This post is brought to you by the Space Opera and Space Westerns books at RAGE m a c h i n e. Our reputation in the Sword & Sorcery field is pretty much set but we also publish books about other kinds of fantastic adventures. These include Ships of Steel, an anthology on the Swords of Fire model. Jack Mackenzie has several series that are of note: the Jefferson Odett military SF novels, The Gear Crew, the Solis DeLacey series and a collection of SF stories called The Cryo Game and Other Stories. G. W. Thomas offers the planet Utukku and the Sudana and Zaar stories in Whispers of Ice and Sand.
Alfred Elton Van Vogt (1912-2000) was one of John W. Campbell’s Golden Age greats. He was born in Manitoba and raised in Saskatchewan before immigrating to the US in 1944. Just before this move, A. E. got his first shot at comic books, writing the strip “Tigerman” for Street & Smith’s Super-Magician Comics. The comic only ran for six issues (V2#4-V2#9). He signed his name E. M. Hull, his wife’s maiden name. It was fanzine writer, Arthur Jean Cox of “The Cosmic Reporter” in Fantasy Times #127, April 1951 who wrote:
Did you know that Van Vogt once did a comic strip! Yes, it seems he wrote the continuity for “Tiger man” (sic) which appeared in Super-Magician Comics during the ’43-44 period. Strip was illustrated by fan, Lou Goldstone. “Tiger Man”, I’m told, concerns a Clark Kent-like individual who assumed the strength and ferocity of a tiger whenever he swallowed a certain pill — the secret of which was given to him by a Bhuddist priest. Van Vogt did it very realistically — he had the character strip before taking the pill and becoming transformed; generally, in such strips, our meek-mannered-alter-hero takes a pill or says the magic word and all of him, clothes, everything, are transformed along with him.
Unlike other Pulpsters, Manly Wade Wellman, Otto Binder and Alfred Bester, Van Vogt did not pursue comics. His fiction was sought after during the 1940s, with classics like Slan (1942). His reputation took a hit as he became involved in L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics organization, serving as secretary. A year later, he left but his star never shone as bright as the genre evolved. His best works all predate 1950. Despite that, two of these four comic adaptations come from 1950.
The first two are by Marvel Comics, who flirted with SF adaptation comics, first in color then black & white.
“The Black Destroyer” (Worlds Unknown #5, February 1974) was adapted by Roy Thomas. This story originally appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1939. It is the first of the Voyage of the Space Beagle tales and the best one. The Couerl is a cat-like alien that is starving for some psychic num-nums. The crew of the Beagle have to find a way to survive its attack. This story was influential, for showing an alien through its own eyes. The Couerl’s look would inspire the Displacer Beast in AD&D. Van Vogt owed a small debt to Harl Vincent.
“The Enchanted Village” (Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #4, July 1975) was adapted by Don and Maggie Thompson. This issue also contained an interview with Van Vogt by Alan Brennart. The story appeared in Ray Palmer’s Other Worlds, July 1950. It is a classic “puzzle tale”, where a scientifically minded hero must figure out some strange question. In this way, SF is linked to Mystery fiction, though no murderer need be involved. In this case, our spaceman finds a village on Mars. Bill Jenner solves the puzzle of the Martians but I won’t spoil the surprises.
The next company to try a SF adaptation mag was Western/Gold Key with Starstream.
“Last Voyage of the Albatross” (Starstream #3, 1976) was adapted by George Kashdan. This story was originally published as “Not Only Dead Men” (Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1942). This one is set in the Arctic, where whalers run into aliens. The two races take time to figure each other out before the humans get an invitation to see the universe. For more, go here.
The final comic is more of an illustrated story in an independent comic.
“Process” (Andromeda #2, June 1978) with text by Van Vogt. This story originally appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 1950 and is a very slow burn with a planet fighting back against the humans that would pillage it. Once again AEVV gives us alien life from the alien’s POV. Here is a podcast version.
Conclusion
These four are the only ones, which surprises me. A. E. Van Vogt wrote a lot of stories. You’d expect an adaptation of The Weapon Shops of Isher or other classics. One of the reasons, of course, is that AEVV was influential. His concepts were quickly absorbed into SF by others. Slan (1940) is one of his best. It’s about a group of mutants pursued by humanity. If that sounds familiar, it is. The entire X-Men franchise owes its existence to Slan. Why adapt a novel that is already such a part of the comics zeitgeist? (I’m not sure why Van Vogt didn’t sue. He went after Alien for its similarities to the second Beagle story (and won). The X-Men case should have been an easy win. Perhaps it is because the idea of mutants spread so widely after 1950 in Astounding. Or could it have been that comics were beneath AEVV’s attention? That would be hard to believe considering “Tigerman”.
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