Journey To The Stars was a firm favorite of mine when it appeared in the first Issue of Speed back in 1980 and the only reason I bought it!The full color artwork and cliffhangers had me enthralled!It was like an old time matinée.
The strip opened with Sam Redford,his son Andy,Daughter Gina and dog Digger in his observatory where for a few nights he had been sighting some unusual occurrences in the atmosphere.Little did they expect but they were about to get a very unexpected visit by Aliens!
Blasted by a stun ray,they awaken aboard the spacecraft where the Aliens inform them that they are an expedition team studying Earth for a possible invasion.Oh yeah,they also intend to "study" the Redfords!However,Andy's two pet mice,Laurel and Hardy(not kidding!)whom he has concealed up his sleeves frighten the Aliens onto a teleportation device when he accidentally presses an activation button,getting rid of their abductors.One problem,the spacecraft is traveling at the speed of light and no one knows how to pilot it :-)
However,Gina comes across a Robot who has been hiding on board.He apparently was the ship's slave.Andy nicknames him "Spidey",much to the annoyance of the egotistic android!He proves a boon to the Redfords on their journey as he can pilot the ship and talk to the computers.
There are a lot of funny scenes between Spidey and the family whom he refers to as Redford 1,2 and 3(figure it out!).The father repeatedly shows his ignorance of future technology by his inability to handle most machines,which usually finds them in some precarious situations...to be rescued by Spidey each time,of course!
After a few visits to various Planets,the Redfords decide they would much rather go home and cajole Spidey into figuring out how they can chart a course.Spidey's ego and nonchalance in the face of impossible odds is infectious.
A typical cliffhanger ends with the Redford's ship,which they have named "The Flying Frog",coming under attack from a strange missile.
As with all cliffhangers,there is a twist just at the end,with Gina discovering a hidden chamber.Just what was in that chamber?Did the missile blow up the ship?What time is supper?
Sadly I had given up buying Speed into its 12th Issue and so never found out what had happened to our intrepid explorers!The art looked like the work of Ron Turner.Any other info or indeed scans of the last strip would be welcomed.I know Speed eventually joined up with Tiger,but whether or not the strip followed suit or was resolved beforehand is unknown to me.What I do know is that I thoroughly enjoyed it and with hindsight wished I had followed it through to its conclusion.
Journey To The Stars was a firm favorite of mine when it appeared in the first Issue of Speed back in 1980 and the only reason I bought it!The full color artwork and cliffhangers had me enthralled!It was like an old time matinée.
The strip opened with Sam Redford,his son Andy,Daughter Gina and dog Digger in his observatory where for a few nights he had been sighting some unusual occurrences in the atmosphere.Little did they expect but they were about to get a very unexpected visit by Aliens!
Blasted by a stun ray,they awaken aboard the spacecraft where the Aliens inform them that they are an expedition team studying Earth for a possible invasion.Oh yeah,they also intend to "study" the Redfords!However,Andy's two pet mice,Laurel and Hardy(not kidding!)whom he has concealed up his sleeves frighten the Aliens onto a teleportation device when he accidentally presses an activation button,getting rid of their abductors.One problem,the spacecraft is traveling at the speed of light and no one knows how to pilot it :-)
However,Gina comes across a Robot who has been hiding on board.He apparently was the ship's slave.Andy nicknames him "Spidey",much to the annoyance of the egotistic android!He proves a boon to the Redfords on their journey as he can pilot the ship and talk to the computers.
There are a lot of funny scenes between Spidey and the family whom he refers to as Redford 1,2 and 3(figure it out!).The father repeatedly shows his ignorance of future technology by his inability to handle most machines,which usually finds them in some precarious situations...to be rescued by Spidey each time,of course!
After a few visits to various Planets,the Redfords decide they would much rather go home and cajole Spidey into figuring out how they can chart a course.Spidey's ego and nonchalance in the face of impossible odds is infectious.
A typical cliffhanger ends with the Redford's ship,which they have named "The Flying Frog",coming under attack from a strange missile.
As with all cliffhangers,there is a twist just at the end,with Gina discovering a hidden chamber.Just what was in that chamber?Did the missile blow up the ship?What time is supper?
Sadly I had given up buying Speed into its 12th Issue and so never found out what had happened to our intrepid explorers!The art looked like the work of Ron Turner.Any other info or indeed scans of the last strip would be welcomed.I know Speed eventually joined up with Tiger,but whether or not the strip followed suit or was resolved beforehand is unknown to me.What I do know is that I thoroughly enjoyed it and with hindsight wished I had followed it through to its conclusion.
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