The last solo Space Cabby story ran in 1958. He had been a staple of Mystery in Space for three years, but was suddenly and unceremoniously abandoned. He only appeared in reprints for several years afterwards.

In 1985, however, he returned in DC Comics Presents #78. This story (the second part of a two-parter involving “forgotten” heroes and villains) seemed to be a last look at some Silver Age characters before cleaning house with the infamous Crisis on Infinite Earths. Since DC was about to effortlessly and effectively wipe the slate anyway, writer Marv Wolfman was also free to add two new characters to the DC roster:

Space Cabby next shows up in the enigmatic DC Challenge, issues #7 and 8, in 1986. DC Challenge was a…well, let’s say experimental work, and its chaotic and “wacky” nature (issue 7′s title is “Don’t Bogart That Grape…Hand Me the Gas Pump!”) meant that it was inevitable for a “crazy” character like Space Cabby to appear.

Also in 1986 he appeared in both Who’s Who in the DC Universe:

and The History of the DC Universe:

These entries, especially the first, brought up some serious issues. As you can see, the art (by Bernard Sachs) is labeled “Space Cabbie”, which I am now prepared to declare is a complete misnomer. I documented all his stories and he was only referred to as “Cabbie” instead of “Cabby” a handful of times — and one of those times he was referred to by both names. What’s more, in the text of this very Who’s Who entry they call him “Space Cabby”. So I am being the decider here: His name is Space Cabby, not Space Cabbie.

However, the text of this article is not without problems of its own. I quote:

Space Cabby was orphaned young and raised by the military rulers of Ghengkis VII. As a youth, he excelled in deep space navigation and demonstrated a natural ability to pilot any craft.

This skill was put to the test in the Bored Wars of 2146 when the young pilot allegedly shot down a record number of fightercraft singlehandedly in a battle lasting three Terran days. Like many who fought in the short but bloody Bored conflict, the youth was feeling unsettled and restless after he was released from service.

In addition to this obvious chicanery (the “Bored Wars”?), his first appearance is given as Mystery in Space #26 (it was #21) and his height is given as 5’10″ (he has always seemed tall to me.)

I can only conclude that whoever wrote this entry was up drinking cheap gin the night before it was due and hastily scratched it on a napkin before turning it in at the last possible second and should be ashamed of himself.

Space Cabby took the next five years off, but in 1991 he appeared in Twilight:

No, no, not that Twilight. This is the miniseries written by Howard Chaykin and beautifully illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. It was a (naturally) “dark and gritty” look at DC’s stable of space heroes (minus Kirk and Who). Chaykin’s take on Space Cabby is…well…it’s Chaykin, and that pretty much says it.

That’s him on the right there, and it’s okay if you don’t believe me. In fact, the only thing we really have to go on, without the hat, the bow-tie, the pretty much anything consistent with the character is that he’s driving a cab, and it’s in space. But of course, Chaykin’s entire goal here was to paint every DC space hero in the most unflattering light possible. LET US MOVE ON.

Up until now, Space Cabby has been just making little cameo appearances in stories, but this changes in 1995, with Lobo #21. Space Cabby teams up with DC’s desperate attempt to grab some of that sweet sweet EXTREME cash in an adventure that simply defies reading. Whatever you think of the Silver Age, the mainstream comics of the 90s make it look like those earlier books were written by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and seventeen Brontës.

Then, in 1999, he made the cover of a comic again! (Well, his cab did.) In a storyline entitled “Stars My Destination” James Robinson’s Starman traveled into space for a journey to the farthest reaches of readers’ patience. In issue #55 — part NINE of the storyline — Space Cabby picks up two guys who tell Rashomon-esque stories of Starman’s space derring-do while cycling through various half-forgotten Silver Age space characters. And artist Peter Snejbjerg…

…pays homage to an earlier illustration.

By this time you’d think that DC would realize what a dynamic character they had on their hands, but sadly, he was kicked to the curb again. With DC’s main writers all trying to out-obscure-reference each other, there was a mad rush to drop references to the most cobweb-filled corners of DC continuity. Space Cabby became one of those characters you throw into a montage to tell the reader, “Oh man, check out all the esoteric stuff we’re cramming into this one panel!”

