Space Adventures: Transformation

* Cover
* Title Page

**Transformation** is a pre-comics code Space Adventures story that features one of comics' earliest transgender characters, Lars Kranston. Billed as "the Hard-Hitting Story of Scientists' most Recent Revelation", the story is popularly presumed to be inspired by the 1952 transition of Christine Jorgensen.

## Synopsis

News of World War III breaks as a result of four separate European capitols being atom bombed. Facing a shortage of medical officers, a national draft has become almost assured. Hoping to avoid involvement, Dr, Lars Kranston, director of The World Medical Center of New York City, gathers the foremost names of international doctors and scientists to evacuate to Mars. Having overheard the conversation, Dr. Kranston's secretary and "sweetheart", Betty, secures herself a seat on the rocket.

Tragedy strikes on arrival to Mars as the crew experiences a crash landing. The only two survivors, Betty and Lars, are separated in the crash. While Lars stays with the ship, Betty wanders the planet stricken with amnesia as a result of the abrupt descent. As the months pass, Dr. Kranston attempts to cure his boredom by working in what remains of the ship's laboratory.

While in the lab, Kranston comes across notes on "sex conversion". Tired of the baggage that comes with being a man, he decides this would be an interesting experiment and prepares a hormone shot.

Roughly a year after the crash, Betty suddenly regains her memories and begins to search for her long lost travel partners. Coming across the ship, she reacts in shock when finding another woman who explains herself to be Kranston.

## Appearing in

### Characters

* Dr. Lars Kranston
* Betty

### Locations

* The World Medical Center of New York City
* Mars

## Background Information

### Production notes

Had this story been written just a year later, it would have been banned by the Comics Code Authority based on it's rules against “sex perversion” .

## Quotes

> These notes.. on sex conversion... the transformation from male to female of the human being by medical science. Might provide an interesting experiment... Take a long time to accomplish... But I've got a lot of time!
>
> Dr. Lars Kranston

> I..I'm Kranston! I've undergone a transformation of sex by my own hand!
>
> Dr. Lars Kranston

## Reception

Some publications have noted that the themes of this story seem to be more of a commentary on "toxic masculinity" than transgender issues. Others have suggested that the transgender themes "form a subtle but complex undercurrent for most of the story" with Bleeding Cool writer Mark Seifert in particular remarking "The unspoken implication seems to be that he could only finally do this when he was the last person left in the world."

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Seifert, M. (2019, September 13). *The Surprising Trans-Themed Story in Space Adventures #7 from 1953*. Bleeding Cool News and Rumors. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/trans-themed-story-space-adventures-7-1953/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *That time Charlton Comics published a trans sci-fi story in 1953*. (2019, November 29). Boing Boing. https://boingboing.net/2019/11/29/that-time-charlton-comics-publ.html
3. ↑ Kistler, A. (2020). How the “Code Authority” Kept LGBT Characters Out of Comics. *HISTORY*. https://www.history.com/news/how-the-code-authority-kept-lgbt-characters-out-of-comics
4. ↑ Kawasaki, A. (n.d.). *Transformation – A Pre-Comics Code Transgender Story – GAY LEAGUE*. https://gayleague.com/transformation-a-pre-comics-code-transgender-story/