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Post by String on Sept 22, 2019 11:18:37 GMT -5
Bendis' recent attempts toward providing a concrete road map for the future of the DCU (from the present to the 31st century of the Legion) has piqued my curiosity over DC's early sci-fi heroes. Most notably, the likes of Tommy Tomorrow, Space Ranger, Star Hawkins, Space Cabby, Chris KL-99, Star Rovers, Knights of the Galaxy and such. From what I initially gather, the two titles that featured these characters were Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures, is that correct?
However, upon a cursory search, it seems there is quite the gap in reprinting any or all of this early sci-fi material (with the exception apparently being Adam Strange). I've never read of any of these characters but they sound fun and imaginative to me, a vision of what the future looked like and held from that viewpoint time in our society.
So, what is your general thoughts and opinions on these characters and the quality of their stories? Which ones, if any, do you prefer over the others? Are any particular issues and/or stories that are memorable?
Other than sporadic (almost Easter Egg like) appearances since the Bronze Age onward and their appearances in CoIE, the only recent example I can find is a deluxe book 3 issue miniseries from the early 90s called Twilight by Chaykin and Garcia-Lopez. The early reviews of this series that I've read were quite harsh on Chaykin's treatment of Tommy Tomorrow with the only saving grace apparently being Garcia-Lopez's art. Still, I was going to hunt down a set of this miniseries as well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2019 16:47:36 GMT -5
I liked Adam Strange. Tommy Tomorrow. Capt Comet. Most of the 1950's Sci Fi stories were 5-6 pages and IMO mostly forgettable. They were definitely very much a vision of the future before the space race.
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Post by tarkintino on Sept 22, 2019 17:11:25 GMT -5
Just to give a general impression, the original series stories (whether involving the characters you mentioned or others) were a mixed bag; creators such as Gardner Fox, Robert Kanigher, Joe Giella, John Broome, et al., were of their era, meaning some stories were of the post World War 2 fanciful "scientific romance" variety, while they also dipped into the more high concept sci-fi that was breaking ground in novels of the period.
From a historical point of view for sci-fi in comics--or DC's in general, there's much one can "get" and/or enjoy, as DC's brand of the genre certainly set the stage for its revolutionary birth of the Silver Age only a few years down the road, where so many of the reimagined Golden Age heroes were (as we all know) products of science fiction ideas. In many a Mystery in Space story one can get glimpses the future that set loose the Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, et al. So, for that reason, you might want to check out the stories, with the understanding of the environment they were created in, and how they would influence a larger industry to come.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2019 17:15:33 GMT -5
Great point. I think you are correct. I also think Marvel followed their sci fi horror concepts into their heroes. Look at their 50s monster titles and heroes like the Hulk and the Thing.
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Post by rberman on Sept 22, 2019 18:20:44 GMT -5
Here is our thread about Chaykin's Twilight mini.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 22, 2019 18:45:28 GMT -5
I used to have the Mystery in Space trade collection, edited by Michael Uslan, which had a cross section of the material. Captain Comet was good stuff, Adam Strange had great adventures (and Carmine on art). Never saw Tommy Tomorrow and only a little of Star Hawkins. The Space Museum stories had some good ones in there. The Atomic Knights were at least an interesting concept. EC's sci-fi stuff was better; but, DC had plenty of good material. They also had more writers of a real sci-fi background, lke Alfred Bester and Gardner Fox and Broome was pretty good at sci-fi, too. Marvel tended more to the pulpier stuff, just in general. Julie Schwartz and Mort Weisinger came out of sci-fi fandom and publishing.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2019 19:25:07 GMT -5
I read a lot of Adam Strange, Buck Rogers, Captain Comet, Mystery in Space, Strange Adventures, lots of EC stuff too; and some miscellaneous things as well too.
My most memorable character is Adam Strange in Mystery in Space and Martian Manhunter in the House of Mystery.
