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From: jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: (Tears) The Collected Works of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:49:38 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: Public Access Networks Corp.
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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. 
-- 
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll