Future's likeness, designed Standard Publications' new SF hero, to substitute for him in emergen Captain Future, who was created cies. This is the source for Super by Editorial Director Leo Margulies man's robots. and editor Mort Weisinger in re This unnamed robot, along with sponse to the First World Science the other supporting characters, Fiction Convention held in New York which included a tiny, rubylike in the summer of 1939. Margulies, alien named Otho, which Future wore the story goes, attended the conven set in a ring (!), and Simon Wright, tion out of curiosity, and was a walking encyclopedia with a photo struck by this early manifestation graphic memory, but no initiative of organized fandom. "1 didn't of his own, were an unwieldy group. think you fans could be so damn When Margulies and Weisinger hired sincere," he blurted. Huddling Hamilton to take on the series, with Weisinger, they created a char the latter objected loudly to this acter they called "Mr. Future, Wiz supporting cast, and over a series ard of Science," who would best of meetings Hamilton and the others be described as a futuristic version refined the entire concept. The of Doc Savage. Weisinger, still robot became Grag, a hulking mechan years away from editing Superman, ical man who combined strength and wrote a long prospectus for the good-natured loyalty; Otho was turn character, which he outlined as ed into a white-skinned, emerald a genetic superman who battled evil eyed android who possessed the wit in the twenty-first century along and intelligence Grag did not; and with a trio of alien sidekicks. Simon Wright was recast as an elder An extremely gimmick-minded editor, ly scientist who, at death, had he must have thought Doc Savage his brain encased in a transparent the greatest series in history, box fitted with artificial eyes because everywhere he went he and force beams for mobility. Ham brought Doc Savage ideas with him. ilton dubbed the trio the Futuremen, (He was a personal friend of Doc's and somewhere along the line Mr. main writer, Lester Dent.) Future was rechristened Captain But Weisinger had ideas of his Future. own, too. A couple of them appeared The end product of all this work in the Mr. Future prospectus and was a novel, Capta in Future and were never used. They later showed the Space Emperor, which appeared up in Superman when Weisinger took in the Fall 1939 issue of Captain over that comic. One was Mr. Fu Future. The quarterly was subtitled 53 54 / Astro-Adventures "Wizard of Science," which became his wife. In revenge, Grag and "Man of Tomorrow" not long after Otho killed Corvo barehanded, and Superman acquired that particular a dying Elaine Newton entrusted nickname. Hamilton's first Captain the upbringing of her infant son Future novel attracted its share to the inhuman trio. of attention. Lester Dent read True to her wishes, Simon Wright, it, probably at Weisinger's urging, Grag and Otho raised Curt Newton and decided Hamilton had done such in the solitude of the moon, teach a good job imitating the Doc Savage ing him, acting as surrogate parents style that Dent asked Hamilton to and ultimately transforming him ghost Doc Savage. Hamilton declin into a physical and intellectual ed. He was too busy. Humorist superman along a program obviously S. J. Perelman also picked up that borrowed from Doc Savage— but which premier issue and it inspired him really goes back to the 1880s and to pen an article for the New Yorker Nick Carter. When he reached matur titled "Captain Future, Block That ity, Curt Newton, scientist and Kick!" It consisted of a rather adventurer, dedicated himself to arch plot synopsis of the novel preserving the future of the solar to make Hamilton and his hero look system against the forces of evil silly. Still, Perelman did admit and took the name of Captain Future. that "Beside Captain Future, Wizard He was not a Doc Savage clone, how of Science, Flash Gordon and the ever. He was a brash, boyishly Emperor Ming pale to a couple of cocky redhead who may have owed nursery tots chewing on Holland much to C. L. Moore's grim space- rusk." But perhaps even that much farer, Northwest Smith. was not meant to be complimentary. As Captain Future, Newton patrol- Captain Future and the Space ed the solar system in his tear Emperor may not have been the great shaped ship, the Comet, which could est SF novel of all time, but it perfectly imitate the look of a was good, escapist pulp, recounting comet in flight when necessary. Captain Future's battle with the He always wore a gray or green zip evil Space Emperor, who is fomenting per suit (although the Earle Bergey unrest on Jupiter where Earthmen covers invariably showed him attired co-exist peacefully with the native in red or blue spacesuits) and car Jovians. The Space Emperor is the ried a worn proton-pistol cowboy- first of the many super-criminals style. The rest of the system, Captain Future chased around the including the Planet Police, had solar system. Others included the to content themselves with crummy Wrecker, The Life-Lord, Dr. Zarro blasters known as atom-guns. Fu and Future's eternal adversary, ture's unique sidearm had a discre U1 Quorn, aka the Magician of Mars. tionary stun capability, much like More on him later. a Star Trek phaser. Eschewing any As explained in that first novel, special costume, he was known by Captain Future was really Curt New his special signet ring, whose jew ton, the orphan son of scientist els revolved in their setting to Roger Newton who fled to a secret represent the nine worlds. A good laboratory on the moon in order friend of Earth's President, James to escape an enemy named Victor Carthew, as well as various members Corvo and to conduct experiments of the Planet Police, including in artificial life. These experi special agent Joan Randall, his ments led to the creation of Grag main squeeze, Captain Future oper and Otho, and the technology which ated without official interference. preserved Simon Wright as the Living His headquarters was a sort of For Brain. But after Newton's son Cur tress of Solitude on the moon. tis was born, Victor Corvo caught Initially, Captain Future con up with him and killed Roger and cerned himself with just our solar Captain Future / 55 system— an editorial requirement Captain Future was a wonderful as ironclad as those which demanded magazine, but Hamilton's stories three big capture-and-escape scenes were considered too juvenile by per novel and a futuristic sports many in the SF field, which was game in every issue. With the ninth just beginning to mature at that novel, Quest Beyond the Stars (Win time. A number of story elements ter 1941), the Futuremen finally were pretty childish. For one, venture beyond Pluto to the Birth Grag and Otho were always bickering. place of Matter, which may contain This was another Doc Savage gimmick. the only method of regenerating Doc's aides, Monk and Ham, acted Mercury's dying atmosphere. The the same way. In that series, both Birthplace of Matter is somewhere characters acquired silly pets. beyond Sagittarius, they discover, So did Grag and Otho. In one story, and it contains an artificial world Grag adopted a metal-eating moon-pup built eons ago by a strange race and dubbed him Fek. Not to be out known as the Watchers, who have done, Otho later found himself a since vanished. Naturally, Captain meteor-mimic, Oog. Oog is described Future's mission is a success. as a white, doughy creature with As the series progressed, the four legs and two big eyes. It's scope of Newton's adventures broad called a meteor-mimic because it ened. He discovered a hidden world could change its shape and imper in a comet (The Comet Kings, Summer sonate any creature or object near 1942) , and in The Lost World of its size. The idea for these pets Time (Fall 1941) he traveled back may have been Weisinger's, but when in time to the lost world of Ka- Hamilton later went to work for tain, where he discovered that all Weisinger writing the Legion of human life in the universe origin Super-Heroes, he dug back into the ated with a race from the Deneb pages of Captain Future and dusted system. In The Star of Dread (Sum off Oog for that series, rechrist mer 1943) he finally went to Deneb. ening him Proty. Weisinger and Author Hamilton, nicknamed "the Hamilton worked together well wher World-Saver" because his heroes ever they went. Even when Hamilton often rescued entire planets from reworked the original Mr. Future awesome destructive agencies, creat idea, he kept as many of Weisinger's ed a consistent milieu for his char ideas as possible.