KAPITAN MORS DER LUFTPIRAT – From 1908 to 1911 the masked Captain Mors, a combination of Robin Hood, Captain Nemo and Robur, appeared in weekly adventures running 32-33 pages. The character’s creator is not known but over his 3-year run various writers were linked to this German series, which was basically a late Dime Novel but early Pulp Magazine.
The enigmatic Captain Mors has been called “the Patron Saint of Steam Punk” even though he was far from the first figure to be featured in that subgenre. His series ran for 165 issues of TEXT STORIES – this was not a comic book. Mors is up there with France’s hero the Nyctalope.
After the initial run of 3 years and a few months, the Captain Mors stories were reprinted around Europe in various languages until 1916. The good captain at first adventured in the skies above, then later took his crew to other planets aboard his “world ship” (which we today would call a spaceship) the Meteor.
Captain Mors’ origin is very derivative of Captain Nemo’s. Mors’ wife and children were killed by a German-Russian criminal organization which also forged documents to frame him for heinous crimes. He adopted the nom de guerre Captain Mors, donned a mask and set about using his Luftschiff (airship) and other futuristic inventions for revenge and then for crusading against other evildoers.
With his mixed crew of Europeans and people from India the captain flies around the world – and later the solar system – robbing from the rich to give to the poor and dispensing his own brand of justice to malefactors. Like the much later Doc Savage, Captain Mors possesses impressive physical strength as well as uncanny scientific genius. His archenemy is rival genius Ned Gully.
This hero’s Luftschiff is like a dirigible but is made of special metal alloys which make it invulnerable to most artillery wielded by the world’s armies of 1908-1911. The vessel shoots cannon balls and guided missiles. Refueling and refitting take place at the captain’s secret island base near New Zealand.
Mors’ crew includes the engineers Stern and Schrecken, plus Van Halen the Dutch space scientist. There’s also Lindo, a young Indian man who idolizes the captain, who in turn treats Lindo like his own son. Anita and Lucy Long, sisters from America, are geniuses themselves and serve as Science Officers.
Partway through the 165-issue series, mutineers turn against Captain Mors, but he defeats them and leaves them on Earth when he and the faithful crew members fly off to resume exploring our solar system.
This hero’s spaceship the Meteor is even more invulnerable and well-armed than his Luftschiff was. During their adventures on Venus, Mars, Jupiter, etc. the crew encounter evil alien races and monsters of all sizes and shapes plus robots made of crystal.
Captain Mors and company even find a heretofore unknown planet in our solar system; a planet that is like Earth in the distant past. That world is heavily volcanic and is inhabited by dinosaurs and huge snakes.
Over the course of the weekly series, the captain’s grimness and bitterness lighten and he becomes less ruthless in his pursuit of justice. He remains in a state of mourning for his family, however. Mors feels no woman can replace his late wife and he resists romances with women who cross his path, but luckily his crew members can pick up the slack.
The Captain Mors adventures in his original 1908-1911 run:
*** 1. THE RULER OF THE OCEAN OF THE AIR 2. A FIGHT FOR MILLIONS 3. CAPTAIN MORS IN INDIA 4. THE AIR PIRATE IN THE DIAMOND COUNTRIES 5. ADVENTURES IN AN UNKNOWN LAND
6. THE TREASURE OF THE FLAMING MOUNTAIN 7. THE SECRET OF THE JAPANESE 8. THE MANCHURIAN MUTINEERS 9. THE ISLAND OF CAPTAIN MORS 10. THE UNCANNY ENGINEER
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11. THE AIRSHIP IN A WHIRLWIND 12. A BATTLE IN THE SKIES 13. THE MINE OF CAPTAIN MORS 14. THE IVORY TREASURE IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN 15. THE MALAY’S REVENGE
