Brick Bradford
Encyclopedia
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray
Clarence Gray
Clarence Gray was an American comic strip artist, best known for his long run drawing Brick Bradford for more than two decades...
. It was first distributed in 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
.
Characters and story
Brick Bradford was a space operaSpace opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
/adventure story, resembling such comics as Skyroads
Skyroads (comics)
Skyroads, a serialized aviation-based comic strip, was published from 1929 to 1942.After Charles Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, aviation became the focus of several comic strips. Tailspin Tommy was the first, but it was soon followed by others, including Skyroads.Skyroads was created...
, Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers
Anthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
and Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
with its tales of dinosaurs, intergalactic villains, robots and subatomic worlds. By 1935, Brick Bradfords popularity had greatly increased, and it arrived in the Sunday comics
Sunday comics
Sunday comics is the commonly accepted term for the full-color comic strip section carried in most American newspapers. Many newspaper readers called this section the Sunday funnies, the funny papers or simply the funnies....
sections of major newspapers in 1933, followed by a weekend edition that began November 24, 1934.
On April 20, 1935, the strip added a time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, the Time Top, that traveled to both past and future, presaging Doc Wonmug's device in Alley Oop
Alley Oop
Alley Oop is a syndicated comic strip, created in 1932 by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the popular and influential strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association...
four years later.
Daily strips by Clarence Gray and William Ritt
D001 In the City Beneath the Sea (08/21/1933 – 06/30/1934) 270 stripsD002 With Brocco the Buccaneer (07/02/1934 – 05/18/1935) 276 strips
D003 On the Isles Beyond the Ice (05/20/1935 – 04/11/1936) 282 strips
D004 Brick Bradford and the Lord of Doom (04/13/1936 – 02/06/1937) 258 strips
D005 Adrift in an Atom (02/08/1937 – 01/08/1938) 288 strips
D006 In the Fortress of Fear (01/10/1938 – 02/11/1939) 342 strips
D007 Brick Bradford and the Metal Monster (02/13/1939 – 03/16/1940) 342 strips
D008 Brick Bradford Seeks the Diamond Doll (03/18/1940 – 12/28/1940) 249 strips
D009 On the Throne of Titania (12/30/1940 – 06/12/1943) 765 strips
D010 Beyond the Crystal Door (06/14/1943 – 10/21/1944) 462 strips
D011 The Queen of the Night (10/28/1944 – 06/01/1946) 468 strips
D012 The Witch Doctor of Wanchi (06/03/1946 – 12/07/1946) 162 strips
D013 The Strange Case of Captain Bold (12/09/1946 – 07/19/1947) 192 strips
D014 Lost Train In Tunnel #10 (07/21/1947 – 05/01/1948) 246 strips
D015 The Prophet of Thorn (05/03/1948 – 03/19/1949) 276 strips
D016 The Colossal Fossil (03/21/1949 – 07/02/1949) 90 strips
D017 The Island of the Eye (07/04/1949 – 12/24/1949) 150 strips
D018 Smokeballs (12/26/1949 – 03/25/1950) 60 strips
D019 The Howling Face (03/27/1950 – 06/17/1950) 90 strips
D020 The Legacy of Low Lake (06/19/1950 – 10/07/1950) 96 strips
D021 Detour of Doubt (10/09/1950 – 12/30/1950) 60 strips
D022 Frame-Up (01/01/1951 – 03/31/1951) 90 strips
D023 Mesa Macabre (04/02/1951 – 08/11/1951) 114 strips
D024 Moon Maiden (08/13/1951 – 10/06/1951) 48 strips
