Sci-fi Origins: How I Became a Science Fiction Fan

I was a wide-eyed kid, barely tall enough to reach the comic spinner rack, thumbing through glossy pages filled with starships and alien worlds when it happened. Little did I know, those moments would spark a lifelong love affair with science fiction in all it’s forms.

My dad swears it all started with "The Jetsons," which I used to watch reruns of religiously, but my first vivid memory of sci-fi came in the form of two dog-eared Marvel Star Wars comics. Numbers 17 and 24, to be precise – they're still the oldest SF comics in my collection. My dad had picked them up at a charity auction, probably thinking they'd keep me quiet for an afternoon. Little did he know he was handing me the keys to a galaxy far, far away.

I was instantly hooked, but there was a problem. Try as I might, I couldn't get my hands on any more of those sought-after Star Wars comics. Not at the corner store, not at yard sales, nowhere. It was like trying to find water on Tatooine. And remember, this was before I'd even seen the movies. I was working purely off the power of those two comic books.

But the sci-fi deities work in mysterious ways. Just when I thought my space adventures were over, 2000AD came crashing into my life like a Lawmaster through a Mega-City mall. This "Galaxy's Greatest Comic" became my weekly fix of futuristic mayhem. Judge Dredd, Johnny Alpha, Rogue Trooper – these became my new heroes. Star Wars? What's that? I was too busy patrolling the mean streets of Mega-City One to be sidetracked.

Then came the day that changed everything, when my SW fanaticism came surging back. My dad took me to see "The Empire Strikes Back" at the cinema. Mind. Blown. But it gets better. Right after the movie, we hit up the toy store in the same mall. I don't remember exactly how many Star Wars toys I walked out with that day, but let's just say I probably looked like a miniature Jawa trader. My passion for that galaxy far, far away came roaring back like a lunch-denied Sarlacc.

Of course, this reignited my hunt for Star Wars comics. But no luck. It was like trying to find a Wookiee in a nudist colony. Sensing my frustration, my dad decided to take matters into his own hands. He bought me a French comic album, which was all the rage in South Africa (where I grew up) at the time. These weren't your typical floppy comics – these were hardcover beauties that shared shelf space with "real" books.

The album was called "World Without Stars," and starred Valerian and Laureline, the legendary French SF characters. At first, I was disappointed. It wasn't Star Wars! But then I started getting in to it, and... wow. Just... wow. It was like discovering a whole new dimension of sci-fi. I devoured those pages like a Hutt at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Unfortunately, only four of these albums had been translated into English at the time, so I had to content myself with re-reading them until the pages were as worn as a Millennium Falcon after a run through an asteroid field.

From there, my sci-fi addiction spiraled out of control. I started gobbling up DC sci-fi titles like "Omega Men," "Atari Force," and the Mad Max-inspired "Hex." Marvel's Epic imprint introduced me to "Dreadstar" and "Alien Legion." I even managed to sneak a few issues of Heavy Metal magazine past my parents, hiding those risqué covers like they were Rebel plans in an R2 unit.

But comics were just the gateway drug. My first sci-fi novel was The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov, a worn old paperback I had picked up in a thrift store. I remember liking the story, but liking the cover more. Then I was gifted Frank Herbert's "Dune," which I tackled shortly after watching David Lynch's fever dream of a movie adaptation. Itcwas right around this time that I also started watching old Star Trek epsiodes on TV. After that, there was definitely no going back. I was mainlining sci-fi in all its forms – comics, movies, TV shows, novels. You name it, I consumed it, and at the end of 1985 I remember my sci-fi paperback collection had grown to a whopping 20 titles. Not bad for a ten-year-old, right?

Movies became a particular passion. "Alien" and "Aliens" showed me that sci-fi could be terrifying. "Blade Runner" painted a future so gritty and real I could almost taste the noodles and smell the rain-soaked streets. "The Terminator" made me eye my toaster with suspicion. "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" and "Flash Gordon" taught me that sci-fi could be gloriously weird and fun.

On the small screen, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" had me dreaming of space adventures. "Battle of the Planets," “Space Cobra”, "Voltron," "Robotech", and “Akira” introduced me to the mind-bending world of anime-inspired sci-fi. Each show and movie was a window into new possibilities, new ideas, new worlds.

Looking back, it's clear that sci-fi has been more than just entertainment for me. It's been a lens through which to view the world, a tool for imagining what could be. It's challenged me to think bigger, to question more, to dream wilder.

These days, my sci-fi addiction is as strong as ever. I'm still religiously picking up 2000AD, but I've added new favorites to my pull list in recent years. "Outer Darkness," "Paper Girls," "Sea of Stars," "Ascender" (and its predecessor "Descender"), and "East of West" are all must-reads in my humble opinion.

So, to recap, hust how did I become a sci-fi fan? I guess you could say I was ambushed by it. It snuck up on me in the form of two random Star Wars comics and never let go. It whisked me away on adventures through space and time, introduced me to strange new worlds and fascinating characters, and ultimately, shaped the way I see our own world.

And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. Because in the end, being a sci-fi fan isn't just about loving stories set in the future or on alien worlds. It's about embracing the sense of wonder, the spirit of exploration, and the courage to imagine what could be. It's about looking at the stars and thinking, "What if?"

So here's to sci-fi, in all its forms. May it continue to inspire, challenge, and entertain us for generations to come. And who knows? Maybe somewhere out there, right now, some kid is picking up their first sci-fi comic, about to embark on their own lifelong adventure. To that kid, I say: prep your hyper-drive. You're in for one hell of a ride.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​