Armageddon 2419 A.D., first appearance of "Buck Rogers"

As a kid I loved Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. What an incredible TV series! TWIKI, Buck, Wilma, Doctor Theopolis and some incredible dance moves (that NBC appears to have taken down from YouTube) grabbed my attention and promised an amazing future for a resilient human race.

In my 20s I discovered Philip Francis Nowlan's Armageddon 2419 A.D.

First appearing in Amazing Stories, August 1928 issue, we are introduced to Anthony Rogers. Aliens have interbred with the Chinese and offered them amazing technology! Naturally, they use it to take over the world. The Han chase a proud and independent American culture into the brush and then live a life of luxury. Anthony, through a mining accident, was trapped in a state of suspended animation sometime shortly after WWI. He is awoken by shifting earth and rejoins the new American culture, bringing with him experience, tactics and an outsider's point of view that help to turn the tide. Unlike the TV show the entire story takes place on Earth. No Hawk.

A second story in the series, The Airlords of Han, was published in 1929.

They are nothing like the TV series and nothing like the comics but they are authentic Buck Rogers. He even gets the girl.

Links to the free kindle editions:

Armageddon 2419 A.D.

The Airlords of Han