Four Color #378

Name: Four Color #378
Brand: Dell
Availability: InStock

Feb 1952 · Dell · 0.10 USD

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“Training Flight to Titan”

★ 1st appearance — Tom Corbett

About this Issue

Four Color #378 marks the first comic book appearance of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet — the cadet hero who was one of early television's most prominent science-fiction figures and one of the medium's earliest examples of full-scale multimedia franchising. As the opening shot of Dell's three-issue tryout run, the book demonstrates how the Four Color series functioned as a commercial proving ground: audience response here directly led to Corbett earning his own standalone title. Set in the year 2351 and following cadets training aboard the rocket cruiser Polaris, the issue brought the optimistic, hardware-grounded tone of the TV show into the comics page at the precise moment when space-themed entertainment was shaping a generation's imagination.

In the year 2351, Captain Strong and three Space Cadets—Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning—embark on a critical training flight to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, where they must prove their peaceful intentions to the planet’s inhabitants. With the fate of their mission hanging on diplomacy, the crew faces a tense challenge: convincing the Titanians that they’re not invaders come to steal the radioactive ore that powers their cities. Written by Paul S. Newman and illustrated by Al McWilliams, this adventure blends space-age wonder with early sci-fi tension, all rendered with the crisp, expressive style that defined the era. The cover, also by Al McWilliams, captures the dramatic scale of the journey.

writer Paul S. Newman · artist, inker Al McWilliams · cover Al McWilliams

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Good) $16

CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $1,426*

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $916*

CGC 9.0 none in existence

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $457

CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $356

Show all 15 grades ▾

CGC 7.0 · 8 in census $232

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $195*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $155

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $142*

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 · 5 in census $109

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $89*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $79*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

The Tom Corbett franchise originated with Joseph Greene of Grosset & Dunlap, who developed the concept inspired by — though not directly derived from — Robert A. Heinlein's 1948 juvenile novel Space Cadet; the TV show even purchased rights to the term 'Space Cadet' from Heinlein to bolster publicity. Dell's Four Color #378 was produced under license from Videofeatures Company (copyright holder as of 1952) and featured a painted cover by Al McWilliams, interior art by Jack Lehti, and scripting credited in part to Paul S. Newman, who was simultaneously writing the syndicated Tom Corbett newspaper strip. The issue's 36-page package included 34 pages of story art, a photo page drawn from the live television production, and no advertising — a production format maintained consistently across the Dell run.

Trivia · 8 facts

First comic book appearance of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet; published February 1952 by Dell as Four Color #378 — retroactively counted as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet #1 in Dell's own numbering.
Introduces the core cast in their comic form: Tom Corbett, Astro, Roger Manning, Commander Arkwright, Captain Strong, and Dr. Dale — all derived from the hit TV show that aired on all four major U.S. networks between 1950 and 1955.
Cover art is a painted illustration by Al McWilliams; interior story art is by Jack Lehti; scripting is attributed in part to Paul S. Newman (who also scripted the concurrent newspaper strip).
The issue's story, 'Titan Sabotage,' is a single uninterrupted 34-page adventure — the format Dell used for the entire Tom Corbett run — with a black-and-white photo still from the TV series included inside.
Dell used the Four Color series as a market-testing platform; after this and two follow-up issues (#400 and #421), strong audience response prompted Dell to spin Corbett into a dedicated ongoing title starting at #4 in late 1952.
The franchise was one of early television's first major multimedia rollouts, encompassing a simultaneous radio program, a Grosset & Dunlap novel series (under the house pseudonym Carey Rockwell), toys, coloring books, a lunch box, and a Little Golden Book.
All eleven Dell Tom Corbett issues were later reprinted in black and white by UK-based World Distributors; the Dell run was also collected in hardcover by PS Artbooks in 2017 as part of their Pre-Code Classics line.
After Dell ceased publication with #11 in 1954 as the TV show's ratings declined, Prize Comics briefly continued the title with three issues in 1955, drawn primarily by Mort Meskin.