Forgotten Drugs of the Silver Age: Bio Serum

May 12th, 2011

Filed under: Comics, Medicine

In the far off year of 2056, the warlike aliens the Zlovian have invaded our solar system in their city-sized space ship made out of the indestructible element impervium. Desperate, the Planeteers decide to send a spy onto the Zlovian ship to learn the secret of impervium.

Tommy Tomorrow is selected for the mission. So he won’t be detected on board the enemy ship, he is given a special Bio Serum that will transform him into a Zlovian. He is also given the antidote, which will change him back.

scene from Action Comics #222
scene from Action Comics #222

Once aboard the alien ship, Tommy is quickly able to determine the weakness of impervium. His disguise works perfectly, except that he never bother to learn the Zlovian language, so when someone challenges him in their native tongue, he is revealed as an impostor. He runs off, pursued by a horde of Zlovians. He ducks into the radio room and doses the unsuspecting Zlovian radio man with the antidote — which turns him human — so the other Zlovian capture him, allowing Tommy to escape to Planeteer headquarters and save the day.

scene from Action Comics #222scene from Action Comics #222

In other words, the Bio Serum antidote doesn’t so much revert the human-transformed-to-Zlovian back to human as it turns any Zlovian into a human. It’s not really an antidote; it’s another Bio Serum in its own right. This sets up a bunch of questions and ideas:
Tommy Tomorrow Does it change every Zlovian into the same person (apparently not, or the Zlovian would have turned into Tommy Tomorrow). If someone uses the serum more than once, does it turn them into the same human/Zlovian every time? Upon regaining his humanity, will Tommy still have his appendectomy scar, or will he have his appendix back?
Tommy Tomorrow If I were writing a Tommy Tomorrow tale, I would used the bio serums to set up a whole Plain-Belly Sneetches/Star-Belly Sneetches storyline.

Other Thoughts:
1. The weakness of impervium? Plain water.
2. I hope they made more than one dose of antidote.
3. I love the vaguely Eastern European sounding names of the aliens: the “Zlovians.” This was written in the middle of the Cold War, after all.
4. It took Tommy several minutes to turn into a Zlovian, but only took the Zlovian a second or two to turn human?
5. Lack of knowledge of the Zlovian language is what got Tommy in trouble, but the first thing out of the transformed Zlovian’s mouth is English?
6. Was the Zlovian-transformed-into-human killed by his fellow aliens, or was he rescued when the Planeteers rescued the human prisoners from the Zlovian ship? Is he, now, living amongst us, plotting revenge?

Action Comics #222 (November 1956). “The Creature from Outer Space” by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney

8 Responses to “ Forgotten Drugs of the Silver Age: Bio Serum ”

  1. Karl Withakay
    May 12th, 2011 at 10:20 am

    My question is, what happens if a someone that is already human takes the “antidote”? Do they become extra-human?

  2. Karl Withakay
    May 12th, 2011 at 10:20 am

    dang typos: “if a someone “

  3. Lazarus Lupin
    May 12th, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    fascinating questions, and one can even expand the sphere of madness further. What if you gave the “antidote” to a nonsentient creature? Would a dog turn into a functioning human? Since the zlovian seemed to suddenly learn english does that mean the antidote gives some knowledge or would the dog be tabla rasa? On a theological note, would it gain a soul?

    Lazarus Lupin
    http://strangespanner.blogspot.com/
    art and review

  4. Daedalus
    May 12th, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    This is positively Phildickian! But if the great man himself had written it, TT would have married a Zlovian and had lots of Zlovian children.

  5. Bryan L
    May 12th, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    I love the word “impervium.” And that weakness won’t matter much unless you get the ship in an atmosphere where you can spray it with water. In space, it would pretty much be impregnable. Ooh, “impregnium” would be another good metal. Except it has “preg” in it and is thus too suggestive. Okay, I’m done free-associating.

  6. Jon
    May 12th, 2011 at 11:36 pm

    So either the Zlovians ‘discovered’ this new element — which exists nowhere on Earth — in such large amounts they could submit it to destructive testing before they even named it. And then they named it in a dead Earth language.

    Or they were really lucky:

    “Gosh, Professor Impervo, did you know your name means ‘impenetrable’ in space-alien talk?”

    “I haven’t got time for that now, Tommy. I’ve got to test this new element I’ve discovered.”

  7. Seth Finkelstein
    May 13th, 2011 at 12:10 am

    I could accept the Zlovian radioman knowing English as part of his job to deal with enemy communications – speaking it in surprise would be another matter (maybe he was still in English-mindset from doing intercepts). It must have been a fun scene when he was captured “Wait a minute, I’m your old pal Z’radarz Zo’reilly. Some weird crew member was next to me and looking at me when this happened, he probably caused it somehow, get him.” “Yeah, pal, is that the best story you can come up with?”.

  8. FlowerPower
    May 13th, 2011 at 7:57 am

    Anyone else amused that a tentacled species developed the same eating utensils we have? Also their antennas don’t make any sense: without a helmet they’re curved, with the helmet they’re stiff and completely straight, almost artificial, but the radio operator apparently lost his in the transition.

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