Buck Rogers - Menace from Outer Space Buck Rogers appeared in the August, 1928 issue of Amazing Stories magazine. The latter story caught the attention of newspaper syndicator John F. Dille, who commissioned Nowlan to turn his story into comic-strip continuity. It was Dille who suggested a snappier first name for the character, drawing inspiration from a contemporary western movie hero, Buck Jones. Initially, the strip recapitulated the plot of the prose version of the story. Buck, a 20th century American, was overcome by fumes while being trapped in a mine cave-in. Apparently, the gas had a preservative effect, because 500 years later, fresh air entered the cavern and he woke up. The future America in which he found himself had been conquered by evil Asian overlords, and Buck was quickly recruited by the resistance. Supporting characters included his love interest, Wilma Deering, and his brainy back-up man, Dr. Huer. The Buck Rogers strip was popular enough to spawn imitators, including Brick Bradford and Flash Gordon