Here’s his entire “appearance” in Superman and Batman: World’s Funnest (2000):

He shows up in the Elseworlds book that asks the question, “What if someone thought there needed to be a sequel to The Nail?”, Justice League of America: Another Nail (2004):

And don’t wipe your monitor, this is actually just his appearance in The Brave and the Bold #6 (2007), actual size:

I have no idea if he’s buried somewhere in Kingdom Come.

Part of this was because DC was spending those years deciding that its books had to either be So Very Serious or for kids. Which is why Justice League Unlimited #18, which falls in the latter category, is actually worth reading. In it, Space Cabby — who is delivering a fare across the time stream now — gets to help out Superman!

It’s hard to say where the character exists now with regard to DC’s editors and creators. His most recent appearance, in Ambush Bug: Year None #1 (2008) is a return to “wacky cameo from DC’s obscure, forgotten past”, so although it’s beneath his role standing alongside Superman in JLU, it’s a step above “background reference #47″ in the previous three comics.

That brings us up to date with this beloved character, and brings Space Cabby Sundays to an end. I hope that I have gotten across my genuine love for Space Cabby. I think the idea of an everyday working-class guy seeing the fantastic future from the ground level (without having to constantly be in awe of all the Godlike Heroes), who has a reason to fly around space and get mixed up into all kinds of wild adventures is amazing, and is so full of untouched potential. Sure, I’ve made fun of the guy and the stories, but that one story I read over thirty years ago intrigued me and stayed with me more than just about any other comic.

Thanks a bunch to the folks who helped out with this series, whether it was providing scans of issues, helping find scans, giving positive feedback and support, linking and retweeting the posts, or just plain reading and enjoying them. Also to those who patiently sat there while I went on about a ninth-string DC character that nobody except me cared about.

DC, call me.

Next: U R NOT MY APPLE CAKE

TWO Space Cabbies!?!? It happened! Actually it happened in the third story. Fine, then, how about THREE Space Cabbies?

You see, Space Cabby is on Mars when three passengers come running for a taxi. Naturally, he can only take one, and since the one he picks up isn’t a crook, he must be a wacky scientist! Space Cabby wishes aloud that he was triplets, so that he could make even more money driving people around, and his passenger, Professor Parker, claims he can make this wish come true!

Sure enough, the ray produces two identical Space Cabbies, both of whom think they’re the real deal!

Professor Parker sees this as a great opportunity to test his invention! He whips up two more cabs and declares this whole thing an experiment to see if the other two are as good at driving space cabs as the original.

To avoid identity confusion, Space Cabby names the clones “Ultra” and “Infra”, writing the names on their hats. They then all take off to make some quatloos.

Later, Space Cabby is heading towards a fare when another cab also shows up…a very familiar cab. It’s Ultra! Heading for the same fare! You can imagine the effect this has on the poor customer.

This is a disaster! Instead of making more money, Space Cabby is making less! Clearly the entire solar system is too small for three cab drivers, so they have no choice but to divide the area in thirds to avoid overlapping!

At the end of the week they compare receipts, and both of the duplicates earned more than the original! And if that’s not bad enough, check out what Ultra’s up to!

Space Cabby decides to take advantage of the situation. With Ultra and Infra raking in the dough, SC himself can just lounge around and take it easy. He ends up riding in Ultra’s cab for free (because it’s technically his own cab) and he doesn’t even tip!

But the party doesn’t last long…

SC rushes back to Professor Parker, who is astounded to hear about this development. Apparently the process is unstable, and the duplicates eventually vanish. This means that Infra will vanish too, and if he does so in space…with a fare on board…GULP!

This just keep getting worse! He tries to warn a policeman but the cop thinks he’s nuts. And when he gets on the radio to Infra, there’s no response! He quickly blasts jets to get to Infra’s portion of the solar system. Naturally he’s delayed by the usual problems — the August 15 “meteor flock” is happening, and a hydrogen cloud collided with an oxygen cloud, causing a fire in space that needs to be put out. Eventually he gets there, though, and spots Infra’s cab. Why didn’t he answer the radio call? Reader, can you guess?

While the bad guys are counting their loot, SC unties Infra and they attack, but during the conflict Infra vanishes! Space Cabby is now outnumbered!

He then points at a rock and declares that he’s made the crooks’ ray guns vanish. These brain surgeons are so baffled by this they forget that their guns were actually on a different rock, but it doesn’t matter because Space Cabby has grabbed the guns!

He turns in the crooks, gets a fat reward, and life goes back to normal.

