Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)

 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
type
TVTItem
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
label
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
page
JudgmentDayECComics
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
comment
Judgment Day is a story published by EC Comics, written by Al Feldstein and illustrated by Joe Orlando. It first ran in 1953's Weird Fantasy #18 anthology, and was later reprinted in Incredible Science Fiction #33 in 1956.Tarlton is an emissary from the Galactic Republic, dispatched to the planet Cybrinia, to determine if the world is eligible for Republic membership. Cybrinia is populated entirely by robots, and he finds that they are divided into two types: orange and blue. Both types have identical body plans, are made from identical components, and are built by the same methods before being fitted with outer casings and programmed with knowledge, but orange robots live in comfort and luxury while blue robots are confined to second-class citizenry, living in squalor, limited to menial jobs, and relegated to shoddier charging-stations. Tarlton concludes that, on account of their discriminatory social structure, Cybrinia is ineligible to join the Republic. After he's boarded his rocket-ship and is flying back home, he removes his helmet, revealing himself to the reader as a black man. The End.Its reception in W.F. No. 18 was overwhelmingly positive, but was met with strong Executive Meddling by the Comics Code Authority for its 1956 reprint. Administrator Judge Charles Murphy demanded that the ending be changed so that Tarlton would not be black, but Feldstein stiffly refused, saying that it would ruin the whole point of the story. It should be made clear that Murphy's objection had no basis in any Code rule, and was solely motivated by his own racist views, and the event only confirmed to the EC Comics staff of what they had long suspected; namely that reactionary elements within the Comics Code Authority had it out for them because of their progressive content and messages. He had then called Feldstein and William Gaines to instead request that the sweat be stricken from Tarlton's forehead, with one or both of the men bidding him "Fuck you!", and hung up. The story would be successfully reprinted in Incredible Science Fiction #33 with no changes, but as the last comic issue published by EC Comics, who were harassed out of the comics business and shifted their focus to the non-CCA-compliant MAD.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
fetched
2024-02-04T07:44:46Z
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
parsed
2024-02-04T07:44:46Z
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The innards of an orange robot and a blue robot are identical, but the only differences are in their casings and their programming: their outer shells and what they are taught. While orange robots live splendidly and control the levers of power, blue robots are relegated to slum-towns and menial jobs, subpar establishments and the backs of buses... While the blue robots' assembly plant is able to build more robots without much difficulty, their educator machine lacks the advantages of an orange educator due to the "limited funds" their factory receives — a metaphor for growing up with less opportunities, fewer choices, and a bigoted social order imposed on you from birth. Tarlton spells it out:
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_14ed6ab7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_14ed6ab7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_14ed6ab7
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_2123cbe8
type
Afrofuturism
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_2123cbe8
comment
Afrofuturism: The story could be seen as an early instance of this subgenre, despite being penned by a white writer, one Al Feldstein. When Tarlton finds that the robots are divided into blue and orange races, with the blues treated as second-class citizens and required to use different battery-recharging stations despite being structurally identical, he concludes that the planet's civilization is not yet worthy of joining the Republic as long as their bigotry persists. Only in the final panel does he remove his space helmet, revealing that he is a black man. A bit lame and predictable today, perhaps, but in the mid-'50s, this was controversial stuff, and the use of a black protagonist caused serious trouble with the Comics Code.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_2123cbe8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_2123cbe8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_2123cbe8
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: The line of narration in the final panel:
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7c4536
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7c4536
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7c4536
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7f703c
type
Wham Shot
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7f703c
comment
Wham Shot: In the final panel, Tarlton takes off his helmet, revealing himself to be a black man.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7f703c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7f703c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_4e7f703c
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_57b80b45
type
Fantastic Racism
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_57b80b45
comment
Fantastic Racism: Blue robots are little better than serfs, who never know the gleaming luxury that the orange robots take for granted. Tarlton's guide even mentions "keeping them in their place" and that there would be "trouble" if orange and blue were to co-mingle.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_57b80b45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_57b80b45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_57b80b45
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_7d5324cf
type
The Federation
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_7d5324cf
comment
The Federation: Tarlton is a representative of the Galactic Republic centered on Earth, sent to determine if Cybrinia is eligible for membership in the star-spanning superstate. In the end, he judges them unworthy of inclusion so long as their social order persists.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_7d5324cf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_7d5324cf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_7d5324cf
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_836b1ec2
type
Suddenly Ethnicity
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_836b1ec2
comment
