Big Little Books (BLB) have had a tremendous appeal to collectors since they first appeared featuring the likes of Mickey Mouse, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, Orphan Annie, The Phantom, Donald Duck, and so many others. In the course of this column, we’ll take you through a selection of them and explore some of the many nuances to collecting BLBs.

America’s first science fiction comic strip, “Buck Rogers” debuted in 1929. Adapted by Phil Nowlan from his own pulp novel and illustrated by Dick Calkins, the series followed pilot Buck Rogers after he awoke from 500 years of suspended animation into a wondrous future. With Wilma Deering at his side and the support of Dr. Huer, Buck battled the likes of Killer Kane and Ardala Valmar while rocketing around the universe.

Sunday installments began in 1930 and lasted until 1965, while the daily strip ended in 1967.

Both were revived for a short run from 1979-1983, inspired by the popularity of a Buck Rogers television series (1979-1981) that added a Star Wars-like robot named Twiki to the mix and starred Gil Gerard as Buck and Erin Gray as Wilma, with cartoon legend Mel Blanc voicing Twiki for most of the series’ run.

A radio adaptation aired from 1932-47, with a 1950-51 TV show preceding the more famous ‘80s small screen incarnation. In theaters, moviegoers watched Buster Crabbe (also well known as another sci-fi hero, Flash Gordon) as Buck in a 1939 feature film. Crabbe later turned up in a memorable cameo in the ‘80s TV show, whose 1979 pilot was also released theatrically.

Perhaps the most famous satirical adaptation of Buck Rogers was the classic Warner Bros. cartoon starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in Duck Dodgers in the 24-1/2th Century, which had spawned an ongoing Cartoon Network television series of its own.

The cartoon series Futurama also borrowed the basic premise of the strip, with satiric adjustments.

Most recently, Buck was revived for a short-lived comic book series published by game publisher, TSR, from 1990-1991, a 13-issue series from Dynamite Entertainment in 2009, and he is currently featured in a series written and drawn by Howard Chaykin for Hermes Press.

Note: The Doom Comet and Planetoid Plot BLBs misspell author Nowlan’s name as “Nolan” on the title page.

If you’d like to know more about Big Little Books, check out The Big Big Little Book Book – An Overstreet Photo-Journal, which is an amazing compendium of information and images about Big Little Books and other publications associated with the form. It’s full color, 272 pages, and it’s packed with the history of these little classics. And it’s only $19.95!