Buck Rogers had comics in the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics. At first, like any self-respecting comic strip character, these were collections of strips from the newspaper. The original comic started on January 7, 1929 (The same day as Hal Foster’s Tarzan!) . As all good Pulp readers know, the original fiction version of Anthony (Not yet Buck) Rogers began in Hugo Gernsback’s Amazing Stories. These two stories were by Philip Francis Nowlan. They were “Armageddon–2419 A. D.” (August 1928) and “The Warlords of Han” (March 1929). And to be perfectly honest, they were filled with Yellow Peril silliness.
Nowlan got the idea that his stories would make a good comic strip. Less than a year later, with the help of artist, Lt. Dick Calkins, Buck was born. “Anthony” got replaced by the Buck because of the popularity of the cowboy Buck Jones. Ironically, Buck Jones is little remembered today but Buck Rogers has become a catch phrase for all Space Opera, “That Buck Rogers stuff!” (Usually said with a sneer.)
The comic strip, written by Nowlan and drawn by Calkins ran for the John F. Dille Co. (later National Newspaper Syndicate) until 1939. A Sunday page began on March 30, 1930. Calkins was replaced by Russell Keaton though he continued to draw the black & white dailies. Keaton’s style was a good match for Calkins, looking the same but more professional. The Sunday page had a higher standard than the smaller regular strips.
The Big Little Books were the first to reprint the comic in their own way, using the panels as illustrations for prose books for children.
In 1932, Buck got a CBS Radio show that offered 15 minute episodes three times a week. These short episodes were meant to appeal to younger listeners. Man, listen to that electrohynomentalophone!
The Golden Age
Comic books in the 1930s were originally comic strip reprinters. Famous Funnies and the like did not supply new material but packaged the strips from the newspaper with a new cover. The first to do this with Buck was the Kellogg’s Company with a selection of strips in 1937.
Next it was Eastern Color to do five issues with new Calkins covers.
The longest running reprinter of Buck Rogers is the Fitchett Bros of Australia. They began in 1938 and then in annuals into the 1950s.
In 1939 Larry “Buster” Crabbe played Buck Rogers in a serial. Crabbe had played Flash Gordon as well, as early as 1936. All that silver underwear leads to Crabbe being associated with spacemen in general, which can be seen in his own comic books beginning in 1952. Later, Larry would appear on the Gil Gerrard TV show.
The first comic book to create its own Buck Rogers adventures was Toby’s Buck Rogers (1951). It ran for three issues. The writers are not known but the artists include Ray Chatton and Murphy Anderson.
Buck’s fame was set forever by 1953 if Chuck Jones at Warner Bros. “Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century”! is any proof. The comic had become so familiar it could be parodied.
1954 saw Eastman reprint more strips but with covers by the amazing Frank Frazetta. These covers are the most famous images of Buck since the original Calkins strips.
The Silver Age
Rick Yager wrote and drew the comic until 1958. The writer changed often after that with Jack Lehti (1959-1960), Ray Russell of Playboy editing fame (1961), SF great, Fritz Leiber (1961) and Howard Liss (1960-61 and again 1961 to 1967).
Other artists who have drawn the comic strip include: Murphy Anderson (1958), George Tuska (1959-1967).
Gold Key would produce a single issue of Buck Rogers in 1964. “The Space Slavers” (Buck Rogers #1, October 1964) was written by Paul S. Newman.
The Bronze Age
Gold Key/Whitman was glad to return to space when the 1979 TV movie starring Gil Gerrard made its debut. Marvel Comics published a “Giant Movie Edition” from the Gold Key’s #2-4 (August-October 1979). Again it was written by Paul S. Newman from the network’s script (fifteen years after that last issue of BR.) Artwork was done by Frank Bolle, Al McWilliams and Jose Delbo.
The comic strip was revived in 1979 (TV show again!) with art by Gray Morrow, and written by Jim Lawrence and later Cary Bates.
The pilot became a TV show that ran for two seasons. Issue #2 (August 1979) saw the return of the new look Buck. It ran for fourteen more issues, ending with the show in May 1982.
The remaining fourteen issues were written by several writers including Paul S. Newman, Michael Teitelbaum, J. M. DeMatteis, and B. S. Watson, and no longer had to adapt from TV scripts. These issue were drawn by Al McWilliams and Mike Roy.
In England, Look-In, the teen magazine, ran its own Buck Rogers strip (October 18, 1980 to January 2, 1982). This was written by Angus P. Allan with art by Martin Ashbury, Arthur Ranson, and John M. Burns.
Conclusion
The emergence of Star Wars in 1977 has to be credited for Buck’s return in 1979. George Lucas had Buck and his rival, Flash Gordon, in mind when he created the Star Wars Universe, without doubt the single most successful Space Opera franchise descended from these comic strips and Pulp fiction. Gil Gerrard and Erin Grey would have been on cop shows if Luke Skywalker and Han Solo hadn’t shown up in the late 1970s. Along with Star Wars mimics like Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers was a classic show of the era. You never know when another reboot is just around the corner… never count a good spaceman down.
