Scholars of the subject tend to claim that science fictions golden age dates to john w. Amazing stories is an american science fiction magazine launched in april 1926 by hugo gernsbacks experimenter publishing. This rubric covers the comic strip in daily and sunday newspapers. Nine classic novels of the 1950s, most originally published as cheap paperbacks with cheesy covers. The origins of science fiction comics can be traced back to the superheroes who launched the whole industry. Appendices list sports pulp titles and comic books featuring sports fiction. It ran for 284 issues until it finished in march 1953. Get the best deals on vintage comic book when you shop the largest online selection at. While most people think of tights and capes when it comes to comics, there are incredible stories. Classic 1950s sciencefiction comic weird fantasy is being turned. We all love and appreciate american science fiction art from the 1930s1950s, the joy and the optimism, the indelible sense of wonder these pulp covers and paperbacks conveyed. Imaginative tales originally focused on fantasy, rather than science fiction, but later switched to.
Many girls read scifi and comic books, although they can be told that these books are not for them. Yet many of the stories hereby robert heinlein, fritz leiber, leigh brackett, and othersnow come off as highly crafted. Today we often remember the 1950s by its pop culture, watching old reruns of i love lucy and leave it to beaver, and forgetting it was the height of the cold war. One of the earlier and most important films of the era was 1950s widely publicized destination moon. In one unusual transformation, he even became zebra batman, a radioactive. American science fiction, classic novels of the 1950s. Batman stories became somewhat bizarre during the 1950s. Books like these were the perfect accompaniment to the bmovies playing on movies screen.
Amongst the major titles here are two long runners mysteries of unexplored worlds and planet comics. Change the citation numbers to focus on more popular titles. Pulp magazines often referred to as the pulps, also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. List of science fiction films of the 1950s wikipedia. A journey into space with 1950s radio, tv, films, comics and books kindle edition by wade, john. Sometimes that view was thrilling, as with the youngadult novel enders. In science fiction films of the 1950s, alien attacks were often thinly veiled metaphors for communist invasion. A reading list links to related sites the new canon great books guide postmodern mystery fractious fiction ted gioias web site ted gioia on. Strange titles that are must read include space western. By the late 1950s, it must have seemed almost inconceivable to comic book readers that a normalsized comic book could cost anything other than a dime.
Vintage comic books featuring 1950s science fiction ebth. Ufo flying saucers from gold key comics series sci fi comics, horror. All science fiction novels ive read in the succeeding fifty years are measured against those stories i first discovered in my early teens. With the detonation of the atomic bomb and the increasing sophistication of science fiction itself, the 1950s saw a corresponding growth of maturity of comic book science fiction.
The library of america has issued a gorgeous twovolume collection of novels, american science fiction. Imaginative tales was published bimonthly by greenleaf publishing company. In the 1950s, osamu tezukas astro boy was one of the first major science fiction. At your money geek, we are huge fans of the science fiction genre, everything from military science fiction to novels about space travel, parallel worlds, and fantasy novels. The golden age of comic books took place in america from the mid1930s to the early 1950s.
In the 1950s, ec comics had success and popularity in publishing science fiction comics of increasing complexity. A strong year in science fiction magazines sees 110 separate issues of 25 titles, 15 of which are introduced this year alone. Publication of comic strips and comic books focusing on science fiction became increasingly. Atlas comics was the successor of timely comics, the company that magazine and paperback novel publisher martin goodman founded in 1939, and which had reached the peak of its popularity during the war years with its star characters the human torch, the submariner and captain america. Science fiction at its best captures the times in which it was written, reflecting the desires and fears of individuals and the society. One person stated that many science fiction books are written by women who had to use their initials due to publishers hostility towards women authors. By my reckoning, however, campbell and his cohort first began to develop their literate, analytical, socially conscious science fiction in reaction against the 1934 advent of the campy flash gordon comic strip, not to. Get all good price and hot deals of science fiction comics late 1940 here.
