Planet Comics #51
Chapter 9
November 1947
Chapter 9 is where I go on record stating that the Futura Saga goes off the rails for a a few chapters before finding its way again. The art becomes far more simplistic and more in line with a standard comic book style of the era. Readers of Futura can readily observe a gradual decrease in the complexity of the line art over the length of the series up to this point and it is in this chapter starting in Planet Comics #51 (November 1947) where it adopts the most obvious economical style.
Planet Comics #51 (November 1947)
The story also veers into a more magical, dream-like episode that continues for several more chapters. There are still elements of the original space opera to be found but they give way to more fantastic ideas as Futura becomes the central figure in a magical prophecy. I am not a fan of the prophecy driven story as it has long since become a predictable and lazy part of any hero's journey on the part of the creator. The idea of destiny replacing motivation is something of a tired trope and easy plot device.
The ensuing couple of chapters are also what may be perceived as a serious creative misstep, something that would prove disappointing if included in any hardbound collection. The Futura Saga would not be complete without it but would the most jarring part of the overall story. It is these chapters that make Futura more of a comic book curiosity than a true classic. Interestingly, the creative team may have not thought much of this particular story arc, either. The first installment after the "Magic Sword" story ends finds Futura in a spaceship hurtling through space and in much the same circumstances as the end of Chapter 8. The prophecy story line only lasts a few chapters and this allows readers to effectively ignore it and continue with the original and far more interesting space opera theme of the Futura Saga if they so choose.
Planet Comics #51 (November 1947)
Planet Comics was a science fiction comic-book title produced by Fiction House and issued from Jan. 1940 (issue 1) to Winter 1953 (issue 73). Like many of Fiction House's early comics titles, Planet Comics was a spinoff of a pulp magazine, in this case Planet Stories, which featured space operatic tales of muscular, heroic space adventurers who were quick with their 'ray pistols' and always running into gorgeous females who needed rescue from bugeyed space aliens or fiendish interstellar bad guys.
Planet Comics #1 (January 1940)
Planet Comics was considered by noted fan Raymond Miller to be "perhaps the best of the Fiction House group," as well as "most collected and most valued." In Miller's opinion, it "wasn't really featuring good art or stories... in the first dozen or so issues," not gaining most of "its better known characters" until "about the 10th issue." "Only 3 of its long running strips started with the first issue... Flint Baker, Auro - Lord of Jupiter, and the Red Comet."