teh bunneh Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 What are the best examples of "Fins and Ray-Guns" fiction? The art deco style of science fiction/science fantasy that was popular through the 50s or so? Movies, books, comics, TV -- I'm especially interested in stuff that's still in print and relatively easy to find. And I'm not limiting myself to stuff that was produced prior to the 50s -- stuff that was written more recently with the same sensibilities (either played straight or ironically) is good too. Things like Twilight (by Howard Chaykin, not Stephanie Meyers!) or Dan Dare (by Garth Ennis) are cool. Help a bunneh out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Dave Steven's "The Rocketeer" is definitely a great example of Fins if not necessarily Ray-guns (and arguably relaunched the modern fascination with Betty Paige). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Wasn't there a Buck Rogers series out at one point? My Alex Ross art book has pictures. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns [ATTACH=CONFIG]45492[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]45493[/ATTACH] Lucius Alexander The palindromedary says no, Lucius, it was supposed to be FINS and RAY-GUNS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers just about define the genre for me. Some of the early Heinlein juvenile stuff would fit the genre, although he never really concentrated on the tech side of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Is this related to sharks with frikking lasers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns whenever you see a seemingly unnecessary fin, just imagine it instead as a wi-fi hotspot, or a facial recognition camera, or IFF module, radar-warning receiver, sensor pod, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Most Adam Strange stories can be mined for some material. This shot from The Rann/Thanagar War alone has a haughty Queen-in-Exile, a Finned Rocketeer, and three Hawk Persons. If you aren't big on the modern take, you can still pick up the Showcase Presents collection for a decent price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranxerox Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns You should check out The Digital Comic Museum. Charlton, Avon and Youthful Publishing all have comics in this general genre though admittedly ray-guns are a lot more common than fins. Also, it been advertised at this board before, but I'm going to make a shout out to the web series The Mercury Men anyway. No fins but still very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Thanks, guys. Keep the ideas coming! Any tv shows or movies that really capture the feel for you? Like the Commander Cody series, or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackalope Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Isaac Asimov's Lucky Star series is very fins and ray-guns, with the added twist of being rooted in hard science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Thought the Synchro-Vox style they used makes is a little weird to watch, another good source may be Alex Toth's Space Angel. It has a little more of an Atomic Age feel to it, but nothing a few fins and some chrome can't fix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkVbp9Ic4I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kestrel Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns For movies, start with the classics, like Forbidden Planet. Awesome movie. There was also the Commando Cody series, which is a precursor to The Rocketeer. It had a bit of Flash Gordon rocketry thrown in with jet packs. For books, there are the old EE. Doc Smith Lensman books. Aaaaand... all of a sudden my brain has locked up. Will think of more later. Probably at 3am when I jerk out of a sound sleep and say "Oh yeah! THAT'S what I was trying to remember!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted February 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Yeah, a second plug for the Lensman series. Almost genre-defining. Christopher Anvil's Interstellar Patrol stuff was written much later and begins to drift out of the genre, but it's still material you could use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shadow Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns I might suggest some of the early Perry Rhodan stories. Particularly from the first cycle ending with number 41 The Earth Dies, although the second cycle Time's Lonely One through A Friend to Mankind (#91) also would be useful to you. They were written in the early 60s and are very Pulp space opera-ish. I remember that someone around here had a link to a site where you could download them as pdf files, but I don't remember who or where exactly. Perhaps someone else could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowcat1313 Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns so many fun choices... and of course Flesh Gordon, Spaceways, Gor, if you want something if you want more of an adult bent. I found one of the Spaceways novels for like 50 cents, it made the Gor novels look like Pulitizer prize material. I think it was titled "Of Alien Bondage" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tancred Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Third approval for the Lensmen. But while you're talking about Doc Smith, don't forget the Skylark of Space and its sequels. They're hard to find now, but good reads. Although the power level goes WAY up in the later books, as well of the scale of the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted February 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns Sounds like I really need to brush up on my EE Doc Smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Re: Fins and Ray-Guns It would be wrong to characterize his stuff as great literature, but it's got lots of readable pulpy space goodness. I suspect he may have started a lot of the tropes of the genre, but I haven't studied that era enough to be certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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