D025 Shadow in the Sky (10/08/1951 – 02/16/1952) 102 strips
D026 The Six Seeds of Sibed (02/18/1952 – 05/10/1952) 96 strips
D027 Mr. Distance (05/12/1952 – 10/18/1952) 138 strips
Daily strips by Paul Norris
D028 Condor Corridor (10/20/1952 – 04/04/1953) 144 stripsD029 Operation Back Burner (04/06/1953 – 07/04/1953) 78 strips
D030 Oroto Otoro (07/06/1953 – 10/24/1953) 96 strips
D031 Poet and Present (10/26/1953 – 01/02/1954) 60 strips
D032 Deadline Dilemma (01/04/1954 – 05/01/1954) 102 strips
D033 Frogman’s Folly (05/03/1954 – 07/24/1954) 72 strips
D034 Poet’s Revenge (07/26/1954 – 10/09/1954) 66 strips
D035 Honey’n’Holly (10/11/1954 – 12/04/1954) 48 strips
D036 Temperamental Tessie (12/06/1954 – 01/29/1955) 48 strips
D037 Found and Profound (01/31/1955 – 04/30/1955) 78 strips
D038 Bauble’s Belle (05/02/1955 – 06/25/1955) 48 strips
D039 Silent Partners! (06/27/1955 – 10/08/1955) 90 strips
D040 The Case of the Vicious Vines (10/10/1955 – 12/31/1955) 72 strips
D041 Stowaway (01/02/1956 – 05/12/1956) 114 strips
D042 Something Borrowed, Something Blue (05/14/1956 – 08/04/1956) 72 strips
D043 Astral Assignment (08/06/1956 – 10/20/1956) 66 strips
D044 Return of Paul Bunyan (10/22/1956 – 01/26/1957) 84 strips
D045 The Search For Kris Kreg (01/28/1957 – 04/20/1957) 72 strips
D046 Time-Top Trials! (04/22/1957 – 09/14/1957) 126 strips
D047 Eye of the Needle (09/16/1957 – 11/16/1957) 54 strips
D048 Return to Pura (11/18/1957 – 02/22/1958) 84 strips
D049 Deep Danger (02/24/1958 – 06/07/1958) 90 strips
D050 X-S-S-16 (06/09/1958 – 09/13/1958) 84 strips
D051 The Search for Doctor Eastland (09/15/1958 – 01/24/1959) 114 strips
D052 Man on the Moon (01/26/1959 – 06/06/1959) 114 strips
D053 The Sound (06/08/1959 – 09/19/1959) 90 strips
D054 Mission to Maga (09/21/1959 – 01/23/1960) 108 strips
D055 Steppingstone (01/25/1960 – 09/24/1960) 210 strips
D056 Tattletale Tiros (09/26/1960 – 03/04/1961) 138 strips
D057 Silent Search (03/06/1961 – 10/07/1961) 186 strips
D058 Bradford’s Bondage (10/09/1961 – 11/25/1961) 42 strips
D059 Botanical Warfare (11/27/1961 – 04/28/1962) 132 strips
D060 Adventure in the Aqua-Mole (04/30/1962 – 09/15/1962) 120 strips
D061 The Proxima Centauri Run (09/17/1962 – 02/16/1963) 132 strips
D062 Lady Loot (02/18/1963 – 05/18/1963) 78 strips
D063 Adventure in Andromeda (05/20/1963 – 10/19/1963) 132 strips
D064 Operation Chaos (10/21/1963 – 12/28/1963) 60 strips
D065 Return to Panola (12/30/1963 – 05/16/1964) 120 strips
D066 Cold Caper (05/18/1964 – 10/24/1964) 138 strips
D067 Journey to Procyon (10/26/1964 – 01/23/1965) 78 strips
D068 Saturn Sadie’s Side Trip (01/25/1965 – 07/03/1965) 138 strips
D069 Silverslinger (07/05/1965 – 10/23/1965) 96 strips
D070 The Treasure of Toolee Tooee (10/25/1965 – 04/30/1966) 162 strips
D071 The Agrarians (05/02/1966 – 08/27/1966) 102 strips
D072 Strange Sargasso (08/29/1966 – 03/25/1967) 180 strips
D073 Search for a Samaritan (03/27/1967 – 08/12/1967) 120 strips
D074 Destination Laza (08/14/1967 – 09/23/1967) 36 strips
D075 The Radiant Ruins of Ramdan (09/25/1967 – 05/04/1968) 192 strips
D076 Ardun’s Ark (05/06/1968 – 07/06/1968) 54 strips
D077 Flight of Fantasy (07/08/1968 – 09/28/1968) 72 strips
D078 Solitary Journey (09/30/1968 – 12/07/1968) 60 strips
D079 Gathering on Gwaymus (12/09/1968 – 03/01/1969) 72 strips
D080 The Evil Enkar (03/03/1969 – 05/03/1969) 54 strips
D081 Galileo’s Ghost (05/05/1969 – 07/26/1969) 72 strips
D082 Revenge (07/28/1969 – 10/04/1969) 60 strips
D083 Tabby’s Tantrums (10/06/1969 – 12/13/1969) 60 strips