Strangely enough, judging from the comics letter page, planet comics also attracted an enthusiastic female readership. Most influential science fiction comic book heroes of golden age. The scifi of kurt vonnegut curse you, neil armstrong. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. A similar boom in sf comic books was taking place in europe. Horror comics, sci fi comics, fantasy comics, scary comics, book cover art, comic book covers, comic books art, comic art, book art. Science fiction comics hey kids comics wiki fandom. John wade john wade grew up in the 1950s, a decade that has since been dubbed the golden age of science fiction. A journey into space with 1950s radio, tv, films, comics and books by john wade isbn. Scifi books often abbreviated as sf arent only portals to different worldsall books can do thatbut also timetraveling excursions into the past, allowing us to see how the greatest visionaries of the day imagined the future. For book collectors, vintage sciencefiction titles hold a special appeal.
The capedandcowled hero became an unlikely science fiction star, regularly battling space aliens and robots. Classic 1950s sciencefiction comics all stories no ads comics, charlton on. These led to a major increase in the number of scifi films being created throughout the 1950s, and creating a golden age of science fiction that matched the one taking place in literature. Image result for alien comic books 1950s science fiction art, geek. These films include core elements of science fiction, but can cross into other genres. Weve been selling comics since 1961 our first sale. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. Top websites about science fiction comics late 1940. The early to mid1950s found comic books falling out of fashion due to competition from television and other. Campbells 1937 assumption of the editorship of the pulp magazine astounding. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long. Included in these titles were super science thrills 1945, titbits science fiction comics 1953 and the jet comic 1953, a companion to authentic science fiction, which appeared in the uk, and espace 19531954 and lan 2,000 19531954, in france. With all you need about informations, prices of science fiction comics late 1940, we always supply the cheapest cost, compare and the best service to you. It ran from september 1954 to november 1958 for a total of 26 issues.
We are always looking for new books to read and exciting scifi writers to profile, let us know in the comments what authors you are currently enjoying. The first nonhumorous science fiction comic strip was buck rogers, based. In the 1970s, artists like frank frazetta, vincent di fate, boris vallejo, moebius. The collections timespan ranges from the late 1930s through to the early 1960s, and includes many thousands of comic books in the superhero, scifi, and horror genres. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Future science fiction 1950s science fiction comic ebay. The defining science fiction books of the 1950s wwend. These books are reprinted from the best available images, and the books will be. Classic 1950s sciencefiction comics all stories no ads. Their shocking content also led to the introduction of. Similar to the digital comic museum, which we wrote about last week, comic book plus contains a near inexhaustible quantity of golden and silver age comic books. One in particular, superman, holds all the key ingredients that would later spawn the whole genre.
However, a wave of anticomic feeling stirredup among parents and educators by dr. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock. Were in a pretty good period for science fiction across mediums, but comic books. Science fiction it fiction books in english, future science fiction, sciencefiction american comics, sciencefiction 1992 american comics. It was a wonderful decade for science fiction, but not so great for young fans. In 1963, when i was 12, science fiction began imprinting on my brain, so that science fiction from the 1950s is how i define the genre. Science fiction comics and books page 1 of 3 comic book plus. The 60 best scifi books all science fiction fans must read. See more ideas about horror, vintage comic books, creepy comics. Michelle nolans ball tales traces a history of american baseball, basketball and football fiction for all ages from dime novels to pulps to comic books of the 1960s. A wave of new sf comic books started to appear in the early 1950s. A journey into space with 1950s radio, tv, films, comics and books. Fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury, i, robot by isaac asimov, the martian chronicles by ray bradbury, the foundation trilogy by. Sure, there were 15, 20, and 25 cent giant size comic books, but the price increase was always proportional to the extra content.
As the title suggests it is an attempt at crossgenre between scifi and western. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the golden age of science fiction. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I came across two dc compilations on my comic book shelf, the greatest 1950s stories ever told and mystery in space, and started reading them and was pleasantly surprised at how good the artwork is in most of the stories, especially those from. Shop by printing year such as 1950now, 19001949, 18501899. Science fiction and comics have been close bedfellows since both. Fredric wertham s book seduction of the innocent threatened to drive them out of business. Here, in the pages of this extended comic strip it took four years to. A list of science fiction films released in the 1950s.