16. CAPTAIN MORS, IMPRISONED 17. A DUEL BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH 18. CAPTAIN MORS AND THE TRAITORS 19. THE UNCANNY SKYSCRAPER 20. THE TYRANT’S TREASURE TOWER
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21. THE PRISON ON DEVIL’S ISLAND 22. CAPTAIN MORS’ HARDEST HOUR 23. THE SECRET OF THE MOUNTAIN CASTLE 24. THE GOVERNOR’S REVENGE 25. THE DEADLY ORE
26. THE GHOST RAILWAY BRIDGE ON THE SHAHO 27. GOLD MOUNTAIN OF THE CORAL SEA 28. THE ANCIENT MONGOLIAN EXPLOSIVE 29. THE DIAMOND FIELD IN TRANSVAAL 30. THE SPY ON THE AIRSHIP
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31. THE RIDDLE OF MOUNT SULIOTEN 32. CAPTAIN MORS’ FIRST TRIP IN THE SPACESHIP 33. THE AIRSHIP IN THE GHOST MOUNTAINS 34. CAPTAIN MORS IN THE METEOR SHOWER 35. IN BATTLE WITH THE JAPANESE AIRSHIP
36. JOURNEY WITH DEATH 37. WHEELS OF THE DESERT RAILWAY 38. ENEMIES IN SPACE 39. THE MYSTERIOUS DESTRUCTION MACHINE 40. MUTINY IN SPACE
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41. A BATTLE BETWEEN SPACESHIPS 42. IN THE NEW PLANET’S DEATH CRATER 43. THE AIR PIRATE UNDER THE SEA 44. IN THE SPHERE OF ANNIHILATION 45. BETWEEN MERCILESS ENEMIES
46. THE SECRETS OF THE METEORITE 47. THE TOWER OF DEATH OF DAMASCUS 48. THE MYSTERIOUS FLIGHT MACHINE 49. IN PURSUIT OF THE FIRE PLANET 50. THE AIR PIRATE AT THE NORTH POLE
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51. CAPTAIN MORS’ DEADLIEST ENEMY DESTROYED 52. THE BATTLE WITH PEOPLE OF THE WAR PLANET 53. THE AIR PIRATE AND THE FOREST ROBBERY 54. A DESPERATE BATTLE IN SPACE 55. THE AIR PIRATE AT THE EARTHQUAKE OF MESSINA
56. THE SPACESHIP ON THE PLANET OF GIANTS 57. A DUEL ABOVE THE CLOUDS 58. A REBELLION IN THE CELESTIAL SPHERE 59. THE UNNATURAL BLAST FURNACE 60. ADVENTURE IN THE WORLD OF DEATH
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61. THE ANNIHILATION BATTLE IN THE SKY 62. THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE ON THE MOON 63. THE SPACESHIP’S FRIGHTENING TRIP 64. THE DEATH TRIP ON THE CANALS OF MARS 65. THE AIR PIRATE ON THE EIFFEL TOWER
66. THE SPACESHIP BETWEEN THE GIANT COMETS 67. THE FIRE MOUNTAIN OF THE MYSTERY PLANET 68. THE CRATER LAKES OF THE UNKNOWN WORLD 69. THE AMERICAN’S PHANTOM AIRSHIP 70. THE MYSTERIOUS ENEMIES OF CAPTAIN MORS
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71. THE EMPEROR’S NIGHT SHIP 72. THE DOWNFALL OF THE MYSTERY PLANET 73. CHAINED ON A BURNING BALLOON 74. THE KIDNAPPED PRINCESS 75. THE AIR PIRATE’S MOST TERRIBLE BATTLE
76. THE RIDDLE OF THE INVISIBLE PLANET 77. THE STRANGE ARMORED AIRSHIP 78. IN THE TERRIFYING WORLD 79.THE DUEL OF THE AIRSHIPS 80. THE TEMPLE IN THE MOONSCAPE OF PLUTO (not the Pluto that wasn’t discovered until 1930)
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81. THE SECRETS OF THE AIR PIRATE 82. THE FLIGHT OF THE METAL DISC 83. IN THE CLAWS OF DEATH 84. AT THE END OF THE SUN WORLD 85. THE MIND FOREST OF MANCHURIA
86. THE LAST TRIP OF THE SPACESHIP 87. BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH 88. THE MINE UNDER THE SEA 89. CAPTAIN MORS BATTLING THE MUTINEER 90. THE HUNT FOR THE DOCUMENT FOLDER
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91. A FIGHT FOR DOMINION OF THE SKIES 92. THE DEADLY SECRET ALLIANCE 93. THE REBEL GENERAL AND HIS SACRIFICE 94. THE DEATH’S HEAD IN THE CABIN 95. THE PHANTOM CANYON OF ARIZONA
96. WAR SHIP AND FLIGHT MACHINE 97. A LAST MINUTE RESCUE 98. THE REVENGE OF A WOMAN 99. THE MYSTERIOUS AIR BALLOON 100. ADVENTURE IN THE COUNTRY OF FREEDOM
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101. THE MYSTERIOUS ALASKAN GOLD MINE 102. DEATH IN OUTER SPACE 103. THE ISLAND OF THE HAUNTS 104. A DECISIVE BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS 105. THE RAJAH’S DAUGHTER
106. THE TERRORS OF THE SUDAN 107. THE MISSING EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE 108. THE SECRET OF THE DECAYED LOCK 109. IN THE TAIL OF HALLEY’S COMET 110. THE FLYING MACHINE IN THE SEA
