Golden Age Collection 22 22

[BB-Gun]

I love these little bios found in science fiction pulps. Phil Nowlan, the creator of Buck Rogers, was mentioned in an old Fantastic Adventures mag. Didn't know or forgot that he was from Bala-Cynwyd, PA. That is about 3 or 4 miles from the former location of Fat Jack's Comic Crypt which has been replaced by Popeye's and a CVS. Aren't these drugstores popping up everywhere. They don't sell comics anymore but a gramme is better than a dam, I guess. Edited August 7, 2013 by BB-Gun

[RedFury]

I love these little bios found in science fiction pulps. Phil Nowlan, the creator of Buck Rogers, was mentioned in an old Fantastic Adventures mag. Didn't know or forgot that he was from Bala-Cynwyd, PA. That is about 3 or 4 miles from the former location of Fat Jack's Comic Crypt which has been replaced by Popeye's and a CVS. Aren't these drugstores popping up everywhere. They don't sell comics anymore but a gramme is better than a dam, I guess.

I don't recall seeing a picture of Nowlan before, and had no idea he lived in Bala Cynwyd PA, which is about 12 miles from me.

 

I have read his two Buck Rogers stories, Armageddon 2419 AD and Airlords of Han, but was disappointed by them. Too much discussion of military tactics and too little character development. Too much genocide, too. But it is what it is, an early sci-fi storyline that inspired the much more successful comic and film versions of Buck Rogers.

 

Nowlan died young, 51 or 52, of a stroke in 1940.

[Yellow Kid]

Just a quick note to announce that my copy of the eagerly awaited Dark Horse publication of Tarzan, The Sunday Comics, 1931-1933 arrived today. It is big, about 15 1/4" x 20 3/8", and beautiful. Dark Horse even designed a special shipping box for each copy to protect it. Suggested retail is $125 but Amazon has it in the low $80's and some of you might know where to get an even better price. The bottom line is that if you like Tarzan and/or old Sunday comics, you will want to get a copy. It really is nice.

[damonwad]

Just a quick note to announce that my copy of the eagerly awaited Dark Horse publication of Tarzan, The Sunday Comics, 1931-1933 arrived today. It is big, about 15 1/4" x 20 3/8", and beautiful. Dark Horse even designed a special shipping box for each copy to protect it. Suggested retail is $125 but Amazon has it in the low $80's and some of you might know where to get an even better price. The bottom line is that if you like Tarzan and/or old Sunday comics, you will want to get a copy. It really is nice.

Thanks for the info. I just ordered one and am looking forward to it.

[Sqeggs]

Just a quick note to announce that my copy of the eagerly awaited Dark Horse publication of Tarzan, The Sunday Comics, 1931-1933 arrived today. It is big, about 15 1/4" x 20 3/8", and beautiful. Dark Horse even designed a special shipping box for each copy to protect it. Suggested retail is $125 but Amazon has it in the low $80's and some of you might know where to get an even better price. The bottom line is that if you like Tarzan and/or old Sunday comics, you will want to get a copy. It really is nice.

 

Received mine yesterday. Great book and at the Amazon price not too bad a deal. (thumbs u

[Pat Calhoun]

this mini-bio by young Isaac for his first sale (1939) always makes me smile

 

[BangZoom]

 

Did Philip Nowlan sell all rights to the Buck Rogers character to the newspaper syndicate that distributed the comic strip?

 

I thought it was interesting that Nowlan isn't mentioned in the book COMICS AND THEIR CREATORS which was published in 1942. In fact, anyone reading the Buck Rogers entry would think that the syndicate president, John P. Dille, was solely responsible for the creation of the character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BangZoom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BangZoom]

Just a quick note to announce that my copy of the eagerly awaited Dark Horse publication of Tarzan, The Sunday Comics, 1931-1933 arrived today. It is big, about 15 1/4" x 20 3/8", and beautiful. Dark Horse even designed a special shipping box for each copy to protect it. Suggested retail is $125 but Amazon has it in the low $80's and some of you might know where to get an even better price. The bottom line is that if you like Tarzan and/or old Sunday comics, you will want to get a copy. It really is nice.

 

Thanks for the feedback about the book.

 

I just became aware of the imminent publication of the book about a week ago and was waiting for reviews before ordering it.

 

 

[sacentaur]

this mini-bio by young Isaac for his first sale (1939) always makes me smile

 

 

Thanks for the time capsule Pat, well worth a smile.

