Religion In The Comics - 016

[Cartoonist]

RITC is branching out this week. Since atheists are said to worship at the altar of Science, I now present Science In The Comics. A few weeks ago, George Bernard Shaw was featured in the Meme of the Week. His words were met with favor by this group, so for your enjoyment, I present this charming four-pager from Picture News of January 1946.






So who knew that George took up writing comic books in his old age? I can picture him relaxing in his library catching up on the latest adventures of Batman or Red Ryder. Perhaps seeking inspiration.
The reality is, of course, far less colorful. Thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to find the source text for this story. It was a letter he wrote to the Times of London in August of 1945. I include it here so that you can compare the original with the adaptation to see where they took liberties with what he wrote and included things he didn't. As these things go, I think it was a reasonably faithful exercise.

"Now that we, the human race, have been monkeying with the atom, may I point out one possible consequence that would end all our difficulties? For some years past our too few professional astronomers have been reinforced by a body of amateurs whose main activity is the watching and study of variable stars. They have been excited several times by the sudden flaming up of what they call a new star, though it is, in fact, an old star too small and cool to be visible which has suddenly burst and blown up, leaving nothing but a cloud of star dust called a nebula. The heat energy lib­erated in the explosion is beyond human apprehension.

Apparently what has happened to these stars, and may happen to this earth of ours, is that the protons with their planetary electrons, and the heavier planetless neutrons of which their matter is composed, have combined, and produced a temperature at which the whole star has pulverized and evaporated, and its inhabitants, if any, have been cremated with an instantaneous thoroughness impossible at Golder’s Green.

What we have just succeeded in doing, at enormous expense, is making an ounce of uranium ex­plod like the star. The process, no longer experimental, will certainly be cheapened; and at any moment heavier elements than uranium, as much more explosive than uranium as uranium than gunpowder, may be discov­ered.

Finally, like a sorcerer's apprentice, we may practice our magic with­out knowing how to stop it, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Prospero. In view of our behavior recently, I cannot pretend to deprecate such a possibility, but I think it is worth mentioning."

One last note. I think that splash panel is awesome. I like it so much, I am now using it as my desktop image.

[onager]

1. I'll provide the soundtrack...

From Jackie Doll & His Pickled Peppers, "When They Drop The Atomic Bomb." Recorded during the Korean War.

Yes kids, humans with allegedly functioning brains actually thought this way at the time...

There'll be fire, dust and metal a-flying all around
And the radioactivity will burn 'em to the ground
There'll be no Commies left as they begin to run
When General MacArthur drops the atomic bomb!

For a couple hours of this stuff, check out the excellent 1980's documentary "Atomic Cafe."

https://m.

[Lordquinton]

3. And on a lighter note Armageddon

?t=17s

[edgineered]

2. It is very tempting to monkey around with this -

say, making atoms into Adams.

Old star begat Star Dust, there goes a bunch of Adams!

Now it's ready for x-posting.

[hadrons]

4. I love the moral authority George Bernard Shaw had with kids in those days

[Cartoonist]

6. That's because he spoke their language

[mr blur]

7. Well, you can always trust a Militant Socialist!

Or so I've always believed.

[edhopper]

5. Shaw isn't being a completely off base.

In the early days of the Manhattan project this was considered a possibility, specifically Edward Teller promoted the idea of an unrestrained nuclear reaction.
After research, it was later looked at as highly improbably.

And yeah, the splash panel rocks.

[AlbertCat]

8. I don't know about you....

.... but I always go to a socialist playwright when I want to know something about science!