Weird Science (comic)
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Weird Science was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The bi-monthly science-fiction comic, published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein, replaced Western/romance comic Saddle Romances with the May/June 1950 issue. Although the title and format change took effect with issue 12, Gaines and Feldstein decided not to restart the numbering in order to save money on second class postage. The Post Office took note and, starting with issue #5, all the issues were numbered correctly. Because of this, "Weird Science #12" could refer to either the May/June 1950 issue, or the actual twelfth issue of the title, published in 1952. The same confusion exists for issues #13-15, #15 being the last issue published before EC reset the numbering. Over a four-year span, the comic ran for 22 issues, ending with the November-December, 1953 issue.
Early cover illustrations were by Feldstein. Wally Wood took over as the regular cover illustrator in 1952. Wood was also the most dominant artist in the title, and for a period of time in 1952 did two stories per issue. The stories were drawn by Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, George Evans, Harvey Kurtzman, George Roussos, Harry Harrison, Will Elder, Jack Kamen, Sid Check and Jack Olesen.
Weird Science featured a number of Ray Bradbury adaptations after he and EC came to an agreement in 1952. These stories included "The Long Years" (#17), "Mars is Heaven" (#18), "The One Who Waits" (#19), "Surprise Package" (#20), "Punishment Without Crime" (#21) and "Outcast of the Stars" (#22). Gaines and Feldstein made a cameo in "Chewed Out" (#12). Many EC staffers made cameos in "EC Confidential" (#21).
The companion comic for Weird Science was Weird Fantasy. Due to poor sales, the two titles merged in 1954 to become Weird Science-Fantasy. Weird Science-Fantasy ran for seven issues before a title change to Incredible Science Fiction for four issues.
Weird Science was a 1985 movie produced by Joel Silver, who acquired film rights to EC Comics in the early 1980s. The plot of the 1985 Weird Science film is an expansion and modernization of the basic premise in Al Feldstein's story "Made of the Future" in the fifth issue.
In addition to large-format black-and-white reprints by Russ Cochran of all EC Comics, there were comic book reprints in the 1990s. Recently, Gemstone Publishing launched a new "EC Archive" series of hardcover reprints. Volume 1 reprinted #1-6, and Volume 2 reprints #7-12.
[edit] Issue guide
| # | Date | Cover Artist | Story | Story Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12(1) | May/June 1950 | Al Feldstein | Lost in the Microcosm | Harvey Kurtzman |
| Dream of Doom | Wally Wood & Harry Harrison | |||
| Experiment... In Death | Jack Kamen | |||
| "Things" From Outer Space! | Al Feldstein | |||
| 13(2) | July/Aug 1950 | Al Feldstein | The Flying Saucer Invasion | Al Feldstein |
| The Meteor Monster | Wally Wood & Harry Harrison | |||
| The Micro-Race! | Jack Kamen | |||
| ...The Man Who Raced Time | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| 14(3) | Sept/Oct 1950 | Al Feldstein | Destruction of the Earth! | Al Feldstein |
| The Sounds from Another World! | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| Machine from Nowhere | Harry Harrison | |||
| The Eternal Man | Jack Kamen | |||
| 15(4) | Nov/Dec 1950 | Al Feldstein | Panic! | Al Feldstein |
| The Radioactive Child! | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| House, in Time! | Graham Ingels | |||
| Gargantua! | Jack Kamen | |||
| 5 | Jan/Feb 1951 | Al Feldstein | Made of the Future! | Al Feldstein |
| Return | Wally Wood | |||
| The Last War on Earth | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| Killed in Time! | Jack Kamen | |||
| 6 | March/April 1951 | Al Feldstein | Spawn of Venus | Al Feldstein |
| Man and Superman! | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| Sinking of the Titanic! | Wally Wood | |||
| Divide and Conquer | Jack Kamen | |||
| 7 | May/June 1951 | Al Feldstein | Monster from the Fourth Dimension | Al Feldstein |
| Something Missing! | Jack Kamen | |||
| ...Gregory Had a Model-T! | Harvey Kurtzman | |||
| The Aliens! | Wally Wood | |||
| 8 | July/Aug 1951 | Al Feldstein | Seeds of Jupiter! | Al Feldstein |
| The Escape | George Roussos | |||
| Beyond Repair | Jack Kamen | |||
| The Probers | Wally Wood | |||
| 9 | Sept/Oct 1951 | Wally Wood | The Gray Cloud of Death! | Wally Wood |
| The Martian Monster | Jack Kamen | |||
| The Invaders | Wally Wood | |||
| The Slave of Evil! | Jack Oleson | |||
| 10 | Nov/Dec 1951 | Wally Wood | The Maidens Cried | Wally Wood |
| Reducing... Costs | Jack Kamen | |||
| Transformation Completed | Wally Wood | |||
| The Planetoid! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 11 | Jan/Feb 1952 | Al Feldstein | The Conquerors of the Moon! | Wally Wood |
| Only Human! | Jack Kamen | |||
| Why Papa Left Home | Joe Orlando | |||
| The Worm Turns | Joe Orlando | |||
| 12 | March/April 1952 | Wally Wood | A Gobl is a Knog's Best Friend | Wally Wood |
| The Last Man! | Jack Kamen | |||
| The Android! | Wally Wood | |||
| Chewed Out! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 13 | May/June 1952 | Wally Wood | A Weighty Decision | Wally Wood |
| Saving for the Future | Jack Kamen | |||
| He Walked Among Us | Wally Wood | |||
| Say Your Prayers | Joe Orlando | |||
| 14 | July/Aug 1952 | Wally Wood | There'll Be Some Changes Made! | Wally Wood |
| Inside Story! | Bill Elder | |||
| Strategy! | Sid Check | |||
| They Shall Inherit | Joe Orlando | |||
| 15 | Sept/Oct 1952 | Wally Wood | The Martians! | Wally Wood |
| Captivity | Al Williamson | |||
| Miscalculation | Jack Kamen | |||
| Bum Steer! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 16 | Nov/Dec 1952 | Wally Wood | Down to Earth | Wally Wood |
| Space-Borne! | Al Williamson | |||
| Given the Heir! | Jack Kamen | |||
| The People's Choice! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 17 | Jan/Feb 1953 | Wally Wood | Plucked! | Wally Wood |
| The Island Monster | Al Williamson | |||
| Off Day! | Jack Kamen | |||
| The Long Years! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 18 | March/April 1953 | Wally Wood | Mars Is Heaven! | Wally Wood |
| Snap Ending! | Al Williamson | |||
| The Parallel! | Jack Kamen | |||
| Disassembled! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 19 | May/June 1953 | Wally Wood | The Precious Years | Wally Wood |
| The One Who Waits | Al Williamson | |||
| Right on the Button! | Bill Elder | |||
| Keyed Up! | Joe Orlando | |||
| 20 | July/Aug 1953 | Wally Wood | The Loathsome! | Wally Wood |
| Surprise Package | Jack Kamen | |||
| The Reformers | Joe Orlando | |||
| 50 Girls 50 | Al Williamson | |||
| 21 | Sept/Oct 1953 | Wally Wood | EC Confidential! | Wally Wood |
| Punishment Without Crime | Jack Kamen | |||
| Two's Company... | Al Williamson & Frank Frazetta | |||
| The Ugly One | Joe Orlando | |||
| 22 | Nov/Dec 1953 | Wally Wood | A New Beginning | Al Williamson |
| The Headhunters | George Evans | |||
| My World | Wally Wood | |||
| Outcast of the Stars | Joe Orlando |
