When I first learned of this comic back in the 1970's it was considered rare and selling prices were sky-high. Then, a huge lot of them were discovered in a warehouse and I think I only payed a few bucks for a VG copy after that.
Inapak was a powdered chocolate drink that was mixed in milk similar to Ovaltine and Nestle's Quick. Major Inapak, the cartoon spokesperson for the brand claimed it was "the latest great discovery of Mankind" and contained 11 vitamins and 8 minerals.
To lure kids into drinking it, the company cleverly produced this one-shot promotional comic book, MAJOR INAPAK THE SPACE ACE in 1951. It was marketed as a premium and is believed not to have been sold in stores (there is no cover price and no indicia except a copyright notice).
The space adventure-fantasy takes place far in the future (1982!) and the Major and young stowaway Robin combine to --wait for it-- combat an alien threat to Earth. There is some very nicely done artwork by Bob Powell which makes the story go down as easy as . . . well, a cold glass of Inapak.
This was for a long the oldest comic in my collection. When I first got hold of one in the early 70's I was gobsmacked that a comic could be...gasp...twenty years old. Now comics I picked up off the stands with my own hands are nearly sixty.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of a "cult" comic title for a while as I recall, at least where I was hanging. You made me think -- I believe the earliest comics I have are from the 40's, mostly Fiction House books.
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