Number 2296: Planet Patrol smash the Toad-Men of Titan

The Planet Patrol, or what we can see of them, consists of a chief, then Captain Ken Keen and his girlfriend, Nirma. You know they are a couple when they show up before the commander looking like they are there for a wedding ceremony. Instead they get sent to Titan to avenge colonists who were inexplicably killed. I love how the commander tells Ken to take what men he needs, and Ken says he’ll just take Nirma, and the chief thinks that is just fine. Despite what I think is breaking whatever protocol they have in Planet Patrol, they don’t even give Nirma a uniform or fatigues. She has to go to another planet wearing a dress and heels.

The Toad-Men of Titan aren’t a very good looking bunch, and are trying to get rid of those settlers from Earth. This story was published in 1940, when it was the prerogative of some humans to go in and take over another country, without much worry about what happened to the indigenous population. The Toad-Men want to fight, but a “kind” Toad-Man wants to work with the Earth people. Big mistake! Humans have a sorry reputation of pushing weaker people aside — often killing them — then taking what they want. So for this story, I have to stand in support of those Toad-Men who are fighting to keep those Earth people away from what is theirs.

No writer or artist is given by Grand Comics Database for this tale of attempted colonization. The printing is in duotone, red and black, which was done in the early days of comic books to save some money. That type of story was soon taken over by comic books being done all in the four-color process. It was originally published in Silver Streak Comics #5 (1940).

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