Cult-TV Theme Watch: Comic-Books and Pulp Magazines

In some significant ways, television has become the true heir to the comic-book or pulp-magazine in the modern pop culture because it depicts the serialized adventures of great fantasy and science fiction heroes.

It’s only appropriate then, that cult-television over the years has acknowledged the power and influence of these older formats.  Most often in cult-tv programming, comic-books have been viewed as possessing a crucial link to the real world.  In other words, they are not only imaginary tales…they often represent alternate worlds or alternate realities.

In 1987’s short-lived superhero series Once A Hero, for instance, involves Abner Bevis (Miles O’Shea), an artist who learns that his creation, Captain Justice (Jeff Lester), is not merely a comic-book hero, but a real man alive in a parallel universe.  

Captain Justice -- learning of his diminishing popularity in our world -- crosses the “Forbidden Zone” to Earth and tries to adjust to life here.  The series ran for only five episodes features an episode (by Ira Steven Behr) called “The Return of Laarus” which sees Justice’s greatest nemesis (played by the late Richard Lynch) also cross the Forbidden Zone to Earth.

One of the best episodes of Friday the 13^th: The Series (1987 – 1990) also revolves around the idea of comic-book heroes coming to life here on Earth.  In “Tales of the Undead” by William Taub and Marc Scott Zicree, a comic-book character –- a giant robot named Ferrus -- comes to life to help a lonely kid defeat his enemies and tormentors.  Specifically, after stealing a 25,000 dollar edition of Peerless Comics’ “Ferrus the Invincible,” the lonely kid realizes he can become the robot and avenge the wrongs he has faced.  Unfortunately, the comic book’s creator, Jay Star (Ray Walston) wants the power of the cursed comic-book for himself, especially since he is now elderly, and could use the comic’s power to become impervious to the ravages of age.

One of the most well-regarded episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999), "Far Beyond the Stars," prominently features a pulp-magazine called Incredible Tales.  In this story, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) comes to believe that he is actually a science fiction writer in 1950s New York.  He pens a story called "Deep Space Nine" about the futuristic adventures of an African-American space station commander, only to see the (brilliant...) story questioned because of racial content.

A stunning black-and-white X-Files (1993 - 2002) episode, “The Post-Modern Prometheus” by Chris Carter, intentionally mimics the style of both black-and-white movies and comic-books. “The Great Mutato,”is both a comic-book character and a character in the story involving Mulder and Scully.  In this case, the episode is actually book-ended by comic-book-styled frames, which suggests this installment is, actually, a comic-book and that we, the audience, are “reading it.”

Smallville (2001 – 2011) made extremely interesting use of a comic-book title (and character) called “Warrior Angel.”  Simply put, Warrior Angel is to Smallville’s world what Superman is to our own.  

This fictional character is, like Kal-El, a visitor from another world who is raised on Earth.  His nemesis is a former best friend/now-villain called Devilicus (think Lex Luthor). Warrior Angel even possesses a kind of Fortress of Solitude where he can seek shelter from the world, only his Fortress is known as The Aerodrome.

The “Warrior Angel” comic -- a useful contrast to Clark’s world -- appears several times throughout Smallville, in episodes including “Stray,” “Ryan, “Reunion,” “Action,” “Veritas,” “Quest” "Instinct" and “Warrior.” We several of the comic-book issues appear throughout the series, and the first issue is a dead-ringer for Superman's Action Comics #1.

Other genre series have also featured fictional comic-book heroes and situations.  Dexter Morgan (Michael C.Hall) learns, for instance that “The Dark Defender” is a comic-book character based on his activities as the dreaded Bay Harbor Butcher.  

And in Lost’s (2004- 2011)  pilot, young Walt reads a comic-book that happens to include a polar bear in its story-line...an image that recurs on the mystical island.