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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 24, 2019 14:58:50 GMT -5
At the time, the Adam Strange stories were crème de la crème of Silver Age DC. Like so many other stories of the time, they can get repetitious if you binge-read them (there should be an acronym for that: RIYB-RT). Adam is less a character than a collection of traits: courage, cleverness, and coolness under pressure. There are incessantly used tropes: Adam is forever pulled from Rann to Earth just after he solves the crisis of the day; Adam is almost always Rann's only hope against the steady onslaught of invaders, despite its super-sophisticated technology; and there's a steady diet of Alanna pining for Adam and Adam staring off longingly toward Rann. However, that said, there's much to like. Alanna is every bit as plucky and clever as Adam; she is like a combination of Sue Dibny and Shayera Hol, an equal partner to Adam rather than a sidekick. Certainly not the "pesky female," a la Lois Lane. I also loved that Adam preferred being on Rann. He had loyalty to earth, but his love for Alanna was far more important to him than anything. The stories, with their mix of real and pseudo-science, are almost always enjoyable, and they take more than 10 minutes to read. Fox definitely wasn't writing down to the audience in the Adam Strange stories. As a kid, I knew they were a high bar for me to reach; I couldn't just breeze though these as I might with an issue of World's Finest. The artwork, until the very end of the series, was Infantino at his best, especially when he was inked by Murphy Anderson. Futuristic cityscapes, elegant, sleek fashion, hardware and vehicles. Outstanding covers were the rule, too. And how could you not be impressed with the design of Adam's costume? Space-operatic costume design at its best. My all-time MIS favorite (left) and a little beauty by Kane and Giella:   There's at least one Adam Strange collection amongst the DC Showcase editions (the ones in B&W.) I'm thinking there was a second, but can't be sure. Highly recommended. |
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Post by rberman on Sept 24, 2019 15:28:51 GMT -5
A couple of my favorites from the early 1970s which I reviewed in another thread: This one:  And this one:  |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 24, 2019 16:10:12 GMT -5
Adam Strange also has a color Omnibus which came out earlier this year. Silver Age DC science-fiction/fantasy is some my most fave reads. They run the gamut from creative/complex to fun/silly and are chock full of wondrous pseudo science concepts and aliens galore to read about. And less we forget Strange's brother in space created in 1951 for Strange Adventures: Captain Comet; Adam Blake who is one of the very 1st mutants (DC's 1st? and X-Men didn't show their faces until 12 years later!!!
Why can't we get a Captain Comet TPB collecting ALL his stories? Old and newer!
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Post by brutalis on Sept 24, 2019 16:27:30 GMT -5
] Why can't we get a Captain Comet TPB collecting ALL his stories? Old and newer! There was one DC Archive volume of Captain Comet that collected Strange Adventures (1950 1st Series) #9-44, 46, 49, and Secret Society of Super Villains (1976) #2-6. -M Will have to keep my eyes out for that one mrp. Everything I could find with a quick look via internet shows it as being Out of Print and Unavailable.    |
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Post by MDG on Sept 24, 2019 16:39:28 GMT -5
I know these stories mainly from DC giants that reprinted them in the early bronze. I like the concept of Star Rovers a lot: every story had a mystery that each of the three would solve, the first two being wrong. A very Julie Schwartz idea. Best thing about the Star Rovers: the Loborilla!
 Best thing about The Atomic Knights: giant dalmatians!
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 24, 2019 16:41:27 GMT -5
] Why can't we get a Captain Comet TPB collecting ALL his stories? Old and newer! There was one DC Archive volume of Captain Comet that collected Strange Adventures (1950 1st Series) #9-44, 46, 49, and Secret Society of Super Villains (1976) #2-6. -M That book was never actually published. It was solicited for August 2013 but was cancelled along with Batman: World's Finest Vol. 3. That was at the very end of the Archives program. |
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Post by String on Sept 27, 2019 17:25:13 GMT -5
I used to have the Mystery in Space trade collection, edited by Michael Uslan, which had a cross section of the material. Captain Comet was good stuff, Adam Strange had great adventures (and Carmine on art). Never saw Tommy Tomorrow and only a little of Star Hawkins. The Space Museum stories had some good ones in there. The Atomic Knights were at least an interesting concept. EC's sci-fi stuff was better; but, DC had plenty of good material. They also had more writers of a real sci-fi background, lke Alfred Bester and Gardner Fox and Broome was pretty good at sci-fi, too. Marvel tended more to the pulpier stuff, just in general. Julie Schwartz and Mort Weisinger came out of sci-fi fandom and publishing. Yeah, just acquired a copy of that collection from eBay along with a set of the Twilight mini-series. Rberman, you seem to be in the same camp with other reviews I've read of the series but man, that Garcia-Lopez art is gorgeous. Maybe my lack of familiarity with these characters may soften some of Chaykin's apparent abrasive treatment of them. Thanks all for the great suggestions, especially about Adam Strange. He was one of those seemingly cool concept characters that I'd heard about over the years but never really read that much of. I didn't get my first full dose of him till the Planet Heist miniseries of the 00's by Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry. I liked that mini which lead to Adam's later involvement with the Rann-Thanager War. Of course, reading up over Strange's early adventures, it's great learning of his long-time connection with Hawkman, a connection I was unaware of till now. It's taking some digging but I've also found sources of reprints in DC's Super Stars title of the 70s that look worth tracking down as well. |
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Post by beccabear67 on Sept 28, 2019 13:36:29 GMT -5
I found the four DC Super-Stars Of Space comics in nice FN-VF shape at a reasonable price (and part of a sale on top of that, bonus) so snagged 'em today. I'd been looking at those for awhile. I don't think I ever did read a Space Cabby before but see it on the cover of one issue.
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