Science fiction and fantasy comics present colorful if disparate visions of the future, from bleak, post-apocalyptic nightmare scenarios, to prophetic explorations of technical advances, to startling stories of space colonization. Concentrating on the 1940s to 1980s, this book presents a critical analysis of the genre, examining everything from hokey, even chauvinistic tales of virile adventurers and their space "babes" to more thought-provoking tales of the clash of alien cultures and frightening, ironic looks at the joys and pitfalls of outer space travel.

This volume scrutinizes the output of many different publishers: DC Comics with their long-running Strange Adventures and Tales of the Unexpected, among others, series that specialized in gimmicky covers geared to attract and pull in the juvenile reader; EC comics with its more adult, occasionally controversial tales in Weird Science and Weird Fantasies; Marvel Comics, who populated its various series with many monsters and grotesque alien creatures; Charlton with its numerous fantasy magazines; American Comics Group, a publisher that contrasted humor and whimsy with more sobering stories in its Forbidden Worlds and Adventures into the Unknown, along with comics from Dell, Gold Key, Avon, Fiction House, and many others. The most notable stories, writers and artists are highlighted.