[Quirky Quokka]

I'd never heard of this comic. So I guess the TV show Firefly wasn't as original as I'd previously thought ;)

Link to the comment: Space Western Comics 42

[The Australian Panther]

   In the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Soloman declares: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”   

[Robb_K]

I'd never heard of this comic. So I guess the TV show Firefly wasn't as original as I'd previously thought

Cowboys in Outer Space is a silly concept, but I'll have to admit it was an innovative idea for fantasy.  Its about as silly as The Arabs in Outer Space in the Sci-Fi novel, "Dune".

What always bothered me about most of the Sci-Fi fantasy stories that touched on very little, or absolutely no real science, is portraying large amounts of people or sentient beings and animals, living on desert planets showing nothing but sand and rocks, and not even a sign of vegetation.  I always wondered how they can possibly sustain life in those places.  Are they worlds on which only carnivores live?  They all eat from each other's populations???  It doesn't make sense that the advanced civilisations could grow enough non-meat food on another planet, and deliver it in Space vehicles to their planet.  In most desert planet-based fantasy stories, we don't see the civilised beings tending the domesticated animal herds that are their main food source, and showing how their food source animals are fed with smaller carnivores.  And we don't see them hunting animals for food. 

I've always liked the Sci-Fi stories that showed decent amounts of vegetation on the planets on which animals and sentient beings live, and their means of survival on planets with no water, and no atmosphere are shown and explained.  I  have a big problem with those stories that ignore those issues.  In real life things happen for reasons and people and animals do things for reasons.  A large portion of comic book "futuristic" comic book fantasy stories I've seen are filled with settings and characters doing things that make no sense (situations that couldn't possibly exist the way they are portrayed, and things beings do where there is no motivation to do that) - basically just insane chaos.  I can't identify with it at all, it isn't entertaining to me at all, only resulting in my wondering why anyone would enjoy reading it.

I do understand that "It takes all kinds to make The World", and taste is in the eye of the beholder.

[The Australian Panther]

I once hitchhiked through the centre of Australia and was kindly picked up by a much traveled Frenchman. He said he was amazed by the Australian outback because of the lack of people. A hundred miles without seeing a human being. He said when you traveled the Sahara you never went far without seeing a village, an oasis or people traveling. 

Then there is this.

Cowboys & Aliens (Daniel Craig) | The Cowboys Fight Back | Extended Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3pAIqRDIk

[Downunder Dan]

You don't have to look further than Star Trek, which essentially drew on western tropes for story ideas and the "exploring the frontier" vibe. Gene Roddenberry specifically cited the TV series Wagon Train as an inspiration.

[The Australian Panther]

Wagon Train?
Battlestar Galactica.

[SuperScrounge]

Well, part of the western genre is exploring the frontier and, to quote Star Trek, "Space, the final frontier", so it makes sense that western themes and ideas would populate sci-fi. The explorers, the settlers, the hunters (treasure and animal), the marshals, etc.

[bowers]

 This short-lived comic from 1953 was very probably trying to give readers a combination of two of the most popular genres of the time. Sadly, it didn't work very well. "Cowboy Western Comics" was renamed "Space Western Comics" but kept the numbering sequence. After this experiment failed, this comic reverted to its previous title.
This really was a pretty good try. In the 50's, just about anything with a guy in a Stetson and double sixguns  on the cover or advertisement would sell! And you can't blame Charlton for trying to cash in.
The artwork was good enough, and the writing kept the action rolling along. All you have to do is disregard all of the nonsense science(as well as a small cosmic body crashing into our planet!) and you've got a pretty fun read. With Christmas Cheers, bowers