The last story EC Comics printed before it gave up its comics line was “Judgment Day,” a story about prejudice that features a black astronaut.
Lots of places online say that this was based on a Ray Bradbury story. I can’t find any evidence of this. Bradbury did write in to say how much he liked the story; maybe that’s where the confusion comes from.
Does anyone know of a Bradbury story this might have come from?
it was an original story by Al Feldman. EC comics had done about 25 of Bradbury’s stories, though, in one comic or another.
I was pretty sure this was by Feldman, but you always need to double-check. Well, I’ve learned to, at any rate.
EC did most of those stories without asking permission. Only the last half dozen or so had Bradbury’s OK. That he wrote in to say he liked it was a huge change from his previous attitude, so that upped the possibility it might have been just a good adaptation. Though this was after their agreement so that tipped the balance the other way. You never know.
Sorry, I said Feldman. It was actually Feldstein. Al Feldman was the CEO of Continental Airlines who committed suicide.
This story may have been the inspiration.
I recently did a run-through of some of the old sci fi comics and was surprised (not really) at how many of them seemed to crib stories from other sources.
BTW, the story revolving around “Judgement Day” might have served as inspiration itself for portions of the ST: DS9 episode “Far Beyond the Stars”.
Bradbury caught them on the story about the kid and his mother watching the night sky and seeing dad burning up on reentry. He started asking for payment after that.
You mean “Rocket Man”?
A child watching a “falling star” (actually a doomed astronaut) and his mother suggesting he make a wish sounds closer to Bradbury’s “Kaleidoscope”. There was no indication the child and the astronaut were related.
Thanks.
Bradbury story that inspired the eponymous song by Elton John, IIRC?
Saying “rocket”-anything sounds eminently outdated nowadays. “Rocket” was the popular 1950s word pertaining to space flight before there was manned space travel, which is what makes the phrase “rocket man” sound so oddly retro-future. If I were going to attribute the phrase “rocket man” to someone, it would be on the order of Robert Goddard or Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. For Elton to sing that in the 1970s it was already anachronistic.
Blast you for saying that!
The same is also true for “atomic”, I find. “Electronic” and “robotic” may be going that route, too.
I guess you’re both right. Here’s what Bradbury wrote in his letter to EC:
“Just a note to remind you of an oversight. You have not as yet sent on the check for $50.00 to cover the use of secondary rights on my two stories THE ROCKET MAN and KALEIDOSCOPE…I feel this was probably overlooked in the general confusion of office work, and look forward to your payment in the near future.”
Thanks; classy note by Bradbury, by the way.