Charlton Notebook: Space Adventures #40

The early 60s were a truly interesting time during Charlton's publishing history. They spent a lot of time searching for an identity before finally entering the Action Hero era. Space Adventures is one of their stronger titles of this era, and this issue evidences that strength. There are two Captain Atom stories with Steve Ditko art. I really love the 'pixie dust' effect used to show him flying. The second story is a real riot, as a boy dying of gamma ray radiation is 'cured' by Captain Atom. What's the cure? Well, a flight through space seemed to do the trick, and somehow the boy survives wearing only his pyjamas. There is a so-so story featuring a Flash Gordon clone, and fun Rocco Mastroserio drawn tale with an EC style twist ending. All in all, it's nothing great, and the Captain Atom stories have been reprinted elsewhere but these are always worth grabbing if you seen an inexpensive copy.