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JAN VERN

vern_jan_cb_mis102 vern_jan_cb_mis100
 
Full Name: Jan Vern
Nationality: Unknown
Organization: IPI
Occupation Agent

Creator: Gil Kane, Dave Wood
Time Span: 1965 - 1965

ABOUT THE SERIES

Jan Vern is an agent with the IPI.

That stands for Interplanetary Investigations. The name sounds like it would be a private detective business but the scope of the authority that is demonstated in the two recorded adventures that we have would indicate a governmental agency.

We know that the time frame for the action is the future, likely at least several centuries. Earth still appears to be a center point but The variety of humanoids encountered by Vern is impressive; all with the traditional body parts but after that the differences are wide. Green skin, orange skin, red skin, brown skin - all represented. Some have reptilian features while others go even a bit more extreme. This all shows that the reach for the Earthlings have extended far enough to have encountered beings from other planets and they have formed a unified government. How many different worlds are involved is not mentioned but is likely to be a good number; many of these are in our solar system as we meet those from Jupiter and Pluto, to mention two.

Vern is an Earthling, white-skinned with short blond hair. He is fairly tall, slender and obviously in good physical shape. Unless undercover, Vern is typically dressed in what would appear to be a standard IPI uniform - blue jumpsuit with a wide v-collar, white belt, and high white boots.

As would be expected for a series of adventures taking place in the future, Vern is equipped with an assortment of cool gadgets and devices including ray guns which allow for impressive, non-lethal curtailment of individuals - i.e., opponents get zapped but not killed. Of course, those he goes up against are also able to bring their own neat toys to fight.

We learn virtually nothing about Vern other than he is an agent, has been for some time, and is well respected.

COMIC BOOKS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, AND MANGA

Number of Stories:2
First Appearance:1965
Last Appearance:1965

1 The Secret Of The Double Agent The Secret Of The Double Agent
Published by DC Comics
Contributors: Dave Wood (writer), Gil Kane (artist)
Copyright: 1965

Published in Mystery In Space #100 (Jun. 1965) with 8 color pages. Reprinted in All Star Adventure Comic #35 (Australia, Oct. 1965).
IPI had an agent in deep cover in the Space Syndicate but of late the intel being passes has been 'faulty and misleading'. Had the agent turned? That was what Jan Vern has to find out.
Click here to read the story.

2 Operation Phobos Operation Phobos
Published by DC Comics
Contributors: Dave Wood (writer), Gil Kane (artist)
Copyright: 1965

Published in Mystery In Space #102 (Sep. 1965) with 8 color pages. Reprinted in Mighty Comic #51 (Australia, Feb. 1965).
Something is amiss at the Spaceways Toy Plant so the IPI sends operative Jan Vern undercover to check things out. He soon learns that gold smuggling is underway but the closer he looks, the more he sees something even more nefarious is underway - including an invisibility beam that could hide people.
Click here to read the story.

MY COMMENTS

There really is not enough of Jan Vern to get a good sense of the character or the series which is a shame because I enjoy a good spy-fi/sci-fi combo. This is especially true when the writer goes to the trouble of coming up with some nifty gadgets to show what technology can come up with.

It is not surprising for a comicbook series, even one as short-lived as this one, from the mid-60s to have a blond-haired white guy as the protagonist in a interplanetary adventure series filled with all sorts of colored races. Heavens, the idea of some other color or gender being the solo hero - no way!

GRADE

My Grade: B-

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