The Space Pack

The Space Pack
Start date:	September 5th, 1971
End date:	November 21st, 1971
# of strips:	12 (12 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"The College of Magic"
Followed by:	"The Garden of the Inca"

"The Space Pack" is the 114th Mandrake Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

This story exist in three variations. Fredericks drew the strips with three rows in landscape format which scaled down to fit half a newspaper page. By cutting the top row, the strip fills a third of a newspaper page. By rearranging the panels to portrait format, the strip fit a tabloid page.

Plot Summary

A friend of Mandrake, the astronomer Bob, observes something strange in the asteroid belt. One asteroid vanishes, almost as if something has eaten it. Mandrake calls Magnon about the mystery..

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• Hojo
• Karma
• Emperior Magnon

One-time characters

• Bob, an astronomer
• Captain Fortor, of the Galactic Intelligence Service
• Space Pack, an alien life form able to eat anything including metal and rock
• The Admiral on Magnon's flagship

Locations

• New York City
  • Xanadu
• Magna

Objects

• A galactic watch, sends a signal to Magnon.

Behind the scenes

• The story title is taken from the strip of September 5, 1971 (Beginning: The Space Pack!).

Signifiant covers

• 
  Brazil
• 
  Italy
• 
  Portugal
• 
  Spain

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "A Ameaça", Mandrake #193 (1972)

France

• "Les mangeurs du planetes", Mandrake #396 (1973)

India

• "Mandrake the Magician and the Mountain Eaters" Indrajal Comics #179 (1973)

Italy

• "I divoratori di pianeti", Mandrake #42 (1973)

Portugal

• "Os Monstros do Espaço", Selecções #156 (1974)

Spain

• "La manada espacial", Mandrake el Mago: Sundays pages 1968–1972 (Dolmen Editorial) (2019)

Turkey

• "Uzay Fareleri", Mandrake #131 #132 (1976-1977)
• "Uzay Fareleri", Mandrake Albüm #44
• "Uzay Fareleri", Mandrake #51
• "Uzay Fareleri", Mandrake Süper Albüm #15
• "Uzay Fareleri", Mandrake Süper Albüm #72 #73

Yugoslavia

• "Svemirski monstrum", Gigant #17 (198?)