In a two-part story in Five Star Comics #2 and #3, The Amalga-Mates, the world's first Siamese twin superheroes, go up against Doctor Hugo Wickwaff, who is convinced that acorns taken on board the last space shuttle mission have special properties because they have been exposed to cosmic radiation. Doctor Wickwaff steals the acorns. The Amalga-Mates take on the task of retrieving them and delivering him to justice.
So why does Wickwaff think irradiated acorns have special powers? Because that's
how his favorite comic book supergroup, The Fantabulous Five, got theirs. But that's just a comic book, you say. (Actually it's a comic book within a comic book.) Well, before you begin scoffing, read "'Cherry Tree from Space' Mystery Baffles Japan" on the website News.com.au (Apr. 12, 2014) by clicking here. There you will find that cherry tree seeds taken into space in 2008 and planted upon their return have resulted in young trees that have bloomed six years ahead of schedule.
"Exposure to cosmic rays?" you ask.
"Exposure to cosmic rays?" the author of the article asks.
"Of course, there is the possibility that exposure to
stronger cosmic rays accelerated the process of sprouting and overall growth," says Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba. "From a scientific point of view, we can only say we don't know why." We can only advise Kaori to read more comic books. We can only advise you that the trees bloomed on April 1.
Story copyright 2014 Terence E. Hanley
Art copyright 2014 Larry Blake and Tim Corrigan
Original text copyright 2014 Five Star Comics
