The History Of Science Fiction Comic Book Authors

By Marissa Velazquez


The fist ever comic strip in the sci-fi genre was Mr Skygack from Mars, which was written by AD Condo and could be seen in the newspapers in the 1900s. Mr Skygack from Mars was a comedy, and the first non-humerous sci-fi comic strip was Buck Rodgers in 1928. Shortly after this Flash Gordon appeared followed by Dan Dare from the UK. Sci-fi comic books have become increasingly sophisticated ever since and the science fiction comic book authors have produced more and more imaginative concepts.

A high proportion of the first comics contained elements of sci-fi. Planet comic's "Superman" series brought in the super hero sci-fi sub-genre. EC Comics published sci-fi comics to great success in the 1950s and the storylines and concepts became more and more sophisticated. US sci-fi comics continued into the 1960s with comics aimed at both children and adolescents. Young adults became interested in the genre in the late 1960s with the wave of hippy underground comics.

The Manga comics from Japan first appeared in the 1950s and Atro Boy by Osamu Tezuka is believed to be the fist sci-fi comic from Manga. Manga became very popular and spawned high popular series, such as Galaxy Express 999 by Leiji Matsumoto, Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo and Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow.

The first sci-fi graphic novels appeared in the 1960s. A graphic novel is essentially a story that uses pictures instead of words, this is very useful in the sci-fi genre as pictures can portray aspects of a storyline that would be difficult in words. Most sci-fi graphic novels include, robots, virtual reality, mecha and time travel. Graphic novels have become more and more sophisticated in artistry and storyline, and many are aimed more towards adolescents and adults as they contain complex themes and ideas.

The most sci-fi comics in the USA are of the superhero sub-genre, and are incredibly popular all over the globe. DC comics and Marvel have produced some of the best known superheroes, including The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Thor and the Avengers. Many movies have been created from these superheroes. Superhero comics are considered sci-fi although they are usually set on earth in the present day.

The sci-fi Manga comics from Japan are usually set in the future or in some alternative reality. For example Akira, which provided inspiration for The Matrix films, and Ghost in the Shell, which is set in the future. Not all manga is of the sci-fi genre, but the most popular Manga comics outside of japan tend to be the sci-fi ones.

A common trend in sci-fi comics is to capture the zeitgeist of the time, especially with new technology and scientific discoveries. Many modern sci-fi comics and graphic novels use computer generated imagery for the artwork, and utilise software, such as photoshop, illustrator, coral and paintbucket. However, the classic sci-fi comics and graphic novels were drawn and inked by hand by an artist that works closely with the author.

Science fiction is a broad term and many of the best science fiction comic book authors have played around with the genre to create new concepts. Warren Ellis can be credited for creating the cyberpunk concept with his Transmetropolitan series. Alan Moore used the genre to create social commentary with his V for Vendetta, which is set in a Dystopia.




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