At least, I assume it does…

See, folks, this is the end of the road for Space Cabby. Issue 47 of Mystery of Space was the last issue featuring our hero. Though the book would go on to feature such luminaries as the Star Rovers, Space Ranger, Ultra the Multi-Alien, and the venerable Adam Strange, Space Cabby’s candle, which had burned oh so very brightly, was extinguished.

Although his stories would show up in the occasional reprint, it wasn’t until 27 years later that the character would appear again.

Next week: The Evolution of Space Cabby!

“The Riddle of the Rival Space Cabbies!”
Mystery in Space #47 (October 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: Maybe You Can Live on the Moon in Next Century

If I ever got the chance to meet Space Cabby live and in person, I don’t know what I’d do! And that’s the situation Space Cabby himself finds him in when he meets one of his lifelong heroes!

It all starts when Space Cabby meets one of his lifelong heroes:

The starstruck Space Cabby hands the reclusive idol his autograph book. As Bruce signs it, SC asks him why he retired, but gets no reply.

When he drops Bruce off on Mars, the film legend discards something in the bushes. Space Cabby goes after it and discovers:

Before he can look into the matter further, a passenger asks to be taken to Earth, and for SC, duty always comes first. But back on Earth, he decides to confront the secluded star by, well, going to his house and knocking on the door.

So it’s back to Mars, and the place where he dropped Bruce off. Turns out there’s only one house on that street, so the investigation is pretty quick. Sure enough, looking into a window of the house, he sees the real Jak Bruce within.

He grabs Bruce and dashes out of the house, then takes off in the space cab, hotly pursued by another ship! This time he remembers that he has a button that automatically calls Ippy, so he pushes it and waits for them to arrive. And waits. And waits. No Ippy, and his pursuers are getting closer, so he uses “an old space-trick” to lose them by impersonating a comet. This does the trick, but at the cost of all his fuel, forcing him down on an asteroid.

Once there he realizes that the reason Ippy didn’t show up is that he pushed the wrong button. He fixes that issue just as Jak Bruce wakes up. They go for a walk and Bruce thanks Space Cabby by calling him a blundering fool. Whaaaaa? It turns out — and I’m sure none of you expected this — he wasn’t kidnapped, he was in the process of restarting his film career!

He has his dashing good looks now, but because he wasn’t under the ray long enough they’re only temporary. Space Cabby has to get him back to Mars! They start heading back to the cab when they get jumped!

Yes, this is “Hollywood” Hollywood, where actors did their own stunts and if they once played a chef in a movie they can whip up a twelve-course gourmet meal in no time. Bruce jumps for the vine, but his creaky old muscles aren’t what they used to be. It’s up to Space Cabby, imitating his idol, to do the swing and disarm the bad guys. Likewise, a dropped sword is too heavy for the former swashbuckling star, so Space Cabby holds them off. And when a narrow ravine separates them from the cab, it’s not Bruce who pole-vaults across, but just a humble little ol’ Space Cabby. They escape from the blue barbarians and make it to the cab as Ippy arrives.

Jak Bruce realizes a youthful face isn’t enough…he’ll never be able to do his athletic stunts again, but by the time they get back to Earth Space Cabby has convinced Bruce that it wasn’t his heroic feats that made him a hero, it was his acting ability! Bruce decides to continue his career as a distinguished character actor. And sure enough:

At this point, Otto Binder remembers he’s writing a Space Cabby piece so crooks bust in and steal Bruce’s Oscar. But that’s another story.

Next week: The Riddle of the Rival Space Cabbies!

“Search for a Star!”
Mystery in Space #46 (September 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Bernard Sachs
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: My Ninja Shoots Him in the Head 37 Times

It’s been established that Space Cabby drives people around in a rattling junkheap, so what happens when he is offered a sleek and stylish new ride instead? How deep is his love for his beloved Space Cab?

Space Cabby is flying around when he’s waved down by a guy whose space car has broken down on a lone meteor. Lucky this cab came along!

Our hero boasts about the tinkering he’s done with his atomic motor, giving the cab a fast pickup. And of course, we already know what a crack driver he is! He proceeds to expertly navigate the cab through the requisite space hazards, including that most feared of cosmic phenomena:

He also lets a comet shove them along because, “a comet’s glow, you know, is ‘cold fire’…not hot flames!”

