“Galaxus, The Thing from Outer Space” was an adventure strip that featured in the weekly comic Buster in the late 1960s a – a classic vintage SF adventure strip yet to be lined up for collection by the strip’s current owner, Rebellion.
While better known for its humour strips, Buster originally featured a wide range of adventure strips, too, until Fleetway made the decision to firmly “categorise” its titles by genre – adventure, girls, humour and sports.
“Galaxus, The Thing from Outer Space” was largely written by the late Scott Goodall MBE, who counted the story as one of his favourite strips. In an interview for ComicsUK, he says original idea for the strip, and the very first script, came from writer/editor Ken Mennell.
“The following 339 episodes I wrote myself,” he revealed, acknowledging art on “Galaxus” was drawn by Solano Lopez who was “to my mind, of course – just great!”
Debuting in November 1966, continuing until June 1974, the artists on the regular “Galaxus” strip, centred on a size-changing alien on the run, went uncredited, but it was the work of the studio of South American artist Francisco Solano Lopez.
“By 1966, Francisco Solano Lopez was in great demand, drawing several series for Fleetway quite apart from any work he produced for other countries,” archivist Philip Rushton noted last year, “and it seems pretty clear that he must have been using several assistants by this stage to maintain such a prodigious output.
“Although the studio system he established was surprisingly effective in reproducing his distinctive style there were times when sequences could seem rushed and uneven – especially when compared with his earlier art on strips like ‘Kelly’s Eye’ and ‘Kraken’. In the case of this episode of ‘Galaxus’ for Buster, however, he seems to have done most of the work himself – possibly because it was the debut of a brand new character. And sure enough the strip proved to be a big success with readers, continuing for several years.
“Looking at the first instalment now one can’t help being surprised by the similarities between this tale of an alien creature who gets befriended by children after being stranded on Earth and the film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial which struck box-office gold for Steven Spielberg sixteen years later.”
It should come as no surprise to learn Fleetway took full advantage of E.T.’s success to publish Galaxus – The Thing From Space Mini Book as a free gift with the issue of Buster cover dated 6th November 1982.
Archivist David Roach suggests Jose Munoz may also have been involved in creating the strip by 1968.
“Lopez assigned his various assistants to their own strips, so the same artist would have worked on each weekly episode of ‘Galaxus’, fellow expert Steve Holland agrees. “Munoz would have been working for him up to 1972, when he moved to Spain, so may have been involved with ‘Galaxus’ 1967-72-ish.”
Like many other stories, “Galaxus” was syndicated internationally, featuring, for example, in Seriemagasinet in Sweden, and the character still has plenty of fans.
Galaxus by Norm Chung, created for a British comics meme in 2015
Other Buster Heroes…
In addition to “Galaxus”, across the years Buster also featured adventure strips such as “The Astounding Adventures of Charlie Peace” / “The Elusive Charlie Peace” (published between 1964 and 1974, artists on that strip including Eric Bradbury and Tom Kerr); “Brett Shane – Frontier Scout” (1964 – 1965, drawn by Ian Kennedy, reprints of “Davy Crocket” from Knockout); the superhero strip, “Thunderbolt the Avenger” (1964 – 1965, drawn by Tim Kerr); “Toys of Doom” (1965 – 1968, credited to writer Tom Tully, also drawn by the Solano Lopez studio, later reprinted in New Eagle); “Fishboy” (1968 – 1975, also written by Scott Goodall, drawn by John Stokes); “Crabbe’s Crusaders” (1969 – 1970, art by Carlos Cruz, reimagined in Rebellion’s Monster Fun reboot); and “Mickey Marvel’s Multi-Gun”, inspired by a hugely and largely unaffordable popular toy of the time, the Johny Seven, which started in the first merged issue of Buster and Giggle in 1968 and ran until 1969.
The most famous adventure strip to run in Buster is, ofsurely, “The Leopard From Lime Street”, launched in March 1976, running until 1985, written by Tom Tully, with art, primarily, from Mike Western and Eric Bradbury. Also reprinted internationally, the strip has been collected by Rebellion, over three collections to date, the character revived for Monster Fun as The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright, released in collection last year.
Head downthetubes for…
A history of the comic and more, plus The Complete A-Z of Buster Characters
• An International Catalogue of Superheroes
• An International Catalogue of Superheroes – Galaxus
• downthetubes: In Memoriam: Scott Goodall MBE
• Lambiek: Francisco Solano Lopez
• Rusty Staples: The Buster Timeline
Collected Stories…
• The Birthday Book for Boys published in 1972 (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• The Leopard From Lime Street Volume One (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Billy Farmer lives with his Aunt Joan and Uncle Charlie in the when he is scratched by a radioactive leopard at the local zoo. Gaining leopard-like strength, speed, reflexes, and tree-climbing abilities, when he’s not fighting crime, Billy sells photographs of himself to the local paper, using the money to support his frail aunt while contending with his violent, greedy and lazy uncle. With warmth, wit, and stunning artwork by Mike Western and Eric Bradbury, The Leopard from Lime Street is a gem of 1970s and 1980s British comics
Originally serialised in Buster from issues cover dated 27th March 1976 – 11th June 1977
• The Leopard From Lime Street Volume Two (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
After being scratched by a radioactive leopard, Billy Farmer discovered that he had somehow developed the powers of the mighty jungle cat. Life is getting tougher for Selbridge’s premier crime-fighter. The criminals are getting tougher, his the local newspaper editor is out for his blood and now his new leopard skin costume is turning him into a savage beast! To make matters worse, a girl from his school suspects his true identity! Is this the end for the Leopard from Lime Street…?
Originally serialised in Buster from issues cover dated 18th June 1977 – 15th July 1978
• The Leopard From Lime Street Volume Three (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
The third collection of Britain’s best-loved homegrown superhero, collects stories published in Buster from 1978 through to 1979.
Billy Farmer, AKA the Leopardman continues to juggle his tough home life with his career as Selbridge’s premier superhero! As the Leopardman, Billy has managed to thwart countless dastardly villains, but now he faces an all new challenge as The Snow Beast is in town, intent on causing chaos during a cold winter…
Originally serialised in Buster from issues cover dated 22nd July 1978 – 29th September 1979
• The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
By Simon Furman (Writer), Laurent LeFeuvre, PJ Holden and Nick Roche (Artists)
Billy Farmer may look like your average teenager, but he has a big secret: he’s a super-hero! After being scratched by a radioactive leopard (happens all the time, right?), young Billy soon discovered he had the powers of the mighty jungle cat – but is there more to this power than he thinks?
Taking to the streets to fight crime as “The Leopardman”, Billy soon finds himself up against a whole horde of spooky villains intent on stopping him and hatching some evil plans. Teaming up with his long lost sister, the vigilant hero “Alleycat”, the dynamic duo must uncover the fate of their family and the source of their powers – before it’s too late!
Writer Simon Furman (Transformers) and artists Laurent LeFevure (Fox Boy), PJ Holden (Department K) and Nick Roche (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) unite to breathe new life into a classic, British comics character completely reimagined for readers of today.
First published in Monster Fun Issues 1-11
Galaxus, Buster and other properties ©️ Rebellion Publishing
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes News, Features, Flashback Corner
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