Wired.com turns to a handful of writers to elegize science-fiction visionary Arthur C. Clarke, who died this week at age 90. Among those offering their last respects is Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics, who considers Clarke’s influence on the company’s superhero universe:
Clarke’s writing about geostationary orbits clearly led Denny O’Neil and Julie Schwartz to place the headquarters of the Justice League in an orbiting satellite. His subtler influences on the DC Universe are many, and mostly only known to the individual writers and artists who took inspiration from his work. One of my Legion of Super-Heroes tales drew its strength from a rereading of “The Star,” for example, and [Clarke’s] equation of advanced science appearing to be magic pervading our worlds. Directly and indirectly, he was one of the seminal writers for generations that followed in prose, comics, film and any media that permitted speculation.
At The Legion Omnicom, Michael suggests that the Legion of Super-Heroes story inspired by “The Star” may be “Star Light, Star Bright … Farthest Star I See Tonight!” from the 1980 Super-Star Holiday Special.
The Abra Kadabra character may have been inspired by advanced technology appearing to be magic, since originally his “magic” was simply futuristic technology.
Comment by Matt — March 20, 2008 @ 11:44 am