Science fiction and fantasy comics present colorful if disparate visions of the future, from post-apocalyptic nightmare scenarios and prophetic explorations of technical advances to startling stories of space colonization. This book analyzes the genre from the 1940s to the 1980s, examining works such as tales of virile adventurers and their space "babes" to more thought-provoking stories of the clash of alien cultures and frightening, ironic looks at the results of outer space travel.

This volume scrutinizes the output of publishers such as DC Comics (Strange Adventures and Tales of the Unexpected, etc.); EC comics (Weird Science and Weird Fantasies); Marvel Comics (various series with monsters and grotesque alien creatures); Charlton (numerous fantasy magazines); American Comics Group (Forbidden Worlds and Adventures into the Unknown); as well as comics from Dell, Gold Key, Avon, Fiction House, and many others.