Buck Rogers, Man of the Future?

I read this line recently, “A vision of our future as could only be seen from a certain point in our past”. I think it was on the back of one of my books reprinting Buck Rogers newspaper strips. I’m totally enamored with the idea.

“Retro-future” is another term I’ve heard thrown around to describe the same concept. The entertainment, whether it be movie, TV, book, comic, or something else, was futuristic at the time it was published. But not seems quaint and oddly out of place. It’s an antique vision of something that never existed. It’s an impossible anachronism.

No character embodies this more so than poor old Buck Rogers.

Buck Rogers, more formerly known as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, is culturally one of our greater science fiction characters. He used to be a household name, and even made it into our cultural lexicon as referring to something futuristic. If you’re unfamiliar, Buck is a modern day hero from 1929 who through some accident get put in stasis and revived in the year 2429. The character first appears in pulp novels of the 1920’s, but is later chronicled in a daily newspaper strip that ends up being one of the most popular strips of that era.


Part of Buck’s allure is that he’s a ‘fish out of water’. He’s a character from modern times cast in the future against his will. So he’s using the smarts and knowhow of today to battle menaces of tomorrow. This speaks to the reader somewhat, as we’re all able to imagine how we would do in Buck’s place. Despite the fantastic circumstances, it makes him relatable.

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed Buck’s appearances in the original comic strips so much that now when his name is mentioned; it’s the character I think of and not the television show of my childhood. Although that show, starring Gil Gerard, was definitely a favorite of mine growing up and I wouldn’t have the love for Buck that I do without that show.


As I said before, this characters version of the future can’t possibly exist. It’s a future that can only be envisioned from a point in our past. In the original strip, Buck and his friends have yet to even leave Earth’s atmosphere. Having their adventures while facing Mongol hoards of Earth and using flight belts that make them light as a feather and enable them to jump great distances. In the television show, Buck is a member of Earth’s defense forces and earns an audience by introducing modern day knowledge to fantastic situations. Such things as showing the visiting alien queen how to disco, or being the only person around who knows what a boomerang is, or teaching a flight school how to fight by using an ancient game called ‘football’.



These elements of Buck’s character are important at first, but fall by the wayside as the character gets further entrenched in his fantastic surroundings. But these elements are what sets Buck apart, and keep him a bit entrenched in being an anachronism.

Flash Gordon’s adventures, hailed as comic strip art at its finest, are far more engrossing. He’s the Earthman tossed out of his element too, but those ‘fish out of water’ moments aren’t really played up. Flash goes in swinging and almost never stops. Whether it be the original comic strips or the television and movies that came after.

Some would say Captain Kirk and the original Star Trek show are a bit of an anachronism. Most everything they can do in the original show is within our technological understanding today. But Captain Kirk and crew have a story and a message that transcends the trappings of their 1960’s TV set. Any anyone with any imagination at all, and a willingness to watch, can forgive the paper mache scenery and hokey lighting and be swept up into their adventures.

The difference is longevity. Captain Kirk is easily making his way along with our culture, moving into the future as an endearing character along with Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. Flash Gordon has been revived several times. He struggles along far behind Captain Kirk and Superman, but he has a shot at entering the future as a character re-imagined for a new generation.

But Buck? Will Buck make it? Flash Gordon is at least still printed in Sunday newspaper strip format. But Buck’s strip was cancelled in 1967, not counting a short revival in the 1980’s because of the popularity of the TV show.



Things look bleak for Buck. Which only makes me love him more.

These are a couple of vehicles that Lorie found for me one Christmas. Their beautiful, in my opinion, and I can’t believe they were made. They match ships that were seen in the original newspaper strip. If I had a comic room to display them in, they would have a proud spot. But the comic room is still under construction.








Thanks,
DCD