Weird Science (comics)

For other uses, see Weird Science (disambiguation).
Weird Science

Al Feldstein cover, issue #13 (1950)
Publication information
Publisher EC Comics
Schedule Bimonthly
Format Anthology
Genre
    Publication date May/June 1950 - November/December 1953
    Number of issues 22
    Creative team
    Creator(s) William Gaines
    Al Feldstein

    Weird Science was an American science fiction comic book magazine that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. Over a four-year span, the comic ran for 22 issues, ending with the November–December, 1953 issue. Weird Fantasy was a sister title published during the same time frame.

    Published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein, the bi-monthly Weird Science replaced Saddle Romances with the May/June 1950 issue. Although the title and format change took effect with issue 12, Gaines and Feldstein decided not to restart the numbering in order to save money on second class postage. The Post Office took note and, starting with issue #5, all the issues were numbered correctly. Because of this, "Weird Science #12" could refer to either the May/June 1950 issue, or the actual 12th issue published in 1952. The same confusion exists for issues #13-15, #15 being the last issue published before EC reset the numbering.

    Artist/Writer Harry Harrison claims credit for originally giving Gaines the notion of publishing science fiction.[1] Harrison has stated that he and artist Wally Wood were interested in science fiction and gave Gaines science fiction stories to read.[2] Harrison, however, had no editorial control over the contents of the comic aside from his own stories and left EC by the end of 1950.

    Artists and writers

    Early cover illustrations were by Feldstein. Wood, the title's leading artist, took over as the regular cover illustrator in 1952. For a period of time in 1952, Wood drew two stories per issue. The other Weird Science interior artists were Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, George Evans, Harvey Kurtzman, George Roussos, Harrison, Will Elder, Jack Kamen, Sid Check and Jack Olesen. Writers in the early issues included Feldstein, Gaines, Kurtzman, Harrison and Gardner Fox. Gaines and Feldstein wrote nearly all stories from 1951 to 1953.[3]

    Stories and themes

    As with other EC Comics, Gaines and Feldstein used some Weird Science stories to teach moral lessons.[4] "The Probers" (#8) features a space shuttle doctor who pays no mind to dissecting various animals, only to end up on an alien planet where aliens plan to dissect him. In "The Worm Turns" (#11) astronauts have fun with Mexican jumping beans but face a similar situation when they hide in a piece of fruit on an alien world and are found by a giant alien. "He Walked Among Us" (#13) was a take on organized religion in which a Christ-like astronaut helps the impoverished populace of an alien world but is killed by those in power, prompting the birth of a religion.[5]

    Gaines and Feldstein made cameo appearances in "Chewed Out" (#12), and other EC staffers were drawn into "EC Confidential" (#21).

    Influences and adaptations

    As with the other EC comics edited by Feldstein, the stories in this comic were primarily based on Gaines reading a large number of science fiction stories and using them to develop "springboards" from which he and Feldstein could launch new stories. Specific story influences that have been identified include the following:

    After their unauthorized adaptation of one of Ray Bradbury's stories in another magazine, Bradbury contacted EC about their plagiarism of his work. They reached an agreement for EC to do authorized versions of Bradbury's short fiction. These official adaptations include:

    Demise

    EC's science fiction comics were never able to match the popularity of their horror comics like Tales from the Crypt, but Gaines and Feldstein kept them alive using the profits from their more popular titles.[7] In the EC Library reprints, comics historian Mark Evanier theorizes that the short story format, where no story was longer than eight pages helped contribute to poor sales because the horror comics were much better suited for very short stories with shock endings than the science fiction comics. Evanier also ponders whether the very similar logo style of Weird Science and its companion comic Weird Fantasy as well as similar cover subjects contributed to lower sales due to customers thinking they already owned the issues on sale.[8] Historian Digby Diehl wondered whether having host characters like EC's horror comics would have helped the comics be more commercially successful.[9]

    When the poor sales became too much to handle, Weird Science combined with companion comic Weird Fantasy in 1954 to become Weird Science-Fantasy. As discussed in an "In Memoriam" feature in the final issue, it was stated that every issue for the previous year and a half lost money and they had no choice but to combine the two comics into one. Weird Science-Fantasy ran for seven issues before a title change to Incredible Science Fiction for four issues.

