| The Comet | |
| Category: | Science fiction fanzine |
| Company: | Science Correspondence Club |
| Firstdate: | May 1930 |
| Finaldate: | 1933 |
| Country: | United States |
| Based: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Language: | English |
The Comet, later known as "?" and Cosmology, was an American science fiction fanzine, often considered the first of its kind.
The publication was an effort of the Science Correspondence Club's Chicago chapter. Its original editors were Raymond A. Palmer and Walter Dennis and the first issue, titled The Comet, was published in May 1930. This issue did not make mention of science fiction.[1]
Its second issue, dated July 1930, was titled "?" and was the first issue to directly reference science fiction. The third issue, dated August 1930, took on its third title, Cosmology. The fanzine retained this name for the remainder of its publication, which ended in 1933 after 17 issues.[2]
The Comet is often cited as the first science fiction fanzine,[3] earning the distinction of "the first of the fan magazines" as early as 1935, predating the coining of the term "fanzine" in 1940.[4]
However, there is some debate. Science fiction historian Sam Moskowitz describes The Planet, first published in July 1930, two months after The Comet, as the first fan magazine to focus on science fiction rather than science. The authors of Fancyclopedia 3 argue The Planet is the first fanzine for this reason.[5] Editor Luis Ortiz also cites The Planet, as well as The Time Traveler, as contenders for first fanzine.[6]