Science Fiction

The genre of SCIENCE FICTION became really popular in the 1950's. This was in part due the Nation's interest in technology and space. SUPERHERO comics started to decline because people were tired of war. Some comics tweaked or changed their setting to more science fiction base realms to gain back readers.

To the right  is a cover from the DC comic series: Mystery in Space.

In class, we discussed how the superhero tends to rescue the "damsel in distress". For SuperMan this would be Lana Lang and SpiderMan rescues Mary Jane. That is what this image is depicting.


Another element of science fiction besides taking place in the setting of space is having a character that is an "evil scientist". Below are some panels from later issues of Mystery in Space: Revenge of the Moth!

 

The full story of The Revenge of the Moth can be found at this
 page: http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2011/07/number-990-mothman-to-flame-this-well.html.
http://1950scomics.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html 

During this time many strange scientific anomalies happened in the world of comics.

A revival of the Superhero genre combined with the appeal of Science Fiction in Captain Comet and was a 'first for mutants'.

"I was born just as an unknown, brilliant comet flashed across the sky... so I will be Captain Comet!"

Apparently, "after a childhood in which he discovered abilities ranging from telepathy to a form of clairvoyance, Adam Blake met the scientist Emery Zackro and learned that he was a mutant, his genome transformed by the radiation of a comet that had passed Earth at his birth. Professor Zackro then mentored Adam as he became a the super hero Captain Comet.With a ship and weapons courtesy of the professor's tinkering, Captain Comet..[fights] enemies ranging from destructive aliens to homicidal flowers" (Page 67, DC Comics book).

QUESTIONS:

1.  Analyze the cover of Mystery in Space taking a look at how it fits the Science Fiction genre. What setting and characters does it use? What costumes and backgrounds? How do these things make it Science Fiction?
2. What elements of a story are well used in the excerpt of Revenge of the Moth?
3. What do you know about the context of the 1950 that would influence the rise of science fiction in popular culture (aka comics) ? What was going on in the 'real world' that is reflected in the comic world?

Race in Comics

Below is a panel from a issue 2 of a comic entitled  Negro Romance (1950) (Fawcett)
Possessed 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTG4rVdwU22BvSD83Bbvi7BHArFTSOEyhSY-P_lsLkbAC8cvnpGFuNSQslbwHY6LZB6f0ybi3yPOggW-_1T0K-Nse2e89Ox2cEHQELerdvpE9YWtJNgo2ydykmPMeneGHk0GevpQrNKZU/s1600/Blog284_History+Detectives+Jacque+Nodell_2.jpg

 Below is link to the full story from the Negro Romance:
Negro Romance: View Page 8 http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/african-american-comic-book/

 Follow the link and view Page1 and Page 8.

 Only three editions of Negro Romance were ever published. The author was white, but the artist was African American. The artist was Alvin Hollingsworth who passed away in 2000. He drew for a number of comics and later became a painter. His picture appears below.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8cJwn2szb8CA86aPK5WH1dtALEFHcVDnJ7Ueq6lrsjsxIwt4EnaZXfRsIAOVod0qlawL2cb5Vnj4xjC5CUBsdQUdvvlcKsXlrS27OSQAsnFQewRywxK5X8nCfks4Z6NQtyMeY9d6OJKQ/s1600/Alvin.jpg

QUESTIONS:

1. What images on society and the role of women does page 1 and page 8 of Negro Romance give?
2. Why might there not have been more Negro comics or negro authors?
3. What do you know about the context of the 1950s that would influence depictions of race in popular culture (aka comics) ?