Created by:

Elroy Sprocket

Real Name:

Captain Sprocket, “The Ace of Space”

Joined Mighty Crusaders:

Captain Sprocket never joined the Mighty Crusaders. Fly-Man, The Comet, Black Hood & The Shield (as the Mighty Crusaders) made a cameo appearance in a Captain Sprocket story.

First Appearance:

Archie’s Madhouse #25, April 1963

Origin:

There is no origin. In his first appearance, it is assumed The Captain has been on the job for awhile, as officials in Washington DC are trying to get rid of a “…strange girl from outer space (who) is up to some evil.” Only one man can do the job – Captain Sprocket! In Panel 1 of Page 3, he changes into a Jaguar uniform, an unfortunate mix-up at the laundry. Two panels later, in what is now considered so very politically-incorrect, a Chinese-American laundryman delivers the right suit. After a couple of pages of shtick and several failures to defeat the girl from Venus, The Captain uses his ultimate weapon: the “Swiss Kiss”. Disgusted, she leaves in a hurry, vowing never to return to Earth. Limburger cheese on The Captain’s breath and kiss was the “frightful weapon that scared her off.”

History:

Captain Sprocket appeared throughout the run of Archie’s Madhouse at irregular intervals. A “Lady Sprocket” teamed up with him for one (mis)adventure in Archie’s Madhouse #41 (August 1965). It should be noted this parody of the super-hero genre pre-dated the campy “Batman” TV series by almost three years.

Powers & Weapons:

The Captain eventually developed into a blue-light-special Superman, usually defeating his villains using brains…well, comedy…not brawn. In his first story, however, he was billed as “The World’s Only Three-In-One Hero; Space Scientist, Space Adventurer, Space Loverboy”. That story introduced his personal space cruiser, rocket jacket, and bag filled with an arsenal of scientific weapons.

By Chris Squires