That Buck Rogers Shit.

The cause & effect is hard to explain.

I've wanted to write something about these 4 frames from 2 separate Buck Rogers' comic strips for almost 2 years now, all the while the scans collecting so much digital dust.

The logic tree goes something like this: I read the collection containing said strips when I was about 10 or so? This VTOL rocketship (total anachronism, calling it that) got under my skin, behind my eyeballs, & into my brain. Especially that cross-section in the 2nd frame. God that was fucking awesome! I vaguely recall wasting a lot of time drawing my own cross sections of spaceships afterwards: huge sprawling space-liners penciled out on sheets of butcherpaper.

As with all things childish, you move on, you forget. About 6-7 years ago or somethin', I got a hair up my ass to seek out this collection of Buck Roger's strips. I founded it,¹ at Powells, when you could still find stuff at Powells. I re-read it, or most of it. As w/ most things, the 1st few years of the strip carry the strongest charm. I even went to far as to read the original novel that Buck Rogers was based on (Armageddon 2549, or whatever, featuring 'Ace' Rogers).

Oh yeah, the original Buck Roger's story arc featuring the 'Mongols' as the villains, & they had AIRSHIPS, which I believe was my first exposure to the concept.

And airships, I've come to realize, are a pretty important part of my psyche. Hayao Miyazaki's awesome & all, but, for me, the everpresent airships help his cause greatly. Did you know an airship has figured prominently in EVERY installment of Final Fantasy? Did you know I played the 1st (American) Final Fantasy on a rented Nintendo in 1990 & was. fucking. stoked. Like many others, FFVII on the Playstation was my re-introduction to gaming. Give credit to the airships.

You know how other people joke about what people thought the future was going to be like, and are like "where's my jet pack?" and "where's my flying car?"

Well, all I want is my fucking private dirigible.²

-d.d.

¹ Dille, Robert C. The Collected Works Of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. 1980 reprint. I should add I 1st got this book from my public library. I also fondly recall oversized collections of the 1930s Popeye comic strip, and 1930s & 1940s Marvel comics - Captain America w/ the original shield & Bucky, the original Namor & Human Torch (& Toro, too!) stories. Fucking awesome, those were!
² Maybe some sort of biplane add-on feature. And the matching aviator goggles & cap. And scarf.