Journey to the Stars (SPEED, 1980)

When IPC launched Speed in 1980 I must admit I was a bit cynical about it. The tone and look of the comic seemed to be a step backwards from what we'd seen with Battle, Action, 2000AD and Starlord. Maybe it was, as it only lasted for 31 issues before merging into Tiger. However, its run was interrupted for several weeks due to industrial action, which clearly didn't help sales.

Looking at it now, it's not a bad comic at all. Solid storytelling and great artwork. Speed was obviously intended for a slightly younger reader than some of IPC's other boys' comics and there's nothing wrong with that. (I was 21 at the time so didn't appreciate it in the same way an 8 year old would have.) I would still question the absence of credits on the stories though. That was definitely a step backwards, considering 2000AD and Battle were both running credit boxes by then. 

One of the standout strips in Speed was Journey to the Stars, with glorious colour artwork by Ron Turner. Pretty much inspired by 1960s TV show Lost In Space, the Redford family find themselves trapped on an unknown planet and encountering various beings and dangers. Here's a couple of sample strips I'm showing today. The episode above is from the issue dated 15th March 1980, and the one below from the issue dated 5th April 1980. 

Now that Rebellion own Speed and its strips, perhaps we'll see Journey to the Stars reprinted one day. It's probably too young in tone for the average comic fan but I think it'd make a nice book for children. What do you think?

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