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This is an old revision of CaptainFuture made by TpnEditor on 2010-01-03 22:49:26.

 

Captain Future


Reared by his guardians — a living Brain, Grag the robot and Otho the android — after his parents are murdered, Curtis Newton assumed the name Captain Future to battle the evil foes who would threaten the security of the Solar System, circa 2015. His adventures appeared first in Captain Future, then later in StartlingStories Startling Stories.

Background

Captain FutureCaptain Future
Publisher: ThrillingPublications Thrilling Publications
Publication range: Winter 1940-Fall 1946
Curtis, or Curt, Newton was born in his parents’ home on the Moon in the early 1990s. His parents, Roger and Elaine Newton, had fled there in the summer of 1990 to keep biologist Roger’s inventions from falling into the hands of Victor Corvo, who wanted to use them for evil not good. Joining the Newtons in their secret base beneath the crater Tycho was Simon Wright, the living Brain.

At Wright’s request, Roger had removed the aging, brilliant scientist’s brain before he died of illness and placed it in a serum-filled, transparent metal cube. Measuring a foot on each side, the box provided Wright with a mechanical voice, electronic ears and two photoelectric eyes on metal stalks, which he could control.

Hidden away on the moon, Roger and Wright work to create a race of artificial creatures that can serve the human race. Their first creation is a 7-foot-tall metal robot called Grag. Next, they develop a synthetic man named Otho.

Roger and Elaine Newton are killed after Corvo discovers the hidden lunar laboratory. Wright orders Grag and Otho to kill Corvo and his raiders.

With her dying breaths, Elaine asks Wright the Brain, Grag the robot and Otho the android to rear the infant Curtis “to war always against those who would pervert science to sinister ambition.”

After years of scientific, mental and physical training, Curt takes up his mother’s challenge to “fight for the future of the whole Solar System.” Thus was born Captain Future, known variously as the “Wizard of Science” and the “Man of Tomorrow.”

The contributors

Captain Future was created by the editors of ThrillingPublications Thrilling Publications, MarguliesLeo Leo Margulies and WeisingerMort Mort Weisinger, in 1939. HamiltonEdmond Edmond Hamilton was hired to write the lead novels for the Captain Future pulp.

As originally envisioned by Margulies and Weisinger, the character was Mr. Future, who had been exposed to mysterious radiation before his birth. This resulted in Mr. Future, or Curtis Newton, growing into a biological mutant, or a superman. Newton builds a secret laboratory near the North Pole and travels the Solar System at light-speed with Simon Wright, the walking encyclopedia; a thinking robot; and Otho, a warrior from Ganymede. Later the editors decided to promote him to Captain Future.

Hamilton took the concept, rewrote many of the elements and penned all but three of the 20 Captain Future novels. Two were written by SanachsonJoseph Joseph Sanachson, and one was written by WellmanManlyWade Manly Wade Wellman. Beginning with number 14, Worlds to Come, the first written by Sanachson, the Captain Future novels are credited to HouseName house name SterlingBrett Brett Sterling.

The pulp was canceled after the 20th issue, which featured the Wellman story The Solar Invasion, in the fall of 1946. But the Captain returned for seven short novels written by Hamilton in 1950 and 1951.

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