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111. THE LEADER OF THE FREE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE 112. THE SECRET OF THE MOON WORLD 113. IN THE WILDERNESS OF SIBERIA 114. THE DENVER LYNCH COURT 115. THE ENEMIES OF THE EARTH MEN
116. THE DEATH TRIP WITH THE INSANE 117. THE FRIGHTS OF THE SIERRA 118. THE SELENITE FORTRESS ON THE MOON 119. THE MYSTERIOUS FLYING MACHINE 120. THE TRIP INTO THE OVERWORLD
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121. THE MUTINY ON THE AIRSHIP 122. THE SECRETS OF THE PLANET MARS 123. THE QUIET ISLAND OF THE CONVICTS 124. INTO MARS WITH THE ARMORED SHIP 125. AT THE THRESHOLD OF DEATH
126. ADVENTURE ON THE VOLCANO PLANET 127. THE AIR FLEET AND ITS BESIEGER 128. ON THE CRYSTAL MOON OF SATURN 129. THE AIRSHIP STATION IN THE WILDERNESS 130. THE MYSTERIOUS DETECTIVE
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131. THE SECRET OF THE BLACK ROCKS 132. THE TRIP THROUGH THE ASTEROID’S TAIL 133. THE AIR SHIP OF THE FOG MOUNTAINS 134. THE SIGNAL STATION IN MOON CRATER CASSINI 135. THE RIDDLE OF DEVIL ISLAND
136. THE MISSING PERSONS OF MARS 137. THE TREASURE IN THE OLD SPANISH MINE 138. THE MYSTERIOUS MOON CRATER 139. BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY 140. IN THE OVERSEA OF THE FARTHEST PLANET
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141. THE RAILWAY TRAIN IN THE BURNING FOREST 142. THE SPACESHIP IN THE VALLEY OF HORRORS 143. THE PEARL TREASURE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN 144. THE CHASE ACROSS THE FIRE PLANET 145. THE RENUNCIATION OF THE SECRET SOCIETY
146. IN THE EMPIRE OF ETERNAL DEATH 147. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UNLEASHED FORCES OF NATURE 148. IN THE DESERTS OF MARS 149. THE TIGER TOWER ON THE MOUNTAIN OF DEATH 150. THE FALSE GOD’S FORTRESS IN THE MOON CRATER
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151. CAPTAIN MORS AND THE NIGHT HORSEMAN 152. THE FAERIE GLACIER OF NANDA-DEVI 153. THE AIRSHIP IN THE TUNDRA 154. THE FEARFUL HOUR OF THE AIR PIRATE 155. THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S AMBUSH
156. ADRIFT IN OUTER SPACE 157. THE JOURNEY INTO DESTRUCTION 158. THE DOWNFALL OF THE SPACESHIP 159. IN THE GRIP OF THE GLACIER’S ICE 160. THE WAR FOR THE AIRSHIP MODEL
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161. TWIXT LIFE AND DEATH 162. THE MYSTERY OF THE SPACESHIP 163. THE DEATHMATCH IN THE AIRSHIP 164. IN BATTLE WITH THE DEMON 165. THE HOUR OF THE DECISION
What a shame that Captain Mors is still such a neglected character. He’s got a great supporting cast, a dashing look and a series of adventures that are pure Pulp!
FOR THE NYCTALOPE, A NEGLECTED HERO VERY SIMILAR TO CAPTAIN MORS, CLICK HERE.
Balladeer's Blog 
Great, well done for posting. Good luck, dear Edward. 💞🙏🏼💐
Thank you very much! Good luck to you, too!
He’s a dashing fellow! Love his Luftschiff.
Yes, pure Steam Punk! Female readers back then probably liked the way he remained faithful to his late wife, too!
Wonderful posts as always. I have never heard about Captain Mors before but he certainly seems to be a very interesting character. With his dashing looks, heroic personality and love for adventure, Mors is definitely a compelling character. He reminds me a lot of Captain Jack Sparrow. First introduced in 2001’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl”, Sparrow is one of the most iconic pirates in cinematic history. Johnny Depp did an amazing job of portraying him in movies. Mors shares similar personality traits with Sparrow, which makes him an intriguing hero. I wonder why he got neglected. I would have liked to have seen a movie about is adventures. Thanks for sharing.
Here’s why I recommend Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl”:
Thanks! I know what you mean. I loved that first Pirates of the Caribbean film, too!
Oona: “A pirate, eh? The traditional enemy of the ninja? I’ve got my eye on you, Captain Mors.”
I don’t think he’ll risk messing with you, Oona.