SC gets Ames to Mars in time and the tycoon is wowed by the speedy yet safe trip. He pays his fare — presumably in interplanetary jewels — and promises a tip later. Since this is the fantastic world of the imaginary future, the rich guy really does give him a tip later!

It’s a fancy new cab! (Which looks a lot like how his cab used to look.) Not only is it sleek and stylish, it has all sorts of amazing features. The air conditioning is perfumed! The back seat has dispensers for free cigars and cosmetics! This is mighty tempting, but Space Cabby loves his old cab. He faces a dilemma over whether or not to abandon it for this sexy new

Well, maybe it’s not that tough a decision after all. Space Cabby, you dump your beloved immediately for the first new thing that comes along — do you wonder why you’re single?

Of course Space Cabby’s greatest love is cash, and his eyes are filled with dollar signs as he imagines all the tips he’s going to get riding people around in this amazing spaceship. But soon the reality sets in:

And if that weren’t bad enough, we find out all kinds of other ways this new cab cramps SC’s style. It takes up two parking spaces, so he has to pay double rates! He can’t fit in the asteroid tunnel! It drinks tons of fuel! Other cabbies look more in need of business than him! This gift is a white elephant! He goes back to Smiling Sam, but the old cab has already been sold to two guys who were impressed by its great pickup.

I’m sure you can’t guess where this is heading.

Yep. Space Cabby does see his old cab again…making a getaway from a bank robbery! He chases after the crooks, but they’re too fast and maneuverable for his gold goliath.

He decides to set a trap for the crooks. By burning the taxi insignia off his roof he looks like just a plain old private limousine. He cruises around waiting for them to try to rob him. When they approach, in a lonely, deserted clump of meteors, he tries to signal Ippy, but they’re on to him and jam the signal.

They start to get away, but Space Cabby is a quick thinker! He uses his meteor deflector to shove a meteor at the crooks. But not just any meteor — a magnetic one! It sticks to the rear of their ship and slows them down! But alas, this plan has one tragic side-effect.

Space Cabby grabs onto the magnetic meteor, and the crooks plan on landing somewhere to get rid of it — and him. But within moments, Ippy shows up in a spaceship marked “Ippy”! That’s like the police having “Po-Po” on their squad cars! How did Space Cabby manage to call for help?

I can imagine how that transpired:

IPPY 1: See anything requiring our attention?

IPPY 2: Nah, just a dude in a space suit hanging on for dear life to a magnetic meteor on the back of a spaceship in the airless void of space.

IPPY 1: Wanna grab some coffee?

IPPY2: Wait a minute, he’s writing “SOS” on the meteor in lipstick! I think he’s in trouble!

He set the space cab free and it came back to him, indicating that it’s his forever! Space Cabby has learned what countless other people have only learned from TV and movies — that rich people seem to have it great but would give it all up in a minute for the simple pleasures that we honest folks enjoy.

This is a very special Space Cabby story for me, because it’s the first one I ever read — and for the longest time, the only one. In August of 1976 I was eight years old and bought DC Super Stars of Space #6 off a newsstand somewhere. I loved that comic and read it to pieces. It featured Adam Strange, Tommy Tomorrow, Captain Comet, and this Space Cabby story, which was my favorite.

What’s not to love? It’s a story about an average Joe in the future who has an incredible adventure. It’s got excitement, humor, pathos, and drama! The other stories were good too, but this one really got my attention. It wouldn’t be until several years later that I would read my second Space Cabby story (again in a reprint), “The Robinson Crusoe of Space“.

Yep, folks, this is the story that made me love this noble and dignified character!

Next week: Search for a Star!

“Riddle of the Glowing Space-Cabby!”
Mystery in Space #45 (August 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Bernard Sachs
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: Quick, Professor! To the Dirigible!

Space Cabby, of course, loves his space cab. But he wouldn’t want to live in it. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what happens in this story when he becomes trapped in a cab he never made!

It all starts, like so many things, with a toothache. Space Cabby’s tooth is ailing him, and he’s heading back over to the dentist to get a filling that was put in earlier that morning checked out. Strangely, his attempt to do so is foiled.

In addition to glowing, he also becomes extremely dizzy. He returns to the cab to radio a doctor, and immediately feels fine again. His toothache has also subsided, so he shrugs the whole thing off as just another space-nectar flashback and returns to his work.

