The Origins of Captain Future
Captain Future and the Futuremen have often been credited to the fertile mind of Edmond Hamilton, but actually they were the creation of Mort Weisinger, one of Hamilton’s editors at Thrilling Wonder Stories. Weisinger is best known for editing the early Superman and Batman comics among other stories in the Standard Magazine chain.
In June 1939, Weisinger sent a letter to Hamilton outlining a new space hero originally called “Mr. Future,” that Standard Magazine would use to start a new magazine. As a result of that letter, the Captain Future magazine was launched on a quarterly basis with the Winter, 1940 issue and continued for 17 issues to Spring 1944. Edmond Hamilton was the principal author although several others wrote a novel here and there.
A summary of Weisinger’s letter to Hamilton and the original first two chapters of the Captain Future story can be found HERE. Hamilton’s comments on the origins of Captain Future are well worth reading and the original two chapters of The Horror On Jupiter, set the stage for all of the Captain Future tales to come after.
But who are Captain Future and the Futuremen?
Captain Future
Captain Future is actually Curtis Newton, born on the Moon to Roger and Elaine Newton. The Newtons had fled to the Moon with fellow scientist Simon Wright to escape Victor Corvo who wanted to use their scientific research to take over the world. (Originally Victor Corvo was named Victor Kaslan.) Eventually Corvo tracked down the Newtons and killed Roger and Elaine Newton. Corvo and his henchmen were killed in turn by Newton’s creations, Otho the android and Grag the robot. As she lay dying, Elaine Newton charged Wright, known as The Brain, Otho and Grag to raise Curtis on the Moon- to educate and train him “to war always against those who would pervert science to ambition.”
And grow up he did, to become a universally renowned scientist in his own right, as well as a daring adventurer and champion of justice.
Simon Wright
Simon Wright was old and dying when he was working with Roger Newton. He was a world renowned scientist in a half dozen different fields and had acquired vast amounts of knowledge. He persuaded Roger Newton to transplant his brain into a crystal box, where it would live and function forever in a bath of life-giving serum. Flexible metal stalks bore optics, artificial ears were on either side and a resonator speech apparatus was placed in front to allow communication. The Brain is Captain Future’s most important advisor.
Grag
Grag the robot was Roger Newton’s first attempt at creating artificial life. Grag is like a “seven-foot suit of medieval armor come to life”, immensely powerful, with a brain of colloid metal and photo-electric eyes. While Grag is strong and loyal he is not quite as intelligent as Roger Newton would have liked. Accordingly, Newton and The Brain created Otho.
Otho
Otho the android was made of a rubbery white “flesh” that covered elastic muscles and synthetic organs. Because his elastic features can be reset at will, Otho is a master of disguises and has been inserted into numerous enemy situations posing as one of their own. His ability to pose as an evildoer and gather intelligence is invaluable to Captain Future.
Joan Randall
Joan Randall is described as “a young woman, slender and vigorous, … with rippling black hair and a face of flawless beauty.” Joan Randall is one of the most capable agents of the Earth Planetary Police, assigned by Marshall Ezra Gurney to work with Captain Future to maintain order in the Solar System. There is bit of romantic attraction between Joan and Curtis, but nothing that gets serious because the Solar System is always in need of saving from space villains bent on conquest.
With Captain Future, the Futuremen and Joan Randall on the watch, the Solar System couldn’t be in more capable hands.
You can find the Captain Future stories we have published HERE.
UPDATE Feb. 22, 2017: Guess what we saw on the set of The Big Bang Theory?
