# EC Comics story "Judgment Day" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139 "2017-04-09T23:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/1 "2017-04-09T23:45:49Z")
The last story EC Comics printed before it gave up its comics line was [“Judgment Day,”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC_Comics#.22Judgment_Day.22) 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? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/2 "2017-04-10T03:00:25Z")
it was an original story by Al Feldman. EC comics had done about 25 of Bradbury’s stories, though, in one comic or another. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/3 "2017-04-10T03:21:58Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/4 "2017-04-10T04:18:44Z")
Sorry, I said Feldman. It was actually Feldstein. Al Feldman was the CEO of Continental Airlines who committed suicide. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/5 "2017-04-10T04:31:52Z")
This story may have been the inspiration. > **[Eric Frank Russell's "Test Piece" (short story, first contact, free): Don't...](http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2012/09/eric-frank-russell-test-piece-short.html)** > > This is a contest story - great anticipation buildup, & a positive conclusion, but key to conclusion is for the reader to find! I wonder ... 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”. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/6 "2017-04-10T17:13:38Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/7 "2017-04-10T17:37:34Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > 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”? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/8 "2017-04-10T18:22:09Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/9 "2017-04-10T18:31:51Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/10 "2017-04-10T18:44:38Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > You mean “Rocket Man”? 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. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/11 "2017-04-10T19:51:20Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Saying “rocket”-anything sounds eminently outdated nowadays. Blast you for saying that! The same is also true for “atomic”, I find. “Electronic” and “robotic” may be going that route, too. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/12 "2017-04-10T20:25:50Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > You mean “Rocket Man”? > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > 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. I guess you’re both right. [Here’s](http://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-146/) 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.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ec-comics-story-judgment-day/784139/13 "2017-04-11T00:00:46Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > I guess you’re both right. [Here’s](http://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-146/) 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.