Comic science fiction

Comic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that exploits the genre's conventions for comic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirizes standard SF conventions like alien invasion of Earth, interstellar travel, or futuristic technology.

Early pulp science fiction contained few comic stories. A notable exception was the Pete Manx series by Henry Kuttner and Arthur K. Barnes (sometimes writing together and sometimes separately, under the house pen-name of Kelvin Kent). Published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the series featured a time-traveling carnival barker who uses his con-man abilities to get out of trouble. Two later series cemented Kuttner's reputation as one of the most popular early writers of comic science fiction: the Gallegher series (about a drunken inventor and his narcissistic robot) and the Hogben series (about a family of mutant hillbillies). The former appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1943 and 1948 and was collected in hardcover as Robots Have No Tails (Gnome, 1952), and the latter appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories in the late 1940s.

Examples

Literature

• Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and related novels
• Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
• Robert Asprin's Phule series
• Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan novels
• Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat and Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers novels
• Eric Idle's The Road to Mars
• Stanislaw Lem's novel Cyberiad and his Ijon Tichy stories.
• Most of Ron Goulart's work
• Kurt Vonnegut's novel The Sirens of Titan, and a lot of his work
• Snoo Wilson's novel Spaceache
• The novels of Rob Grant (Colony, Incompetence and Fat).
• Michael Ruben's The Sheriff of Yrnameer.

Films

• Dark Star (1974)
• Tron (1982)
• Ghostbusters series (1984-1989)
• The Ice Pirates (1984)
• Surf II (1984)
• Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990)
• The Pink Chiquitas (1987)
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Mom and Dad Save the World (1992)
• Mars Attacks! (1996)
• Men in Black (1997)
• The Fifth Element (1997)
• Galaxy Quest (1999)
• Mutant Swinger from Mars (2003)
• Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
• Gentlemen Broncos (2009)

Video games

• Giants: Citizen Kabuto
• Ratchet & Clank series
• Space Quest series
• MDK2
• Leather Goddesses of Phobos
• EarthBound series
• Portal
• Portal 2

Machinima

• Red vs. Blue (2003–present)
• Freeman's Mind (2007-present)

Television

See also: Science fiction sitcom

• Doctor Who (1963–1989; 2005–present)
• Lost in Space (1965-1968)
• "The Worm That Turned" serial series of sketches from Series 8 of The Two Ronnies (1980)
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988–1999)
• Red Dwarf (1988–1999, 2009)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003-2008)
• Courage the Cowardly Dog (1995, 1999-2002) (also contains elements of fantasy and horror)
• 3rd Rock From The Sun (1996–2001)
• Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003)
• Men in Black: The Series (1997-2001)
• Futurama (1999–2003, 2008-present)
• Invader Zim (2001-2002, 2006)
• Time Squad (2001-2003)
• Clone High (2002-2003)
• Hyperdrive (2006-2007)
• Robotomy (2010)

There are also any number of animated Japanese series which use a scifi-comedy or scifi-fantasy-comedy setting. Urusei Yatsura, Dr. Slump, FLCL and Tenchi Muyo! are examples.

Web television

• The Crew (webseries) (2008-present)
• Transylvania Television (2007-present)

Web comics

• Starslip Crisis (2005–present)
• Schlock Mercenary (2000–present)
• Jump Leads (2007-present)

Radio

• Canadia: 2056 (2007-present)
• Nebulous (2005-2008)
• Space Hacks (2007-2008)
• The Spaceship (2005-2008)
• Undone (2006-2010)

Multiple media

• Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (radio, printed novels, TV series, feature film, etc.)
• Hyper Police series by Minoru Tachikawa (manga and anime).
• Gin Tama series by Hideaki Sorachi (manga and anime).

See also

• Comic fantasy
• Science fiction comic

References