 

From Wiki:

 

Marooned Off Vesta" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was the third story written by Asimov, and the first to be published. Written in July 1938 when Asimov was 18, it was rejected by Astounding Science Fiction in August, then accepted in October by Amazing Stories, appearing in the March 1939 issue. Asimov first included it in his 1968 story collection Asimov's Mysteries, and subsequently in the 1973 collection The Best of Isaac Asimov.

[Theagenes]

Did Philip Nowlan sell all rights to the Buck Rogers character to the newspaper syndicate that distributed the comic strip?

 

I thought it was interesting that Nowlan isn't mentioned in the book COMICS AND THEIR CREATORS which was published in 1942. In fact, anyone reading the Buck Rogers entry would think that the syndicate president, John P. Dille, was solely responsible for the creation of the character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John P Dille's grandson or great grandson has come to Howard Days the last two years. The family still owns the rights. I had some of my Buck Roger comics there and he got a kick out that. They are still hoping to do a new a movie or TV show at some point.

[markseifert]

John P Dille's grandson or great grandson has come to Howard Days the last two years. The family still owns the rights. I had some of my Buck Roger comics there and he got a kick out that. They are still hoping to do a new a movie or TV show at some point.

 

They seem to be spinning the licensing gears back up -- Issue #1 of a new Buck Rogers series drawn by Howard Chaykin hit stores yesterday.

 

 

[BangZoom]

John P Dille's grandson or great grandson has come to Howard Days the last two years. The family still owns the rights. I had some of my Buck Roger comics there and he got a kick out that. They are still hoping to do a new a movie or TV show at some point.

 

They seem to be spinning the licensing gears back up -- Issue #1 of a new Buck Rogers series drawn by Howard Chaykin hit stores yesterday.

 

 

Thanks for the additional info, guys. (thumbs u

 

 

[BangZoom]

 

When I was looking for more information about Nowlan I came across this interesting news item.

 

Nowlan Estate Terminate Creative Rights To Buck Rogers Origin Story

 

The estate of pulp writer Philip Francis Nowlan have recently posted copyright termination notices with The U.S. Copyright Office.

 

The termination notices are for the two short stories, which were the launch pad for the famed Buck Rogers Newspaper strips.

 

Nowlan’s stories Armageddon 2419 A.D. and The Airlords of Han were published in the pulp magazine Amazing stories in August 1928 and March 1929 respectively. In both stories the lead character was called Anthony Rogers, and both stories were read by Newspaper man John F. Dille and inspired him to approach Nowlan to adapt the stories into newspaper comic strips.

 

It’s a matter of public record that Dille essentially re-imagined the character of Anthony Rogers and renamed him to Buck Rogers after the Dille Families dog. Meaning that the Dille Family Trust own Buck Rogers, but not the Armageddon 2419 A.D. or The Airlords Of Han stories.

 

The termination of copyright for Armageddon 2419 A.D. and The Airlords Of Han seems to have first been filed in 2004.

 

This is not likely to affect the current comics or the planned internet webseries, which is being produced by Star Trek Phase II producer James Cawley, but is probably of interest to Buck Rogers fans out there. Or anyone out there who is looking to pick up the rights for these two historical pulp stories.

 

You can check out the documentation surrounding this copyright termination notice here at the US Copyright Office.

 

 

 

 

[BangZoom]

 

Here is some further reading on the subject of Buck Rogers.

 

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Lorraine Williams

 

Lorraine Dille Williams is an American businesswoman who was in charge of the gaming company TSR, Inc. from 1986 to 1997. Williams was hired as TSR's manager by company co-founder Gary Gygax in 1984. She gained control of TSR the following year when the Blume brothers sold her their controlling shares of the company. For several years after that, TSR was a gaming industry leader. In 1996, an unexpectedly high cost of returned (unsold) fiction books and an unsuccessful and expensive foray into the collectible card game market caused a cash flow squeeze, and Williams was forced to sell TSR to Wizards of the Coast in 1997.

 

Williams inherited the rights to Buck Rogers and a large collection of Buck Rogers memorabilia. She later sold the memorabilia at auction.

