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History Of Science Fiction Comic Book Authors

By Marissa Velazquez


The first sci-fi comic strip was a comedy called Mr Skygack from Mars by A. D. Condo, which appeared in the 1900s. The first sci-fi comic strip of a serious nature was Buck Rodgers in 1928, which was quickly followed by Flash Gordon, Brick Bradford, and Dan Dare from Britain. Since then Sci-fi comic books have spread throughout the world and there are many science fiction comic book authors creating more imaginative storylines making the genre incredibly popular to this day.

The superhero sub- genre of sci-fi comics began with the introduction of Superman by Planet Comics in the 1950s. EC comics created sci-fi comics to great success during the 1950s and plot-lines and concepts gradually became more and more sophisticated and clever. US comic book authors began to create sci-fi comics that were aimed at adults and adolescents, and in the late 60s, hippy underground became popular with adults.

The Japanese Manga comics originated in the 1950s and the first Manga sci-fi comic strip was Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka. Since then Manga has become very popular all over the world. Not all Manga comics are sci-fi but the most well known, such as Ghost in the Shell and Akira are of the sci-fi genre.

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.

Many sci-fi comics and graphic novels depict the specific science fiction concepts that existed when they were written and capture the zeitgeist of the era. The older and classic sci-fi graphic novels were hand drawn and inked by an artist, whereas modern sci-fi comics often use computer generated images created using photoshop, corel paint, illustrator and paintbucket.

Science fiction is a very loose genre and there are many sub-genres. New concepts in sci-fi comics are being created all the time and there are certain science fiction comic book authors that have revolutionised the medium. This includes the graphic artist Warren Ellis who created the concept of the Cyberpunk with his Transmetropolitan series of comics. Also, Alan Moore enjoy a huge following around the world with his V for Vendetta graphic novel, which has a social commentary and is set is a dystopian future.




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