General Sci-fi designs across various media

[Big s]

2 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Well, you're not wrong. It is odd that she traipses around in a thong regardless of situation or environment and nobody bats an eye or shows any discomfort. I realize she's fully  prosthetic, but it seems she's anatomically endowed and fully functional. She sleeps topless in just panties next to a teenaged boy in 2nd season after emerging from the shower in said panties with naught  but a towel draped around her neck to partially cover her breasts. Moreover, after he inquires whether she can have sex, she playfully invites him to find out. A bit risqué if not ethically questionable. If the genders were reversed, I think there would've been far more flack and attention given to it back when it was airing on tv. What's more disturbing about it is that she's a cop.

 

Yeah, that’s a creepy situation. But imagine if it were a random dude in a Speedo with everyone acting normal while he’s having an important conversation with dignitaries and such. And it’s only him. Just that is pretty creepy. I don’t know how that task force would keep any credibility. Then again that’s probably why Batman had so many eyes on him when he brought out his sidekick 

[M'Kyuun]

3 hours ago, Big s said:

Yeah, that’s a creepy situation. But imagine if it were a random dude in a Speedo with everyone acting normal while he’s having an important conversation with dignitaries and such. And it’s only him. Just that is pretty creepy. I don’t know how that task force would keep any credibility. Then again that’s probably why Batman had so many eyes on him when he brought out his sidekick 

I get what you're implying, but honestly, I don't think anyone was really thinking that way in the 30s and 40s. I never made that correlation as a kid watching Batman in the 70s and 80s so I think that's more of a worldly adult POV. 

In retrospect, a lot of superheroes have questionable costumes hence the reason none of the actors in recent decades have worn skin-tight body suits like Batman '66 or Chris Reeves' Superman. Beyond that, the majority of female superheroes and villains were drawn to accentuate their feminine appeal, which generally means a fair bit of skin showing or just really form-fitting suits with ample bosom and plenty of cleavage. That trend carried over to sci-fi as well. 

[sketchley]

On 1/5/2026 at 12:29 AM, electric indigo said:

We can't talk about British SF influences without mentioning Chriss Foss.

One of the most prolific and unique SF artist since the late 70s. You couldn't walk into a bookstore without noticing one of his wild cover illustrations back then.

He was part of the Jodorowski Dune design team and contributed some preliminary art to the Alien movie. To this day, I'm waiting for a big SF production to fully utilize his style.

Chris Foss is a very icon artist.  Recently "Jodorowsky's Dune Official Trailer" popped up in Youtube, and what I now know as Foss's artwork immediately caught and retained my attention whenever it appeared—even in the background!

The covers above reminded me of a book I used to love taking out of the library when I was a youngin':

While Stewart Cowley's style isn't quite as iconic as Foss's, I can see a lot of Foss's influence in Cowley's work (such as the checkerboard patterns on several derelicts in the book).

Nevertheless, the combination of artwork and short stories in "Spacewreck: Ghostships and Derelicts of Space" had quite an impact on my young self.  I don't know how well the stories hold up now, but the whole concept of the book still gives a lot of food for thought.

Edited January 6 by sketchley

[mechaninac]

All the hardware in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The designs are distilled perfection for "realistic" near future (now, laughably optimistic given that the story depicts fictional events 1/4 century in our past) technology, some of which has become reality while others remain in the realm of attainable fantasy.  They are all so iconic that they inspired miniature work and film making for decades to come until the (unfortunate?) advent of CGI.

 

[mechaninac]

Another iconic classic sci-fi design that is more than worth a mention, and has appeared in several media and iterations since its debut is Forbidden Planet's most memorable supporting actor, and coolest automaton to ever come out of Hollywood, the unique and unequalled Robby the Robot.

Honorable mention to the classic B9 from Lost in Space

 

[Big s]

7 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I get what you're implying, but honestly, I don't think anyone was really thinking that way in the 30s and 40s. I never made that correlation as a kid watching Batman in the 70s and 80s so I think that's more of a worldly adult POV. 