D084 Return to Gwaymus (12/15/1969 – 03/14/1970) 78 strips
D085 The Treasure of Tarabagara (03/16/1970 – 05/23/1970) 60 strips
D086 Purple Pintar (05/25/1970 – 08/29/1970) 84 strips
D087 Search for Urubu (08/31/1970 – 10/31/1970) 54 strips
D088 Time and Trouble (11/02/1970 – 01/30/1971) 78 strips
D089 Tenacious Tempo (02/01/1971 – 04/03/1971) 54 strips
D090 Hoppy’s Re-Migration (04/05/1971 – 06/12/1971) 60 strips
D091 Tardy Tempo (06/14/1971 – 09/04/1971) 72 strips
D092 Double Trouble (09/06/1971 – 11/13/1971) 60 strips
D093 Stranded (11/15/1971 – 01/08/1972) 48 strips
D094 Phoenix Fever (01/10/1972 – 04/08/1972) 78 strips
D095 Going Home (04/10/1972 – 07/08/1972) 78 strips
D096 Then There Were Two (07/10/1972 – 09/23/1972) 66 strips
D097 Trail of the Tonabera (09/25/1972 – 12/02/1972) 60 strips
D098 Polar Poltergeist (12/04/1972 – 03/03/1973) 78 strips
D099 Long Way Home (03/05/1973 – 06/23/1973) 96 strips
D100 A Change of Plans (06/25/1973 – 10/20/1973) 102 strips
D101 A Flight of Ghosts (10/22/1973 – 12/08/1973) 42 strips
D102 Old Masters (12/10/1973 – 02/16/1974) 60 strips
D103 Cygnus Two (02/18/1974 – 04/27/1974) 60 strips
D104 Lore (04/29/1974 – 08/03/1974) 84 strips
D105 Search for Succor (08/05/1974 – 10/05/1974) 54 strips
D106 Rescue (10/07/1974 – 12/28/1974) 72 strips
D107 Stronger Force (12/30/1974 – 02/22/1975) 48 strips
D108 Holiday on Hokuku! (02/24/1975 – 05/31/1975) 84 strips
D109 Sea of Secrets (06/02/1975 – 08/16/1975) 66 strips
D110 The Folly of Petro Leur (08/18/1975 – 12/27/1975) 114 strips
D111 Lore Revisited (12/29/1975 – 02/14/1976) 42 strips
D112 Beyond Bucala (02/16/1976 – 05/29/1976) 90 strips
D113 The Way Home (05/31/1976 – 10/09/1976) 114 strips
D114 Eye Spy (10/11/1976 – 01/29/1977) 96 strips
D115 Rescue (01/31/1977 – 04/23/1977) 72 strips
D116 Dead End (04/25/1977 – 08/27/1977) 108 strips
D117 Lost (08/29/1977 – 01/07/1978) 114 strips
D118 Dolphins of Dahgara (01/09/1978 – 04/22/1978) 90 strips
D119 Wild Wet World (04/24/1978 – 08/05/1978) 90 strips
D120 Space Trace (08/07/1978 – 12/16/1978) 114 strips
D121 Emigres’ Reversion (12/18/1978 – 04/07/1979) 96 strips
D122 Web of Life (04/09/1979 – 09/22/1979) 144 strips
D123 Two, Too Many (09/24/1979 – 01/19/1980) 102 strips
D124 Runagate (01/21/1980 – 06/07/1980) 120 strips
D125 Loose Ends (06/09/1980 – 10/25/1980) 120 strips
D126 Iona Incursion (10/27/1980 – 01/17/1981) 72 strips
D127 Solar Power Play (01/19/1981 – 04/18/1981) 78 strips
D128 Time Trials (04/20/1981 – 07/25/1981) 84 strips
D129 The Realm of Ram (07/27/1981 – 01/02/1982) 138 strips
D130 Jeopardy (01/04/1982 – 04/17/1982) 90 strips
D131 Search for Saturn Sadie (04/19/1982 – 09/18/1982) 132 strips
D132 Prekarius Plot (09/20/1982 – 04/16/1983) 180 strips
D133 Topaz (04/18/1983 – 09/17/1983) 132 strips
D134 Beyond the Limits (09/19/1983 – 12/31/1983) 90 strips
D135 The Penny Black (01/02/1984 – 05/19/1984) 120 strips
D136 Burawa Bondage (05/21/1984 – 08/03/1985) 378 strips
D137 Aggression at Agwon (08/05/1985 – 12/21/1985) 120 strips
D138 The Save of Saturn Sadie (12/23/1985 – 04/26/1986) 108 strips
D139 What Next? (04/28/1986 – 07/26/1986) 78 strips
D140 Mind Over Matter (07/28/1986 – 12/20/1986) 126 strips
D141 Flight Tests (12/22/1986 – 04/25/1987) 108 strips
Reprints
Brick Bradford was reprinted in comic-book form as King Features began to expand into that genre, including King ComicsKing Comics
King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. The line ran for approximately a year-and-a-half, with its series cover-dated from August 1966 to December 1967...
