Science Fiction Magazines – Planet Stories – Literary Art and Illustration

Video Time!: Planet Stories, January, 1954, featuring “A Sound of Thunder”, by Ray Bradbury [Frank Kelly Freas]

The theme of time travel, and specifically its implications in terms of causality, free will, parallel universes, and paradoxes, has been the basis of innumerable stories in science fiction, and to a lesser extent, fantasy. A prominent example of the genre is Ray Bradbury’s 1954 tale “A Sound of Thunder” in the January, 1954 issue of Planet Stories, which popularized the concept of the “butterfly effect“, though the general idea had been the subject of discussion among scientists and philosophers even in the 19th century.

While I don’t think that Frank Kelly Freas’ resounding cover illustration for the issue has a direct relevance to any story within…

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… Edmund Emshwiller’s lead illustration (pages 4-5) for “A Sound of Thunder” certainly does! Note the notorious butterfly making a prominent appearance at lower right.

Audio!

“A Sound of Thunder – Ray Bradbury”, narrated by Zach Walz (September 30, 2018)

While Bradbury’s short story has been the basis of a 2005 movie by the same name, unfortunately, as indicated at Rotten Tomatoes, the picture has fallen flat (or should I say “fallen splat“?), with a Tomatometer rating of 6%, and an Audience Score of 18%. Here’s the trailer, at TheSciFiSpot (December 12, 2010) You can read more about the film at the IMDB.

Working Title: “A Sound of Blunder”?

And even more, at…

A Book:

Ash, Brian (editor), The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Harmony Books, New York, N.Y., 1977 (Emshwiller illustration on page 148)

A Thunderous Sound, at…

… Wikipedia

… GoodReads

… Interesting Literature

… SUNY Stone Brook Astronomy (full text)

… Physics Forums

… Internet Speculative Fiction Database

… Tim Weed – Writer

… Ellen Smith Writes (#TIMETRAVELSTORIES REVIEW: A SOUND OF THUNDER)

… The Spirochaete Trail (Scampy’s blog)

… Fangoria

… The Philadelphia Inquirer (The Physics of Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”)

Frank Kelly Freas, at…

Wikipedia

SFE – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

FindAGrave

Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

GoodReads

Wikimedia Commons (Cover Art) – 47 images

Comic Art Fans – some classic, “clickable” (relatively) full-size cover art

Dangerous Minds

invaluable – The World’s Premier Auctions and Galleries – original art for sale

Mad Magazine Covers by Frank Kelly Freas – Doug Gilford’s Mad Magazine Cover Site

Planet Stories, Summer, 1954, featuring “Dawn of The Demigods”, by Raymond Z. Gallun [Frank Kelly Freas]

“It’s us, Scharber…”

I’ve not yet read “Dawn of the Demigods” from the Summer ’54 Planet Stories – it’s never been anthologized – but, well, I do like Herman Vestal’s lead illustration…

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Cover by Frank Kelly Freas

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…which is very unusual, for the era, in its depiction of spacesuit. Rather than the elongated-cylinder-with-a-faceplate not uncommonly found in space art of the 50s, Vestal’s illustration evokes the bulbous helmets worn by Apollo astronauts … specifically, while inside the Command Module and LEM (rather than the Primary / Portable Life Support System used while on the lunar surface). This is in terms of being molded as a single piece with 360-degree visibility, without antenna or other protrusions sticking out. Vestal’s astronaut is also wearing a “Snoopy” type head covering with integral earphones, and, a microphone in front. Hmmm… Come to think of it, there is a certain Buzz Lightyear look going on here!

And, otherwise?

“Dawn of the Demigods”, at…

… Internet Speculative Fiction Database

… Project Gutenberg

Raymond Z. Gallun, at…

… Internet Speculative Fiction Database

… Science Fiction Encyclopedia

… GoodReads

… Wikipedia

… Open Library

… FindAGrave

Herman B. Vestal, at…

… Internet Speculative Fiction Database

… GoodReads

Frank Kelly Freas, at…

Wikipedia

SFE – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

FindAGrave

Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

GoodReads

Wikimedia Commons (Cover Art) – 47 images

Comic Art Fans – some classic, “clickable” (relatively) full-size cover art

Dangerous Minds

invaluable – The World’s Premier Auctions and Galleries – original art for sale

Mad Magazine Covers by Frank Kelly Freas – Doug Gilford’s Mad Magazine Cover Site

Planet Stories, September, 1952, featuring “Evil Out of Onzar”, by Mark Ganes [Herman B. Vestal]

Despite the prominence and popularity of Frank Kelly Freas’ art, and, the presence of several images of his compositions at this blog, it must admit that he’s never been among the science fiction artists I most admire. As in all things artistic, I suppose it’s a matter of style and personal preference, for despite the distinctiveness of his work, especially characterized by his way of capturing human facial expressions, and his use of color, I instead prefer themes of ambiguity, mystery, symbolism, and a sense of myth. Thus, my liking for the works of such artists as Virgil Finlay, Paul Orban, Richard Powers, Hubert Rogers, and Henry Richard Van Dongen.

Yet, I really have to give Freas credit for this truly superb composition for “Thompson’s Cat”, in the September, 1952 issue of Planet Stories. The combination of line drawings of men, illuminated trails of spacecraft, and a floating sun create the perfect visual frame for the head of a feline predator (a Kzinti, anyone?) which is depicted in expressive, near-Finlay-like detail.

As far as the magazine’s content, “Evil Out of Onzar” appears to be the sole literary work of the mysterious Mark Ganes…