Johnny Galaxy and the Space PatrolKG Murray's first Australian issue, dating from 1967.

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol

By james@ausreprints.com

Johnny Galaxy, the Space Ace

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol was among the earliest work from Spanish agency Selecciones Ilustradas (SI) to be printed by KG Murray in Australia.

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol 2, 1967 [KGM]

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol 2(KG Murray, Australia: c1967)

It appeared first in its own title (1967-1968) composed almost entirely of Johnny Galaxia stories, and then as part of the anthology series Climax Adventure Comic (1968-1973) and Super Giant (1973).11View the list of known stories.

The series focuses on Johnny and his faithful alien companion, Truck, as they stumble across crises or respond to distress calls that lead to adventures. The stories lack continuity and the series of discrete seven-page adventures evoke an atmosphere similar to DC's 1960s Adam Strange stories.

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol 3, 1968 [KGM]

Johnny Galaxy and the Space Patrol 3(KG Murray, Australia: c1967).

The Johnny Galaxy feature was co-created for Selecciones Illustradas by Josep M. Beá (1942-)22Josep Maria Beà i Font was born in Barcelona in 1942. He did his first work for Selecciones Ilustradas at the age of 15 and subsequently produced material for France and northern Europe. Other than Johnny Galaxia, he wrote and drew predominantly romance stories for the UK market (Fleetway).... and Blay Navarro33Beá reports that he was assisted by Blay Navarro, who was the accountant at Selecciones Ilustradas. This may be the same person who assisted with Spanash translations of Marvel comics. See, for example, the Grand Comics Database Project and Universo Marval. as Johnny Galaxia for international sale.

According to Beá, the head of SI, Josep Toutain, was tired of romance comics and urged Beá to create a science fiction character to market for the UK, proposing the name Johnny Galaxia. Beá met with Navarro to create the character, which, despite being a blatant copy of Flash Gordon, sold well in many countries.44See the interview at www.tebeosfera.com.

Footnotes

1. View the list of known stories.↩
2. Josep Maria Beà i Font was born in Barcelona in 1942. He did his first work for Selecciones Ilustradas at the age of 15 and subsequently produced material for France and northern Europe. Other than Johnny Galaxia, he wrote and drew predominantly romance stories for the UK market (Fleetway). From 1962 he studied art in Paris before returning to Spain to found his own studio (c1970-1973). He focused on horror stories during this period, including work for Warren from 1971 (notably, "Tales of Peter Hypnos"). He is particularly known for is surrealist science fiction stories, "Historias de Taberna Galáctica" and "En un Lugar de la Mente", in Josep Toutain's 1984 (Spanish, not US Warren). He co-founded Rambla in 1982, and was publisher with Luis Garcia until 1986, when he left to launch publishing house Intermágen. Since the late 1980s, he has adapted his comics for film, and explored art and computer design for movies and TV. Bea received the Grand Prize of the Barcelona Chamber of Comics in the 2003. Bea has used a wide range of pen names, including Calsina, Bea Font, Dean Harrison, JM, Josep M. Beá, Las Percas, Montsita, Norton, Sánchez Zamora, Tito, Valls, Z. Bea, perch, Montsita, Norton, Zamora Sanchez, Tito, Valls Z. For further information, see lambiek.net.↩
3. Beá reports that he was assisted by Blay Navarro, who was the accountant at Selecciones Ilustradas. This may be the same person who assisted with Spanash translations of Marvel comics. See, for example, the Grand Comics Database Project and Universo Marval.↩
4. See the interview at www.tebeosfera.com.↩