Planets in Peril

Through an unguessable abyss fraught with peril, Curt Newton and the Futuremen set out to save the remnants of a great civilization from suicide and destruction! Mort Weisinger, Thrilling Publications’ go to Science Fiction Editor, presented author Edmond Hamilton with a concept for a futuristic hero cast in the mold of Doc Savage. This was a calculated move, as Hamilton had already built a strong reputation as a popular writer of space opera. Hamilton took the rudimentary odds and ends that Weisinger had come up with and stitched them together into Captain Future, using another story that he’d written - The Three Planeteers, as a blueprint. Ready to battle with fists and weapons if he has to, Captain Future also has other skills that come into play. Curtis Newton isn’t simply smart, but he shows compassion throughout the series, for those around him and aliens new to him. Unlike many science fiction heroes, Captain Future doesn’t assume that a new being he encounters is evil just because they are different. Many of the conflicts are simply misunderstandings and Captain Future proves himself as strong a diplomat as he is a fighter. Mystery is an element of many of the Captain Future stories. Curt Newton and the Futuremen are often faced with not only saving an alien race or preventing planetary destruction, but also learning who is behind the latest evil deed or how it is being done. The way in which the science fiction whodunits are built in the stories aren’t simply throwaway devices. Clues are left and facts are shared with readers, making the final solution believable and exciting, letting them reveal the bad guy right alongside Captain Future. Rocket into science fiction adventure and discover new worlds. Ripped from the pages of the Fall 1942 issue of Captain Future magazine, “Planets in Peril” is read with wonder and excitement by Milton Bagby.