    Reprints

    As with many other EC titles, Weird Science has been reprinted numerous times over the years. Ballantine Books reprinted selected stories in a series of paperback EC anthologies in 1964-66. All 22 issues were published in black and white in four hardbound volumes in 1980 as part of publisher Russ Cochran's The Complete EC Library. This set was published in two versions, the original, with what Cochran later said were his own incomplete and occasionally erroneous analyses, and a revised version containing analysis from outside contributors. In addition, all 22 issues were reprinted in comic form in the mid-1990s by Cochran and Gemstone Publishing. This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in a series of five softcover EC Annuals. In 2007, Cochran and Gemstone began to publish hardcover, re-colored volumes of Weird Science as part of the EC Archives series. Three volumes (of a projected four) were published before Gemstone's financial troubles left the project in limbo. But the project may soon be revived under a new publisher. GC Press LLC, a boutique imprint established by Russ Cochran and Grant Geissman, announced in a press release dated September 1, 2011 that it is continuing the EC Archives series, with the first new releases scheduled for November 2011.[10]

    Media adaptations

    Weird Science was a 1985 movie produced by Joel Silver, who acquired film rights to EC Comics in the early 1980s. The plot of the 1985 Weird Science film is an expansion and modernization of the basic premise in Al Feldstein's story "Made of the Future" in the fifth issue.

    HBO's Perversions of Science is a science fiction/horror television series based on Weird Science stories. It has been suggested on The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II" that the appearance of Kang and Kodos was based on cover art from EC Comics. No specific issue number is mentioned, but it may be a combination of different covers including possibly Weird Science #6 and #16.