Toting people around space is thirsty work, so Space Cabby heads for a refreshment stand advertising “MILKY WAY COLA — It’s Out of This World!” which is a slogan you’d think would be about as catchy as “British Airways — It Exists on this Planet!”. As soon as he steps out to grab a beverage, it happens again:

Back in the cab again, he returns to normal. Obviously something outside is causing this strange phenomenon. He starts putting his cab driver’s deduction to work. Maybe it’s the atmosphere — after all, when he’s in the cab he breathes “pure bottled oxygen from tanks”. To test this, he heads for Mars, where the air is “different”. Alas, it’s not the air doing it, as the same thing happens on Mars, as well as the other planets he tries out.

He tries wearing a space suit outside, but that doesn’t change anything. He has to spend all his time in the cab, even sleeping there instead of in a comfortable inflatable tent! How bad are the space-dizzies he gets? Lest you think I’m exaggerating:

It’s so bad that when he goes to “the stormy moon” and it storms, he can’t leave the cab for shelter or take off and has to ride through the violent tempest. He’s not losing money, but since he can’t go to a bank because for some reason drive-through banks no longer exist he has to keep the cash he’s making in the cab with him! And you know what THAT means.

The robber was there on Mars and knows that Space Cabby can’t leave the cab to chase him on foot, so he can make a perfect getaway! Even if SC calls Ippy this rogue can still easily make tracks before they arrive. It’s the perfect plan! The crook has Space Cabby fly him to an asteroid and on the way there our hero has to come up with a plan to defeat him. And to make things worse, his tooth is hurting again!

Once they land, the crook hops out, delighted at the foolproof plan he’s come up with. But Space Cabby ain’t no fool!

Space Cabby grabs the robber’s raygun and proceeds to explain what’s happened. Now, one thing I love about writer Otto Binder is that he doesn’t believe in crazy ‘Star Trek’ science. He’ll never just say that the pflibteron gas particles caused him to grow giant bat wings and a horn. Instead, some strange reaction between his new nickel-plated wristwatch and the sound waves from the latest radio hit caused him to grow giant bat wings and a horn. Such is the case here.

See, earlier the day this started, Space Cabby had a tooth filled — with a mercury-silver amalgamate. In addition:

So the rays from the defective lamp made the filling from Dr. Chekov, D.D.S., react, causing the strange glowing and dizziness. The faulty light only came on when the door was opened, and wore off by the time Space Cabby got back in the cab! Ironically, it was something inside the cab that was giving our hero the glowing space woozies! Once he removed the defective bulb, he was free to chase down, slug, and provide exposition to the crook!

Freed from his prison, Space Cabby can now drop this guy off with Ippy, get his tooth looked at, and replace his light bulb. Presumably, he can also go shower, wash his clothes, and poop for the first time in days.

If things look different, it’s because for the first time since issue 26, Gil Kane isn’t drawing the strip. Bernard Sachs, who had been doing most of the inking until now takes over for Kane on pencils as well, while Kane is off drawing more important books, like Rex the Wonder Dog. We’ll see ol’ Gil again before we’re done, though!

Next week: The Luxury Limousine of Space!

“Riddle of the Glowing Space-Cabby!”
Mystery in Space #44 (June-July 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Bernard Sachs
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: Crusade and Jihad

Like you and me, Space Cabby eats food. But is it possible for food to be a threat to his very life? It is, and here’s how!

We open with the hack of the heavens moaning about how bad business has been lately. So when a fare asks for a ride, things are looking great. Yet…

Space Cabby ignores the potential fare and zips over to the space cafe where the smell is coming from. The aroma belongs to today’s special, “nectar soup” (25 cents a bowl!) Cabby orders some and hungrily gulps it down.

He goes through three bowls of the stuff before he’s tapped out, but the damage is done. He goes back to work, but it’s only so he can get some more sweet sweet space nectar. He picks up a few fares, but with one he makes the mistake of flying past a meteor diner advertising “HASH SEASONED WITH SPACE-NECTAR” and he can’t ignore the siren call. He slams on the atomic brakes, tells the fare to get lost, and bolts into the place to bolt down some delicious hash.

SC comes out full of nectar and low on cash, and realizes he’s got a problem. Just seeing the name of the stuff is enough to give them the shakes, so he tries flying blind to avoid all the billboards that aren’t on the space throughway he claimed to always travel on in the last story.

