Review: Spanner's Galaxy by Nicola Cuti and Tom Mandrake

Spanner's Galaxy was a six-issue comic miniseries* from the mid-1980s, one of DC Comics's most creatively fertile periods (when Dick Giordano was executive editor). Spanner's Galaxy isn't a DC-universe- or multiverse-set tale, but a standalone sci-fi adventure. Like so many of these 1970s and '80s space comics I've been reading recently, it is of course in the mold of Star Wars, more than most: Polaris "Poli" Spanner is a young farmboy from a backwater planet who dream of bigger things. In his childhood, his father takes him on a trip to a market planet, and he makes friends with a street urchin, Andromeda "Andi" Jones, and he also meets Baka, the galaxy's most dreaded bounty hunter.

As Spanner grows up, he joins the Kaborian Knights. The Kaborians are unicorn aliens, and Spanner is the first human member. Kaborian Knights can "castle": you telepathically reach out and swap locations with another (willing) person. They also wield a sci-fi blade called the shek, which you can throw like a boomerang or use to deflect laser blasts. The first issue chronicles all this, skims over a few weeks/months/years of adventures Spanner has as a travelling knight, and ends with Spanner wanted for reasons unknown, on the run from both Baka (now a police officer) and another policeman, Harris, as well as a new guild of bounty hunters led by Andi.

Its Star Wars influence is obvious, but it's also well-done comics, and castling is a great way to not waste any time between installments. Tom Mandrake has a classic heroic illustration style, especially in the earlier issues, and Nicola Cuti uses a very comics framing device: overlapping narrations from an off-panel interrogation. Spanner is telling his story to 10-A (whom he calls "Tenna"), who has been telepathically connected to him and other participants in the story. So mostly the narration is dialogue between Spanner and Tenna, but occasionally other characters interject or are asked to give their testimony, but you only see them in the "past"; you never see the time of the frame, just "hear" it (until issue #5).

It's less one big story than I imagined it would be when I started the second issue. Issues #2-5 each tell their own standalone adventure story featuring Spanner on the run. In #2, he rescues an alien princess; in #3, he visits a remote sociological outpost; and so on. Baka, Harris, and Andi usually show up around the end of each issue, and then Spanner castles or otherwise escapes. In #2, Spanner makes the acquaintance of "Gadj," a diminutive alien gadgeteer. Gadgeteers have an innate understanding of technology, and can build anything, even if they don't understand the underlying principles. Gadj himself speaks with a Southern drawl, and is small enough to tuck into Spanner's coat when he castles.

The stories are of varying quality (I enjoyed #2, with the alien princess; I thought it kind of stupid how many people in #4 died to protect Spanner for dubious reasons), but overall they provide a fun tour across a very Star Warsesque galaxy. Hence the title I guess. Andi, alas, ends up pretty underutilized; she seems badass in #1, but during the pursuit, she comes across as Spanner's least effectual pursuer. (On the other hand, when Spanner meets his sister in #5, he's disguised, and there's more than one comment about how attractive she finds him. Um, more Star Wars influences, I guess?)

Also there's a nice touch in that instead of a lettercol, every issue (except #6) contains a short story, each in the first person. #1 and #2 are "by" Spanner; #1 is from his farm life, while #2 is from his training on Kabor. #3 is a tale by Andromeda, from her childhood. #4 is by a member of the Star Rangers, who has a gadgeteer that is probably Gadj. #5 is by Harris, talking about his last bounty before he went straight. (That Harris was a bounty hunter before he became a cop is dropped in at the last minute and doesn't really ring true to the character presented in the first four issues; I suspect it was added late to set up something done in #6.)

At the end of #5, Spanner is captured by Baka and company, and we catch up to the interrogation, and then Spanner and Gadj are thrown in prison. #6 picks up several months later, and reveals why Spanner was framed. To be honest, this didn't really work for me; it piles on a lot of revelations in a short time, none of which were foreshadowed very well. Spanner has an extra-special power gem in his shek with unheard-of capabilities, and Baka's whole reason for going after Spanner revolves around a character introduced in this very issue, which is underwhelming. Plus there's like a triple-bluff about something? It all gets quite convoluted. Plus plus Andi is even more marginalized.

Still it was a fun ride while it lasted. Of these 1970/80s DC sci-fi comics I've been reading (IronWolf, Star Hunters, Starfire), it's definitely the best. #6 ends with a hook for a sequel series, and I would read it if it existed, but that was it for Spanner's Galaxy.

Spanner's Galaxy was originally published in six issues (Dec. 1984–May 1985). The story was written by Nicola Cuti; drawn by Tom Mandrake; lettered by John Costanza (#1-2), Bob Lappan (#3-4), Ben Oda (#5), and Carrie Spiegle (#6); colored by Tom Ziuko; and edited by Alan Gold.

* Or possibly a maxi-series, as proclaimed on the cover of #3 for some reason. Six issues doesn't seem very "maxi." All the other covers say "mini-series."