Famous Funnies #209
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFamous Funnies #209 marks the debut of Frank Frazetta's celebrated run of Buck Rogers covers — the first of eight consecutive issues (209–216) that transformed the twilight years of the medium's first regularly published comic book into a showcase for some of the most kinetic science-fiction cover art of the Golden Age. The issue also signals Buck Rogers' return to the title after a brief absence, restoring the character who had anchored Famous Funnies almost since its very first issue in 1934 and helping define the visual language of American space opera. Frazetta's interpretation of Buck and Wilma Deering — executed in pen and ink on bristol board — departed sharply from the strip's house style, injecting a muscular dynamism that would later influence a generation of illustrators and, by George Lucas's own account, the visual development of Star Wars. As the opening chapter of that cover run, #209 stands as a hinge point between two eras: the waning anthology-reprint format of early comics and the painted-cover aesthetic that would dominate genre publishing for the next three decades.
In "The Smoke Eating Marine," a 1953 adventure from Famous Funnies #209, a sailor named Dan shares tales of Marco Polo’s legendary discoveries—petroleum, paper, money, coal, and the islands of Japan—while at sea with his companion Dickie. Written, drawn, and inked by Coulton Waugh, the story blends historical curiosity with a touch of maritime whimsy, all framed by a striking cover by Frank Frazetta.
In this 1953 adventure from *Famous Funnies* #209, young sailor Dan shares tales of Marco Polo’s legendary journeys with his friend Dickie, recounting the explorer’s remarkable discoveries—from petroleum and paper to money and the distant islands of Japan—while they sail the open sea.
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Famous Funnies was launched by Eastern Color Printing in July 1934 and is broadly recognized by comics historians as America's first true monthly comic book, having evolved from newsstand anthology predecessors including Funnies on Parade and Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics. By the time issue #209 appeared in December 1953, the title was nearing the end of its 218-issue run, and Buck Rogers had been dropped for two issues before being reinstated — this time with cover duties handed to a young Frank Frazetta, who was then approximately ten years into his professional pen-and-ink career. Interior Buck Rogers strips were reprinted from the John F. Dille Co. Sunday newspaper continuity, with art credited to Rick Yager, Colton Waugh, and Harold LeDoux. Frazetta's attention-grabbing covers on this title helped attract the notice of Al Capp, leading directly to Frazetta's multi-year tenure as a ghost artist on the Li'l Abner newspaper strip beginning in 1954.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Frank Frazetta's artwork on the cover of Famous Funnies — his debut on the series that would yield seven more consecutive Frazetta Buck Rogers covers through issue #216.
- Buck Rogers returns to Famous Funnies with this issue after being dropped from the title two issues earlier; the character had originally run in the title continuously from issue #3 (1934) through #190.
- Wilma Deering appears prominently on the cover in a full-body image rendered by Frazetta in ink on bristol board — his own interpretation of the character, distinct from the strip's established visual style.
- Interior Buck Rogers strip is a reprint of the John F. Dille Co. Sunday newspaper continuity, with story and art by Rick Yager, Colton Waugh, and Harold LeDoux; the specific story reprinted is the 'Mystery Planet' Sunday arc (strips Series II #480–#485, originally December 1950–January 1951).
- The issue was published cover-dated December 1953 by Eastern Color Printing at a cover price of 10 cents; it ran 36 full-color pages.
- Frazetta produced a rejected ninth Buck Rogers cover intended for Famous Funnies #217; Eastern Color turned it down as too violent, and it was subsequently purchased by EC Comics' Bill Gaines and published (with slight alterations) as the cover of Weird Science-Fantasy #29 in 1955.
- In 1975, publisher Russ Cochran issued the Frank Frazetta Famous Funnies Portfolio, reproducing all eight cover illustrations — including the #209 image — from the original drawings, with new coloring applied by Frazetta himself.
- Famous Funnies, the series in which this issue appears, is considered by popular culture historians to be the first true American monthly comic book, launched by Eastern Color Printing in July 1934.
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Reprinted in Comickazi #1 (1969)
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