The Shrink Ray (comic story)

The Shrink Ray was a Fireball XL5 comic printed in TV Century 21 in 1967.

Spanning ten issues, it constituted the main part of the third crossover story arc in the pages of TV21 to focus on the inhabitants of the planet Astra, first mentioned in The Rescue.

Summary
to be added

Characters

 * Steve Zodiac
 * Professor Matic
 * Commander Zero
 * Venus
 * Robert the Robot
 * Kaplan Minus
 * Kapt
 * Krin
 * Clo

Worldbuilding

 * Steve boards the Kapt's space cruiser Astra 4.
 * Steve suggests that the Kapt take a holiday in Space City.
 * After being miniaturised, Steve identifies Fireball XL5 as looking like the metal Cahelium when seen through a microscope.
 * Krin and Clo shrink the Astran space fleet by using a new invention called the decreaser.
 * An Astran notes that their ancestors moved without hover-saucers.

Story notes

 * This story continues on from the multi-series "Space War" arc, which hosted the first appearance of the Astrans. Although they are now at peace with the Solar System, there are still those that think Astra should be the dominant power who are willing to provoke a conflict for it to become a reality.

Continuity

 * Astra is at peace with the Solar System. (COMIC: Astra's Final Battle, Andromeda Or Die)
 * Steve Zodiac and Fireball XL5 are once again patrolling the Astra-Solar border. (COMIC: Space Border Battle)
 * Kapland has been rebuilt following its destruction by the 611th Kaplan. (COMIC: Astra's Final Battle)