INCREDIBLE SCIENCE FICTION
INCREDIBLE SCIENCE FICTION
EC Comics (July 1955-February 1956)
Incredible Science Fiction was a retitled version of the comic Weird Science-Fantasy, which changed its title in 1955. The comic changed its title with issue 30, but due to attempts to save money on postage, the numbering did not restart (and hence, issue 30 is actually the first issue of this title).
Incredible Science Fiction ran for four issues, boasting a number of skilled artists including Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Bernard Krigstein, Joe Orlando and Roy Krenkel. Three of its covers were done by Davis, with the final issue’s cover by Wood. This comic is notable for having Jack Davis’ only science fiction work for EC. Roy Krenkel also provided his only solo story for EC with issue 31’s “Time to Leave”.
Aside from the title change, Incredible Science Fiction was also different from its predecessor because it now had to follow the tight standards of the Comics Code, which was created in 1954 to censor the controversial comics of that time. Eventually the Comics Code would spell the end of not only this comic, but all comics produced by EC. When a story in issue 33 did not meet the standards of the Code, publisher Bill Gaines and editor Al Feldstein decided to reprint the story “Judgment Day!” (originally in Weird Fantasy #18). A powerful anti-racism story, “Judgment Day!” was also rejected because Judge Charles Murphy, the Comics Code Administrator, demanded that an illustration of a black astronaut be altered. Gaines refused and threatened to take the matter to the Supreme Court. The Comics Code backed down, and Gaines then printed the story without any changes. But Gaines had seen the writing on the wall, and he left the comic book industry soon after. Incredible Science Fiction #33 was the last comic book he would publish.