 

Early life

 

Lorraine Williams was the granddaughter of John F. Dille who, while president of the National Newspaper Service syndicate in the 1920s, arranged for Buck Rogers to be turned into a syndicated comic strip. After Dille's death in 1957, ownership of Buck Rogers and other works passed into Lorraine's hands through the Dille family trust, making Lorraine the inheritor of the Buck Rogers franchise. When the trust was sold, the Dille family retained the licensing of Buck Rogers, as well as a collection of Buck Rogers memorabilia that John F. Dille had accumulated over thirty years. Williams helped her father to catalog and pack away all of the items.

 

Auction of Buck Rogers collection

 

In August 2010, Williams announced that she was selling what she described as the world's largest collection of Buck Rogers original comic art, prototypes, toys, books, and collectibles—the material she had helped her father to catalog and pack up many years before. She said at the time of the announcement that her instinct had been to hold on to everything, but she had come to realize that it was more important to get the collection out into the public. The pieces of the collection were subsequently sold at auction on August 28, 2010

[sacentaur]

Here is some further reading on the subject of Buck Rogers.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Lorraine Williams

 

Lorraine Dille Williams is an American businesswoman who was in charge of the gaming company TSR, Inc. from 1986 to 1997. Williams was hired as TSR's manager by company co-founder Gary Gygax in 1984. She gained control of TSR the following year when the Blume brothers sold her their controlling shares of the company. For several years after that, TSR was a gaming industry leader. In 1996, an unexpectedly high cost of returned (unsold) fiction books and an unsuccessful and expensive foray into the collectible card game market caused a cash flow squeeze, and Williams was forced to sell TSR to Wizards of the Coast in 1997.

 

 

Fascinating - Gygax (1938 - 2008) and TSR gained fame for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying system first introduced in 1974.

 

Wizards of the Coast of course has rode Richard Garfield's Magic: The Gathering wave to fame and fortune starting in 1993.

[Theagenes]

Here is some further reading on the subject of Buck Rogers.

 

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Lorraine Williams

 

Lorraine Dille Williams is an American businesswoman who was in charge of the gaming company TSR, Inc. from 1986 to 1997. Williams was hired as TSR's manager by company co-founder Gary Gygax in 1984. She gained control of TSR the following year when the Blume brothers sold her their controlling shares of the company. For several years after that, TSR was a gaming industry leader. In 1996, an unexpectedly high cost of returned (unsold) fiction books and an unsuccessful and expensive foray into the collectible card game market caused a cash flow squeeze, and Williams was forced to sell TSR to Wizards of the Coast in 1997.

 

Williams inherited the rights to Buck Rogers and a large collection of Buck Rogers memorabilia. She later sold the memorabilia at auction.

 

Early life

 

Lorraine Williams was the granddaughter of John F. Dille who, while president of the National Newspaper Service syndicate in the 1920s, arranged for Buck Rogers to be turned into a syndicated comic strip. After Dille's death in 1957, ownership of Buck Rogers and other works passed into Lorraine's hands through the Dille family trust, making Lorraine the inheritor of the Buck Rogers franchise. When the trust was sold, the Dille family retained the licensing of Buck Rogers, as well as a collection of Buck Rogers memorabilia that John F. Dille had accumulated over thirty years. Williams helped her father to catalog and pack away all of the items.

 

Auction of Buck Rogers collection

 

In August 2010, Williams announced that she was selling what she described as the world's largest collection of Buck Rogers original comic art, prototypes, toys, books, and collectibles—the material she had helped her father to catalog and pack up many years before. She said at the time of the announcement that her instinct had been to hold on to everything, but she had come to realize that it was more important to get the collection out into the public. The pieces of the collection were subsequently sold at auction on August 28, 2010

 

So I think the guy at Howard Days was her younger brother.

[BB-Gun]

Any Ed Dodd art in your collection?

I purchased this for two reasons. First, it reminded me of J.R. Williams' art (Out Our Way)

and, second, it reminded me of what I thought retirement would be like.

Edited August 9, 2013 by BB-Gun

[BangZoom]

Any Ed Dodd art in your collection?

I purchased this for two reasons. First, it reminded me of J.R. Williams' art (Out Our Way) and, second, it reminded me of what I thought retirement would be like.

 

I have an original Mark Trail daily.

 

Your original is a real nice one.

 

I didn't know Dodd had worked on any strips other than Mark Trail so seeing your piece is quite a revelation to me.

[BangZoom]

 

H.T. Webster had a strip very much in the mode of Williams.

 

I've got a few originals by him.

 

These are a couple of my favorites.

 

 

The Thrill that Comes Once in a Lifetime

 

 

 

 

Life's Darkest Moment