(published by David McKay Publications
David McKay Publications
David McKay Publications was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles Ace Comics, King Comics, and Magic Comics; as well as collections of such popular comic strips as Blondie, Dick Tracy, and Mandrake the Magician...
), starting from April 1936 (along with Barney Google
Barney Google
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck . Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a huge international readership, appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries...
, Henry
Henry (comic)
Henry is a comic strip created in 1932 by Carl Anderson. The title character is a young bald boy who is mute...
, Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
and Bringing Up Father
Bringing up Father
Bringing Up Father was an influential American comic strip created by cartoonist George McManus . Distributed by King Features Syndicate, it ran for 87 years, from January 12, 1913 to May 28, 2000....
among others), as well as in Ace Comics
Ace Comics
Ace Comics was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age era of comics...
from 1947 to 1949. As the old comics were reprinted, a new series starring Brick was published by Nedor Comics
Nedor Comics
Nedor Publishing was a comic book imprint of publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics...
, but the series was soon canceled.
Brick Bradford reappeared by 1966 in original comics published by King Comics
King Comics
King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. The line ran for approximately a year-and-a-half, with its series cover-dated from August 1966 to December 1967...
, along with other classics such as The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
and Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
.
Ritt grew tired of Brick Bradford in the mid-1940s, and by 1948 he had turned over first the daily and then the Sunday to Gray, who did the strip by himself until his health problems increased. In 1952, Paul Norris
Paul Norris
Paul Leroy Norris was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Aquaman, and for a 35-year run as artist of the newspaper comic strip Brick Bradford.-Early life and career:...
(who had been working on King's Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim...
) took over the daily. When Gray died in 1956, Norris took over the Sunday strip. Norris retired in 1987, and the strip was retired as well with the daily ending April 25, 1987 and the Sundays two weeks later.
Brick Bradford in other media
The strip also had a movie based on it, as well as a book series produced by Whitman PublishingWestern Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
's Big Little Books
Big Little Books
The Big Little Books, first published during 1932 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, were small, compact books designed with a captioned illustration opposite each page of text...
.
Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford (serial)
Brick Bradford was the 35th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the comic strip Brick Bradford, which was created by Clarence Gray and William Ritt.-Plot:...
, a 12-chapter serial starring Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s, mostly appearing in cliffhangers and serials...
, was produced by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in 1947.
Brick Bradford was referenced in The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
episode Uhny Uftz when Rob believe he has seen a flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
with the "Brick Bradford insignia" on it, which he describes as being like a lightning bolt.
Time Top sculpture
Before his death from cancer, Canadian artist Jerry Pethick (1935 – 2003) conceived a large bronze sculpture in the shape of the Time Top as depicted in later installments of Brick Bradford. In 2004, his widow, Margaret Pethick, took over the project. It was submerged in sea water for two years while connected to an electrical source to accelerate barnacle and mineral accretion on its surface for an aged look. In August 2006, the sculpture was installed on its permanent site at False Creek, VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Sources
- Strickler, DaveDave StricklerDave Strickler is a reference librarian noted for his compilation of Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index, regarded as a major reference work by researchers and historians of newspaper comic strips....
. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.