As you can imagine, this makes for poor flying, and before long he’s struck another space vehicle. He presses a special red button on his dashboard that opens up a direct radio line to Ippy and tries to come up with a better plan than flying around with his eyes closed.

Alas, at the intermission there is the familiar invitation to head on down to the lobby for some candy, popcorn, soda, and “Yummies”, which are flavored with that seasoning sensation, space nectar! In no time at all he’s going on another binge, waking up naked in a phone booth, covered with space nectar wrappers.

He’s got a serious problem, folks, which calls for a serious solution. He goes and sees a doctor, who tells him he has a rare gastronomical condition that there’s no cure for! He’s doomed to ride the nectar horse forever, unless he can completely avoid it, which is impossible!

Having cut himself off from sight, sound, and smell, he’s safe…until a street vendor pushes a free sample into his hand. It’s — you guessed it! — some kind of nectar-flavored biscuit, and within moments Space Cabby is greedily pounding down biscuit after biscuit, his special suit forgotten on the sidewalk.

So you’re probably wondering what this mysterious nectar is all about. Why is it suddenly showing up in every single food item he encounters, and why does it have this hold over him? I think you’re entitled to some answers!

But Otto Binder feels otherwise. He thinks it’s time for crooks!

Two guys he’s noticed trailing him hop into the cab and demand to be taken out to the slums of space, the asteroids! And sure enough, they’ve got a ray gun. Must be Tuesday!

But before he could tell his comrades exactly which fruit-tree-bearing asteroid he hid the loot on, he was picked up by Ippy. All he was able to transmit was that the asteroid had a space nectar tree on it. These guys have noticed that Space Cabby goes coo-coo for space nectar and figure he can lead them to the loot.

They head into the asteroids and start whispering sweet space nectar nothings in Space Cabby’s ears, hoping that this will somehow get his craving to pick out the right asteroid. This is a bizarre plan. How the heck is Space Cabby supposed to pick out a tree in the asteroid belt if he can’t see, smell, taste, or touch where it is? This is nuts!

As Space Cabby helplessly gorges on fruit the crooks take off in his cab, but he’s not worried. Sure enough, within a half hour Ippy comes back with the criminals captured and his space cab. How were they alerted? Simple! Space Cabby had surreptitiously pressed the “call Ippy” button on the dashboard, which let the Interplanetary Police listen in on the whole thing!

With the crooks captured and reward money in hand, now all Space Cabby has to do is figure out what he’s going to do about this harrowing addiction of his. How can he deal with this strange new food additive that is seemingly everywhere…in everything? We’ve seen him spend all his money, ignore his job, endanger others because of this mysterious space nectar, so how –

Oh. Well, okay, then.

Next week: Riddle of the Glowing Space-Cabby!

“Menace of the Space-Nectar!”
Mystery in Space #43 (April-May 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: Yesterday’s Cakes

So far Space Cabby’s adventures have ranged from dealing with space criminals to encountering scientists with bizarre inventions. And back. And forth. Repeat. Last week we had a scientist, so this week we get crooks. Who says the Silver Age wasn’t wildly inventive and unpredictable?

The story begins with Space Cabby singing the praises of the “well-marked space thruway”, which he claims to always use, since it avoids all space hazards. So, clearly we all just imagined those hazard-filled trips he’s made before.

But the Rocketbahn isn’t without problems of its own.

After dropping this guy off SC picks up another fare, headed to Neptune. But as luck would have it, this passenger isn’t in a hurry, and would like Space Cabby to take him through the back roads!

(Let me comment on something before we proceed. This story is from 1958, and the Eisenhower Interstate System broke ground in 1956, so the idea of dedicated routes for long-distance travel was fairly new. Space Cabby here is lamenting the rise of I-40 and I-55 and the fall of Route 66, as hinted at in his dialogue.)

So Space Cabby and his fare head for Route 88, where they take in all the wonders it has to offer. So many wonders, in fact, that I can’t choose just one to show you, so you get the full montage:

The panoramic wonder of the space billboards doesn’t keep Space Cabby from noticing a spacemobile that’s been following him ever since he left Earth. And, sure enough, just as he moves to shake it,

It doesn’t take long for SC to figure out the plan, largely because it’s pretty much identical to one in a previous story: car full of loot, safe getaway, don’t try to get Ippy’s attention or I’ll blow your jetting head off.

