Captain Condor

Real Name: Captain Condor

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Space pilot

Affiliations: Unknown

Enemies: Dictator of the Planets

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Rip Solar

Base of Operations: Interstellar space

First Appearance: Lion #1 (I.P.C., 23 February 1952)

Powers/Abilities:

History: Captain Condor was an adventurous British space pilot.

Comments: The success of Eagle and its lead feature, Dan Dare, prompted rival publisher Amalgamated Press to commission a new adventure comic, Lion, whose editor, Reg Eves, under orders from those above him, in turn commissioned writer Frank S. Pepper to create a character to challenge Dare's space adventurer supremacy. The resulting hero, Captain Condor, initially drawn by Ron Forbes, was the cover star of the first issue of Lion (23rd February 1952), and began debut adventure, The Outlaw of Space, as a prisoner on a Uranium mine on Titan, one of Saturn's moons, unjustly incarcerated for refusing to serve the Dictator of the Planets who ruled Earth's solar system in the year 3000 AD. He swiftly escaped to become the titular outlaw of the story, and led a resistance movement that eventually overthrew the Dictator after 38 issues.

Condor's adventures, however, continued as he became a commander in the New Special Space Patrol. His position as cover star ended with Lion #283 (20th July 1957), with World War II pilot Paddy Payne superceding him the next issue. Despite this loss of star status, Condor enjoyed an unbroken run of new adventures in Lion until 4th April 1964, his final new strip being Captain Condor in Shipwreck.

After a short gap he returned for a brief run of text stories, and in 1965 to 1966, then again in 1968 to 1969 Lion reprinted some of his early adventures. Slightly overlapping the first of these runs, he also enjoyed a brief reprint run in Ranger, then in Look and Learn between 19th February and 30th April 1966, renamed as interplanetary investigator Rip Solar.

He was also reprinted in two Lion Picture Library issues, enjoyed new adventures in Lion Summer Special 1971 and 1980, and a reprint appearance in Starlord Annual 1980.

CLARIFICATIONS: None.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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