If you were to google the “first science fiction comic character” or the “first science fiction newspaper comic”, you would find that the results to your search would be flooded with “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” and “1929″—but that is simply not true!  In actuality, the first science fiction comic feature was Mr. Skygack, From Mars! 

Mr. Skygack, From Mars was a single panel black & white newspaper comic feature which made it’s debut in 1907. The creator of the comic was A. D. Condo, who also penned Everett True, Diana Dillpickles and a variety of other comic features—some long lived, and some not.

I first discovered Mr. Skygack, From Mars a couple of years ago on the Barnacle Press website, where a handful of the Skygack comics are featured. I was so intrigued by Mr. Skygack that I was inspired to research the character, but alas, not much has been written about him—at least, not much that has survived.  I’m sure there are Skygack references in hundred-year-old books that have yet to be “discovered,” but at the time of this writing, I have only been able to find a few pop culture references*, plus a paragraph** about Mr. Skygack in E.W. Scripps and the Business of Newspapers, by Gerald J. Baldasty, 1999.

So Who is Mr. Skygack?

Mr. Skygack, From Mars, as stated above, is a comic feature that first appeared in Scripps newspapers in 1907. (If you decide to research this, you will also find the dates 1908 and 1909, but I know for a fact that it was 1907, because I found the very first Skygack cartoon in a 1907 newspaper!) 

Mr. Skygack was sent here from Mars to observe the human condition, so to carry out his mission, he observes people around him, usually misunderstanding the purpose of the task in which people are engaged.  The “tagline” from the comic strip explains Mr. Skygack’s purpose best—”He Visits the Earth as a Special Correspondent and Makes Wireless Observations in His Notebook.”

Irregularity of Early Newspaper Comics

The first Mr. Skygack comic panel was published in October of 1907.  The most recent example that I have been able to find was published in 1912.  I also have a couple of Skygack cartoons which are claimed to be from 1913, but I cannot verify the date.

Although Condo was employed by NEA, (a syndication service of the Scripps newspaper chain) not all Condo cartoons appeared in all Scripps papers.  In addition, because the comic industry was still in its infancy, it had not yet evolved to the tradition of daily features.  For example, one might see a particular comic strip three days in a row, and then not see it again for a week or more.  Some of the Scripps papers that I’ve been able to find would go for a month or two at a time without a Skygack cartoon, leading me to think that it had been discontinued, and then it would pop up again.

It’s also hard to know when many early cartoons were originally drawn or submitted for publication.  In my research I have found that a single comic feature might appear in two different Scripps papers a week—or even a month or two—apart.  I also tend to believe that Scripps newspapers were not contractually bound to print all features that were submitted, as is the practice today.  It seems as though comic and print features must have been sent in bulk for the editor to used as he pleased.

For all of these reasons, it becomes difficult to determine exactly when a feature began or ended, unless there is documentation tied in with the feature stating that it was the first or last of the series. 

So at the time of this writing, I believe that Mr. Skygack from Mars ended in 1913.  However, he not only appeared in his own comic panel, he also made a number of appearances in another strip!  In 1911 and 1912, (possibly even later) A. D. Condo would occasionally send Mr. Skygack to hang out with “Osgar Und Adolf,” another comic strip which Condo penned in partnership with Fred Schaefer, who was responsible for the story line.

 A. D. Condo

I haven’t been able to find out much about A. D. Condo, so a biographical sketch simply is not possible at this time.  According to lambiek.net, A. D. Condo created his most popular comic, the Everett True series, in 1905.  Yesterday’s Papers gives more details about Condo, and states that Everett True actually debuted in 1902.  Also according to Yesterday’s Papers, A. D. Condo was born in 1872 and died in 1956.  According to Toonopedia, Condo gave up the Everett True strip in 1927, for health reasons.

Whether we are able to find out more about Condo in the future or not, one thing is for certain—A. D. Condo, thanks to Everett True, was one of the most popular cartoonists of his time!  Although Mr. Skygack, From Mars was popular for a time, it never reached the popularity of True.  Perhaps the world just wasn’t ready for the first science fiction comic character!

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*Mr. Skygack, From Mars is briefly mentioned in the following books, often as a generic term that had been adopted to reference a strange fellow:

“Honk and Horace Or, Trimming the Tropics” by Emmet F. Harte; Illustrated by F. Fox, 1912

“Think Back on Us: A Contemporary Chronicle of the 1930′s” by Malcolm Cowley & Henry Dan Piper, 1967

“The World Encyclopedia of Comics” by Maurice Horn, 1983

“Two Bells” by Los Angeles Railway Corporation, 1932

“The Railway Conductor” by Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, 1913

“The Union Postal Clerk” by National Federation of Postal Clerks, 1911

“The Railroad Telegrapher” by Order of Railroad Telegraphers, 1909

“The Twenties, 1917-1929″ by Mary Bruccoli, 1989

**1999:  “E.W. Scripps and the Business of Newspapers” by Gerald J. Baldasty
Pg. 126:  “Humorous cartoons were also staples of Scripps newspapers, particularly after NEA’s establishment.  One regular series was “Mr. Skygack from Mars,” in which a Martian, observing earthlings, continually misunderstands simple things.  Concerning a bride and groom at their wedding, Mr. Skygack reports, for example, “Saw Pair of Earth Beings (Male and Female) brought before high official of tribe—pair was probably guilty of some serious crime judging from emotions depicted on faces—attendant eager throng stood expectantly by listening to official’s reprimand.”

This post was updated on September 30, 2009, after finding new facts, and again on October 10, 2010 after making changes to Mr. Skygack’s store!

Mr. Skygack, From Mars

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