Buck Rogers

This article is about the fictional character. For specific works featuring this character, or for other people with the same name, see Buck Rogers (disambiguation).
Buck Rogers
Cover of Buck Rogers Big Little Book, 1938
Publication information
PublisherJohn F. Dille Co. (National Newspaper Syndicate)
First appearanceJanuary 7, 1929
Created byPhilip Francis Nowlan
In-story information
Full nameBuck Rogers
PartnershipsWilma Deering
Dr. Elias Huer

Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily U.S. newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books and multiple media with adaptations including radio in 1932, a serial film, a television series, and other formats.

The Buck Rogers strip, published 1929–1967 and syndicated by John F. Dille Co. (later called the National Newspaper Syndicate), was popular enough to inspire other newspaper syndicates to launch their own science fiction strips.[1] The most famous of these imitators was Flash Gordon (King Features Syndicate, 1934–2003);[2] others included Brick Bradford (Central Press Association, 1933–1987), Don Dixon and the Hidden Empire (Watkins Syndicate, 1935–1941),[3] and Speed Spaulding (John F. Dille Co., 1940–1941).[1] The Buck Rogers strip also probably inspired developing a strip based on John Carter of Mars (United Feature Syndicate, 1941–1943) which was introduced in 1941 though based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs character first seen in 1912.[4]

The adventures of Buck Rogers in comic strips, movies, radio, and television became an important part of American popular culture. Buck Rogers has been credited with bringing into popular media the concept of space exploration,[5] following in the footsteps of literary pioneers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. It was on January 22, 1930, that Buck Rogers first ventured into space aboard a rocket ship in his fifth newspaper comic story Tiger Men from Mars. This popular phenomenon paralleled the development of space technology in the 20th century and introduced Americans to outer space as a familiar environment for swashbuckling adventure.[6][7]

In 1933, Nowlan and Calkins co-wrote Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a novella which retold the origin of Buck Rogers and also summarized some of his adventures. A reprint of this work was included with the first edition of the novel Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future (1995) by Martin Caidin.

  1. ^ a b Ron Goulart, "The 30s -- Boomtime for SF Heroes". Starlog, January 1981 (pp. 31–35).
  2. ^ Maurice Horn (editor) 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics (Gramercy Books: New York, Avenel, 1996) ISBN 0-517-12447-5. Flash Gordon entry by Bill Crouch, Jr., (p. 118)
  3. ^ Peter Poplaski, "Introduction" to Flash Gordon Volume One: Mongo, the Planet of Doom by Alex Raymond, edited by Al Williamson. Princeton, Wisconsin. Kitchen Sink Press, 1990. ISBN 0878161147 (p.6)
  4. ^ Wolfgang J. Fuchs and Reinhold Reitberger Comics; Anatomy Of A Mass Medium. Boston, Little, Brown, 1972 (p. 254)
  5. ^ Patrick Lucanio, Gary Coville, Smokin' Rockets: The Romance of Technology in American Film, Radio and Television, 1945–1962 (2002). McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1233-X
  6. ^ Garyn G. Roberts, in Ray B. Browne and Pat Browne (.ed) The Guide To United States Popular Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 2001. ISBN 0879728213 (p.120)
  7. ^ Robert Jennings, "Bucking the Future: From 1928 to the 25th Century With Anthony Rogers". Comic Buyer's Guide July 5, 1990. (pp. 58, 60, 62, 65-66).