    Issue guide

    # Date Cover Artist Story Story Artist
    12(1) May/June 1950 Al Feldstein Lost in the Microcosm Harvey Kurtzman
    Dream of Doom Wally Wood & Harry Harrison
    Experiment... In Death Jack Kamen
    "Things" From Outer Space! Al Feldstein
    13(2) July/Aug 1950 Al Feldstein The Flying Saucer Invasion Al Feldstein
    The Meteor Monster Wally Wood & Harry Harrison
    The Micro-Race! Jack Kamen
    ...The Man Who Raced Time Harvey Kurtzman
    14(3) Sept/Oct 1950 Al Feldstein Destruction of the Earth! Al Feldstein
    The Sounds from Another World! Harvey Kurtzman
    Machine from Nowhere Harry Harrison
    The Eternal Man Jack Kamen
    15(4) Nov/Dec 1950 Al Feldstein Panic! Al Feldstein
    The Radioactive Child! Harvey Kurtzman
    House, in Time! Graham Ingels
    Gargantua! Jack Kamen
    5 Jan/Feb 1951 Al Feldstein Made of the Future! Al Feldstein
    Return Wally Wood
    The Last War on Earth Harvey Kurtzman
    Killed in Time! Jack Kamen
    6 March/April 1951 Al Feldstein Spawn of Venus Al Feldstein
    Man and Superman! Harvey Kurtzman
    Sinking of the Titanic! Wally Wood
    Divide and Conquer Jack Kamen
    7 May/June 1951 Al Feldstein Monster from the Fourth Dimension Al Feldstein
    Something Missing! Jack Kamen
    ...Gregory Had a Model-T! Harvey Kurtzman
    The Aliens! Wally Wood
    8 July/Aug 1951 Al Feldstein Seeds of Jupiter! Al Feldstein
    The Escape George Roussos
    Beyond Repair Jack Kamen
    The Probers Wally Wood
    9 Sept/Oct 1951 Wally Wood The Gray Cloud of Death! Wally Wood
    The Martian Monster Jack Kamen
    The Invaders Wally Wood
    The Slave of Evil! Jack Oleson
    10 Nov/Dec 1951 Wally Wood The Maidens Cried Wally Wood
    Reducing... Costs Jack Kamen
    Transformation Completed Wally Wood
    The Planetoid! Joe Orlando
    11 Jan/Feb 1952 Al Feldstein The Conquerors of the Moon! Wally Wood
    Only Human! Jack Kamen
    Why Papa Left Home Joe Orlando
    The Worm Turns Joe Orlando
    12 March/April 1952 Wally Wood A Gobl is a Knog's Best Friend Wally Wood
    The Last Man! Jack Kamen
    The Android! Wally Wood
    Chewed Out! Joe Orlando
    13 May/June 1952 Wally Wood A Weighty Decision Wally Wood
    Saving for the Future Jack Kamen
    He Walked Among Us Wally Wood
    Say Your Prayers Joe Orlando
    14 July/Aug 1952 Wally Wood There'll Be Some Changes Made! Wally Wood
    Inside Story! Bill Elder
    Strategy! Sid Check
    They Shall Inherit Joe Orlando
    15 Sept/Oct 1952 Wally Wood The Martians! Wally Wood
    Captivity Al Williamson
    Miscalculation Jack Kamen
    Bum Steer! Joe Orlando
    16 Nov/Dec 1952 Wally Wood Down to Earth Wally Wood
    Space-Borne! Al Williamson
    Given the Heir! Jack Kamen
    The People's Choice! Joe Orlando
    17 Jan/Feb 1953 Wally Wood Plucked! Wally Wood
    The Island Monster Al Williamson
    Off Day! Jack Kamen
    The Long Years! Joe Orlando
    18 March/April 1953 Wally Wood Mars Is Heaven! Wally Wood
    Snap Ending! Al Williamson
    The Parallel! Jack Kamen
    Disassembled! Joe Orlando
    19 May/June 1953 Wally Wood The Precious Years Wally Wood
    The One Who Waits Al Williamson
    Right on the Button! Bill Elder
    Keyed Up! Joe Orlando
    20 July/Aug 1953 Wally Wood The Loathsome! Wally Wood
    Surprise Package Jack Kamen
    The Reformers Joe Orlando
    50 Girls 50 Al Williamson
    21 Sept/Oct 1953 Wally Wood EC Confidential! Wally Wood
    Punishment Without Crime Jack Kamen
    Two's Company... Al Williamson & Frank Frazetta
    The Ugly One Joe Orlando
    22 Nov/Dec 1953 Wally Wood A New Beginning Al Williamson
    The Headhunters George Evans
    My World Wally Wood
    Outcast of the Stars Joe Orlando

    References

    1. ↑ The Complete EC Library: Weird Science Volume 1. Russ Cochran. 1980.
    2. ↑ Giessman, Grant Foul Play (Harper Collins, New York, NY, 2005) p. 124
    3. 1 2 Von Bernewitz, Fred and Geissman, Grant Tales of Terror: The EC Companion (Gemstone Publishing and Fantagraphics Books, Timonium, MD & Seattle, WA, 2000) p. 130-5
    4. ↑ The Complete EC Library: Weird Science Volume 2. Russ Cochran. 1980.
    5. ↑ The Complete EC Library: Weird Science Volume 3. Russ Cochran. 1980.
    6. ↑ "Von Bernewitz 2000 p. 226"
    7. ↑ The Complete EC Library: Weird Science Volume 4. Russ Cochran. 1981.
    8. ↑ The Complete EC Library: Weird Science Volume 3. Russ Cochran. 1981.
    9. ↑ Diehl, Digby Tales from the Crypt: The Official Archives (St. Martin's Press, New York, NY, 1996) p. 34
    10. ↑ Michael Kronenberg posting at MarvelMasterworksFansite.Yuku.com, September 1, 2011. Accessed September 2, 2011
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