Sci Fi Genre Gems: E-Man (1970’s Comic Book Series)

What Is It?  In this short-lived series from Charlton Comics, we are introduced to the superhero E-Man, a sentient being of pure energy created out of a super-nova.  This being traveled through the galaxy and came in contact with Earth, where he meets the human Nova Kane and decides to take human form himself as a superhero.  The two then set off on action-packed adventures fighting villains that threaten the planet.

Why Does It Stand Out?  This whimsical little series hit the stands at a time before superheroes had gone dark and grim and it delivered a fun set of comic book tales with a sci fi bent.

The Skinny: Co-creator Nicola Cuti had the idea of creating a superhero similar to the whimsical Golden Age character Plastic Man, and artist Joe Staton helped bring to life this modern hero with a sense of fun.  The transformable E-Man would morph into any of a numbers of shapes as needed, not dissimilar from his Golden Age predecessor.  But it was the banter between E-Man and his opponents as well as side kick / partner Nova Kane (she would later become a superhero herself) that made this strip so much fun.  Unlike the revivals of this character that would appear in the 80’s and 90’s, this series was less interested in parody, and more in just telling a good fun tale.

It would also introduce the private eye character Mike Mauser who would later get his own series, plus it also had regular backup stories that highlighted tryout characters for Charlton.  Steve Ditko’s Mr. A-like character Killjoy showed up in two issues and John Byrne’s Rog 2000 also had several appearances.  Unfortunately, E-Man would only last for ten issues in its original run.  The sales for the book were not great and the publisher decided to cancel the series, though the character would have a final appearance from its original creative team in the fourth issue of the Charlton Bullseye fanzine.

E-Man would live on in the decades that followed with several revivals at other publishers, but in my opinion those never quite matched up its original run that was quirky and funny and just trying to tell some good fun comic book tales.  The first ten issues have yet to be collected in a trade paperback, but they recently appeared in eBook format available through Amazon.com and Comixology.  You can also find the back issues pretty easily and you won't have to spend an arm and a leg on them.

Did You Know?  Joe Staton based E-Man’s face on James Bond actor Roger Moore which he described as “charming and heroic looking, but kind of generic”.

Sci Fi Genre Gems: UFO (1970 Television Series)

What Is It? This 1970 British produced television series from Gerry Anderson (best known for his Supermarionation shows like Thunderbirds as well as the cult sci fi series Space: 1999) brought us a covert war between a secret organization known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) and an alien race from a dying planet.

Why It Stands Out: Because the show managed to buck its potentially formulaic premise and deliver some hard-hitting, intelligent science fiction drama with mature themes.

The Skinny:  Sure, many may consider this a relic of its time because the look and feel of the show has not dated very well. And prepare yourself for cheesy (though good for their time) special effects, outlandish costumes, laughable 70’s music, corny dialog, and exceptionally wooden acting. If you can get past these, however, you will find that this is a real sci fi sleeper. The premise could have resulted in alien-attack-of-the-week episodes (which it did deliver to some extent), but the scripts extended beyond that and made attempts to explore how this covert war affected the lives of the SHADO officers as well as those unwittingly caught up in its events. As outlandish as the series was, the writers often tried to focus on the realistic consequences of the stories and often the episodes had unexpected, downbeat endings, something eschewed by Prime Time television even today. The series was much more down to earth than Anderson’s later Space: 1999 which all too often grasped at (and fell short of) profundity. Present day viewers watching UFO for the first time may find it a bit inaccessible to start with because it is so dated. But if you stick with it, you will find some good science fiction tales in this rare gem of a show.

Notable Stars: Ed Bishop (Commander Straker)

Did You Know:  A second season of the show was originally commissioned, though it would have moved most of the action to the moonbase (because the moon-focused episodes tended to be more popular) and the title would have been changed to UFO: 1999. However, ratings declined during the second half of the show’s syndication run and ITV (who produced the series) changed their mind about the second season. Anderson tinkered with the concept, though, and it eventually morphed into the 1975 series Space: 1999.

Did You Play With:  Back in the 1970's, Dinky Toys made die cast versions of the SHADO Interceptor and the Mobile Unit.  In the days before video games, the internet, and texting, these provided hours of entertainment to many kids who still knew how to play with toys!

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Sci Fi Genre Gems: Replicas (1979 New Wave Album by Gary Numan)

What Is It?  This new wave album came out in 1979 before “Cars”--from The Pleasure Principle--would skyrocket Gary Numan into one-hit-wonder fame.  Replicas offered a collection of songs inspired by a set of inter-connected short stories he had been writing about a future dystopia.  The very Terminator-like setting he established (five years before the James Cameron movie came out) depicts a nightmarish world where humanity is in decay and people have allowed the machines to take control to sort out the mess. But the machines decide that the root of the problem is humanity itself, and set out to slowly rid the planet of their presence.

Why It Stands Out: The album presents a dark and moody set of synth-pop songs in a science fiction setting that deal with themes of alienation, isolation, paranoia, and disillusionment.  And it’s a pretty enjoyable bit of New Wave sci fi music to boot.

The Skinny:  Gary Numan may be known the world over for his song “Cars”, but he is definitely more than a one-trick-pony.  He was an early pioneer of synthesizer music and the New Wave movement and then continued to reinvent himself in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s and has a new album out this week (which I highly recommend that you check out, and you can read by full review of it at this link).  Replicas is where he developed the sound he would become famous for (his previous work was more guitar-heavy with hints of punk) and he had considerable chart success in his home country of the UK with the album.  Often dismissed by many as “android rock”, the fact is that his early music had a deep humanness beneath its cool, mechanical trappings.  Alienation, isolation, and loneliness play an important part of his early songs (and became a running motif throughout his career) and his explorations into those dark territories definitely made this more than a collection of throwaway synth-pop songs.  Plus, the sci fi setting will definitely be of interest to genre fans, especially with its similarities to the future world we would later see in the Terminator movies.  The sci fi elements aren’t always as pronounced in the songs, but they are there for those who want to dig for them.  This album contains two songs that some may recognize: “Are Friends Electric?” and “Down in the Park” (the latter has been covered by many groups, most notable The Foo Fighters and Marilyn Manson).  For those not familiar with Numan’s larger catalog, Replicas is very much in the vein of the “Cars” sound and he would continue with this style for one more album after The Pleasure Principle (Telekon) before starting to branch out with his sound.  All three of these albums are worth checking out (as is much of his discography), and sci fi fans may want to start with Replicas because of its strong genre themes or go straight to his later dark, industrial albums (which began with 1994's Sacrifice) because these could act as soundtracks to genre films.

Did You Know:  Gary Numan discovered his trademark synthesizer sound by accident.  His early work with the Tubeway Army was more guitar-driven quasi-punk.  But he was looking for a different direction because he didn’t feel this sound fully expressed the musical vision he was trying to achieve.  Then--according to his autobiography Praying to the Aliens--one day he walked into the studio and found the previous group had left a mini-moog synthesizer behind.  He played one note on it and the way it had been tuned immediately struck a cord with him.  He commented that “if it had been pre-set on a horrible, tinny, bleep sound I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought”.  So that was a pivotal moment in music history and a different setting on that synthesizer could have altered his career direction and the New Wave movement as well!

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