What do you get when you cross Phillip Marlowe with Flash Gordon? Space-detective Star Hawkins will dig up some answers for you! Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Strange Adventures #114 awaits!

STRANGE ADVENTURES #114

Writer: Gardner Fox/John Broome
Penciler: Russ Heath/Sid Greene/Mike Sekowsky
Inker: Russ Heath/Sid Greene/Bernard Sachs
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Ira Schnapp
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $140.00
Release Date: January 26, 1960

Previously in Strange Adventures: Launching in 1950, Strange Adventures has the distinction of being the first science fiction comic in DC history, debuting DC’s superhero/science fiction hybrid hero, Captain Comet, early in the run. That hybridization became a bit part of the series’ history, mixing science fiction with horror, with romance and, since it was the 1950s, with detective stories. That’s where today’s featured hero comes in.
Though currently down on his luck, our man Star has the patter, he’s got the skills, he’s even got the requisite gal Friday in the form of super-secretary robot, Ilda. Of course, she’s currently in hock, as he had to pawn her in order to get the funds to keep the lights on, which explains his desperation to find a case, any case.
To be honest, there’s more than a little bit of ’50s style misogyny in the story and the premise, but it is an interesting setup for a story. The Venn diagram of Raymond Chandler and Alex Raymond makes for some fertile ground, as Star picks up a case that no other P.I. would touch, heading out for the inhospitable asteroid Vespa to find a key witness in an upcoming trial.
Once he’s on solid ground again, our man Hawkins gathers provisions to track down Qar-Miq’s last known location, despite everyone telling him that the carnivorous plants of the Red Jungle will tear him to pieces. It’s a testament to the art of Sekowsky and Sachs that the sense of danger comes cross in the visuals, with Star negotiating his way through the shadowy monster trees to find the fleeing Martian. Those trees even play a part in his clever strategy to bring the little green man back to claim his bounty.
Writer John Broome is one of the bigger names of The Silver Age, having co-created Green Lantern Hal Jordan and been one of the major contributors to early adventures of Flash Barry Allen, but I always associate him with the harder science fiction of Captain Comet and the Atomic Knights, who debuted just a few issues after this one. This story feels quite complex for an eight-page feature. As the issue wraps, Star gets his money AND the girl, although she has her doubts about his devotion.
Later stories would prove Ilda’s worries justified, as Star’s inability to manage money led them into increasingly dangerous situations, often relying on Ilda to get them out of danger by sheer luck. Strange Tales #114 just gives us the facts, amalgamating two disparate genres in a memorable way, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. Later issues would go even broader, turning Star and Ilda’s adventures into comedy/detective/science fiction stories which have to be seen to be believed, but by 1966, Star Hawkins and Ilda would disappear, save for a 1981 tale, revealing that he was instrumental in getting robots like Ilda basic sentient rights.

Just take my advice? Avoid the 2011 modern-day reboot version at all costs. Your surviving brain cells will thank you.

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