His first attempt to attract attention is pretty solid. He stops at an asteroid gas station which, due to its atmosphere being filled with static electricity, requires spacecraft to glide down instead of using rockets. The following spacemobile is unaware of this, but oh no! The gas station has recently installed an anti-static machine, which means that rule no longer applies!

For his next trick he purposely backfires his atomic motor in order to produce “sooty exhaust smoke”. Why?

But his engine isn’t the only thing that backfires: the thick black smoke makes the whirlwind visible and the criminals easily avoid it.

His third idea is…well, I’ll let him tell you what it is:

The guy with the gun is neither stupid nor deaf and informs Space Cabby that he cut the wires to the radio, so there’s no audience for this little performance.

They make it to a remote moon where the criminals’ hideout is. Space Cabby is locked up in a wooden shack, no doubt to be executed gangland style. But before that can happy, an Ippy Squad Ship descends on the place! After a brief gunfight the criminals are apprehended and Space Cabby is congratulated on his plan. Whuuu?

So it turns out that the crook, by disabling the radio, sealed his own fate! Space Cabby never even heard the SOS! Ha ha stupid crook!

Ippy hauls away the criminals and Space Cabby has learned a valuable lesson: always stick to the main roads even if they don’t have awesome billboards to keep you awake.

Next week: Menace of the Space-Nectar!

“Follow the Space-Leader!”
Mystery in Space #42 (February-March 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: Planet of Sound

I’m just going to warn you right off the bat: if you have any science laying around, you might want to move it away from the computer while you read this. Otherwise, you’re just going to have to throw it out afterwards.

We open with Space Cabby flying through space, minding his own, when he suddenly gets a call for a cab. Wha? Out in the middle of nowhere? It turns out the call is from a guy in a spacesuit who is just hanging around in deep space!

The guy pulls himself into the cab with much effort and, since he isn’t a criminal, turns out to be a scientist. His name is Professor Thaddeus and he was working on an anti-gravity ray when the machine backfired, sending him shooting away from the Earth!

So now the Professor can’t get near any large object, as the anti-gravitational force pushes him away. It took all his effort just to get into the cab! Space Cabby’s first idea is to take him to a small world, possibly full of endlessly singing children, but it’s no dice…even the smallest civilized asteroid pushes against him. So now this jerk has decided to make himself a nuisance to Space Cabby!

Space Cabby has only just begun to plan out his new life, confined to the cab with this guy forever, when he finds himself heading into a meteor swarm. And not only that, the meteor repulser is dead! Thankfully, Professor Thaddeus can help out!

(Take a look at that panel for a second. Remember when Space Cabby had three people crammed in there, besides himself?)

They get through the meteors and start running low on fuel. The only place Space Cabby can stop is at a gas station on a tiny meteor, and even then it takes all his jets to do so! But this gas station has problems of its own! The cap came off the storage tank and all the fuel is jetting into space!

Oh please. Space Cabby solves twelve problems worse than this before lunch each day!

That takes care of that, but we still have two more pages to fill! Thankfully, Space Cabby starts thinking of ways to make this anti-gravity thing work out for him. They head to a magnetic asteroid where a ship carrying gold crash landed. Normally any rocket getting too close would crash into it, but the anti-gravity forces let them land safely! Space Cabby figures that the Prof’s anti-gravity power will overcome the magnetism, even if they’re hauling a load of gold.

As they walk through the pouring rain to the crashed treasure, Space Cabby is all hunched over because the magnetism on the asteroid “works on metal, wood, glass, people…everything!” But, two panels later:

Without the Professor’s power, they’re stranded! However, the clear blue sky gives Space Cabby a clue…it was raining before. Rain is formed by water vapor…rising. So obviously, water is immune to the super-magnetism!

Seriously, don’t think about it too hard; you’ll just hurt yourself.

It follows, then, that to get off the asteroid

Et voila! They are able to take off with no problem! SCIENCE!

They head back to Earth, where they split a reward for the returned gold. As the Professor departs with a promise to be more careful in the future, Space Cabby is relieved to have this guy out of his life and Otto Binder is relieved to have barely made one more deadline.

Next week: Follow the Space-Leader!

“The Anti-Gravity Man!”
Mystery in Space #41 (December 1957-January 1958)
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cabby/Cabbie: Cabby
Table of Contents

Next: It’s Enough That We Thought of It