Re: (Tears) The Collected Works of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

In article <m62araFl4tbU1@mid.individual.net>,
Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:

In article <1lnnvjh4rhd3k3nvt40g5cp72jkjrkt553@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person  <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

On Sun, 13 Apr 2025 13:05:04 -0000 (UTC), jdnicoll@panix.com (James
Nicoll) wrote:
>

>
The Collected Works of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
By Philip Francis Nowlan & Dick Calkins, Edited by Robert C. Dille
>
A 20th century American wakes in the bewildering 25th century.
>
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/on-my-way-to-mars

>
Although the name "Buck Rogers" is known, apparently I never read any
of the comic strips. So the review was very interesting and
informative.
>
The inserted panels, incidentally, expand when opened on a new tab so
that the text, while fuzzy, is readable.
>
I am sorry to read that this joins the group of books named "The
Collected Works of" when they are, in fact, only "Some Collected Works
of". I am familiar with this from reading older authors in Kindle
omnibus editions. One is tempted to blame Marketing.
--

>
As far as I know, there is no project that has ever or is contemplating
reprinting the complete run of the BR comic strip as there is for Thimble
Theater, Pogo, Dick Tracy, Calvin & Hobbes, Peanuts, & Barnaby for
example.
>
There are various other reprints which hit additional bits & pieces
including several of the reboots.
>
To my recall, the last book reprints of the seminal stories were somewhat
bowlderized by Spider Robinson, but the originals are available on
Project Gutenberg:
>
Armageddon -- 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32530
>
The Airlords of Han by Philip Francis Nowlan
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25438
>
The last reboot that I am aware of was in comics by Howard Chaykin
which cast early 20th Buck as a Wobblie (because Chaykin...) and
thus very forward thinking about racial equality.

Buck does take the time to explain to his audience that aside from
the genocidal tendencies stuff, Wilma was very accepting of other races:

"I never knew her to show to the men or women of any race anything
but the utmost of sympathetic courtesy and consideration, whether they
were the noble brown-skinned Caucasians of India, the sturdy Balkanites
of Southern Europe, or the simple, spiritual Blacks of Africa, today
one of the leading races of the world, although in the Twentieth Century
we regarded them as inferior. This charity and gentleness of hers did not
fail even in our contacts with the non-Han Mongolians of Japan and the
coast provinces of China."

That's from Gutenberg.

However, Wilma's admirable racial tolerance does not extend to the
Han. To put it very mildly.
--
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