Suddenly Ethnicity: The whole of the comic speaks not a word about Tarlton's race, until he removes his helmet to show that he's black, and thus a whole new perspective on the Cybrinians' discrimination is given. This is done through both the text and artwork at the same time.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_836b1ec2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_836b1ec2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_836b1ec2
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9712fd21
type
Robot Republic
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9712fd21
comment
Robot Republic: The setting is a whole planet populated entirely by robots.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9712fd21
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9712fd21
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9712fd21
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_973d220f
type
Never My Fault
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_973d220f
comment
Never My Fault: The orange robot is agitated and feels personally judged when Tarlton criticizes Cybrinia's caste system and its reality falling short of its proposed ideals of freedom, pointing out that "this existed long before I was made!" and that he's "only one robot". This blame-shifting attitude, for something that the orange robots should feel responsible for, only serves further proof to Tarlton that Cybrinia isn't ready to join the Galactic Republic.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_973d220f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_973d220f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_973d220f
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: Early in the tour, Tarlton notices their car is staying in very specific areas. When he asks his guide, the robot disparagingly refers to the areas they're avoiding as "Bluetown", setting up the blue robots for later expansion.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_9d12bbc1
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_a1440be6
type
Robots Enslaving Robots
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_a1440be6
comment
Robots Enslaving Robots: While it's not outright slavery, the discrimination imposed by orange against blue is just as detestable.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_a1440be6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_a1440be6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_a1440be6
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_b582f140
type
Prejudice Aesop
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_b582f140
comment
Prejudice Aesop: Tarlton judges the planet unready to join the Federation because of the discrimination against the blue robots. In the last panel, he removes the spacesuit helmet he had been wearing throughout the story, revealing that he is a black man and that humanity has ended practices of racial discrimination.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_b582f140
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_b582f140
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_b582f140
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ba1777a6
type
Color-Coded Castes
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ba1777a6
comment
Color-Coded Castes: For orange robots, the world is their oyster, but the blue robots are second-class citizens.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ba1777a6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ba1777a6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ba1777a6
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_c13c9e38
type
Tomato Surprise
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_c13c9e38
comment
Tomato Surprise: In the final panel, Tarlton removes his helmet for the first time, with the shocking reveal that he was black.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_c13c9e38
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_c13c9e38
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_c13c9e38
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d53acc8a
type
You Are Not Ready
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d53acc8a
comment
You Are Not Ready: Tarlton's final assessment of Cybrinia is that they may not be admitted to the great Galactic Republic until the Cybrinians do away with their discriminatory ways.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d53acc8a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d53acc8a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d53acc8a
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d73e0f7f
type
"Ray of Hope" Ending
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d73e0f7f
comment
"Ray of Hope" Ending: It ends on the implication that Tarlton's guide will take back the knowledge that the Earthman gave him, to show his orange brethren that they are fundamentally no different from the blue robots. Tarlton also told that Earth's people used to be the same way until they cast aside their prejudices to finally be able to touch the stars which, in highly segregated 1950s America, was also a message of hope to the reader.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d73e0f7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d73e0f7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_d73e0f7f
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ed7cb8b2
type
Enclosed Extraterrestrials
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ed7cb8b2
comment
Enclosed Extraterrestrials: Tarlton doesn't remove his space-suit for the entirety of his survey.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ed7cb8b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ed7cb8b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_ed7cb8b2
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_fd5ce6a3
type
Robot Names
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_fd5ce6a3
comment
Robot Names: Tarlton's guide mentions that their motor-car was developed by one N-R-E-Phord, the only robot name given.
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_fd5ce6a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_fd5ce6a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_fd5ce6a3
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
comment
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book) / int_name
itemName
Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Color-Coded Castes / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Enclosed Extraterrestrials / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
"Ray of Hope" Ending / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Robot and A.I. Works / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Robots Enslaving Robots / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Suddenly Ethnicity / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Tomato Surprise / int_9ec06aa
 Judgment Day (EC Comics) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
You Are Not Ready / int_9ec06aa