I don’t think it was a big issue until the 50’s or 60’s I remember it was supposedly a big part of why silver age comics had the comics code stamp to prove that things were wholesome and kinda tamed a lot of things in comics. I guess it even distracted parents when the Adam West series popped up that Robin had to cover his junk with his cape due to parental complaints 

[M'Kyuun]

55 minutes ago, Big s said:

I don’t think it was a big issue until the 50’s or 60’s I remember it was supposedly a big part of why silver age comics had the comics code stamp to prove that things were wholesome and kinda tamed a lot of things in comics. I guess it even distracted parents when the Adam West series popped up that Robin had to cover his junk with his cape due to parental complaints 

Really?!!! I had no idea. That show was so kitschy and appealing to kids (with some adult humor in there too, just like a lot of Looney Toons). I thought it was great when I was little. However, the Superfriends cartoon largely eroded Batman's appeal for me as I got older, as he couldn't really do anything without his utility belt. I called him Utility Belt Man for years until '89 rolled around and Burton's Batman was announced. As it happens, I had a friend who was huge into Batman, including the comics. I got him a copy of one of Frank Miller's graphic novels for his birthday, and of course, I read it before I gave it to him.😄 That changed my perception of Batman quite a bit as well as all the info my friend and his brothers told me about the character, as I think they were all versed somewhat in the comics. Batman: TAS went a long way towards righting the wrongs of the old 70s and 80s Batman toons- just an excellent show. Warner Bros also started turning comics into animated movies, which also lent some grit to the character for me. Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum/Knight series still stand as some of my favorite games and just a fantastic depiction of the Caped Crusader. It's a shame they stopped at three games.

With all his tech wizardy, Batman and Cyborg definitely qualify as sci-fi staples, at least for me, as they both rely on neo-futuristic tech to do their thing. Batman Beyond certainly qualifies, as that's sci-fi through and through. I still need to finish that series. I started it last year and kinda fell off. It's good- I'm just easily distracted by shinier things and then I forget.

[Big s]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

Batman Beyond certainly qualifies, as that's sci-fi through and through.

I kinda liked the robot that had that Zeta project spin off show

[F-ZeroOne]

I think you had this in the US, a design that haunted the "Toys & Games" pages of British mail-order catalogues for what seemed like years, the Milton Bradley "Starbird Avenger" (and its evil cousin, the "Starbird Intruder"):

https://flashbak.com/fastest-ship-galaxy-remembering-milton-bradleys-star-bird-1978-58502/

I always used to stare longingly at it but somehow it never made my "want" lists as a child. 

Also, speaking of a "Space Raider", something I've been thinking about for a while and this thread seems a fitting thread to mention it, there was a line of UK snack foods called "Space Raiders" (still is, actually, not to be confused with a MacDonalds promotion from the late 70s); the original release featured art on the packets by no less a "2000AD" illuminary as Brett Ewins ("Judge Dredd", "Bad Company"). The reason I mention it is at one time they did an offer where if you sent in so many packets plus postage they would send you a little spaceship toy. I had hours of fun with that cheap little thing (I did at one time actually find out who made them but have since forgotten); I also recall some little toys a saw in a shop in a holiday camp once (yes, a lot of my childhood holidays were spent in these, for want of a better word, institutions) that had little "Zoids"-like pilots in but weren't related to them in any way (they weren't "R.A.T.S" or "Starriors" either, these were way smaller and sold in a box assortment). The reason I bring these up is that these sorts of cheap, throwaway and probably often bootlegged toys (or picture books, comics, etc) weren't famous, little information generally exists about them online and possibly are only recalled in the memories of those who actually encountered them but nevertheless could have an effect on the imagination at least equal to the much better known big names that get the coverage today.

Edit: the "holiday camp" toys I mention above, I may be misremembering them having "Zoids" pilots; I think it was actually "Zoids" like small guns and external weapons/fittings.

Edited Monday at 06:02 PM by F-ZeroOne

[F-ZeroOne]

Another ghost from the British toybox, Matchboxs "Adventure 2000" line of die-cast future vehicles:

https://mikepigottsdiecasttoysandmodels.wordpress.com/2022/02/08/adventure-2000-by-matchbox/

The "Raider Command" vehicle actually made it into the pages of "2000AD" when it was used as the basis for Judge Dredds main ride in the classic saga "The Cursed Earth" (not the first time that particular storyline would dance on the edge of copyright/trademark hell either!). 

[guyxxed]

Love this topic, and a lot of great entries so far.  This one is a bit of a no-brainer, but I think it deserves mention:  Masamune Shirow (Manasori Ota) creator of Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell.  His manga work (before he devolved into a hentai artist) was a foundational building block of my sci-fi childhood.  A lot like Ron Cobb on the previous pages, Shirow didn't just come up with a cool design, he engineered it!  His books were full of technical tangents on all sorts of minutiae and footnotes that I typically found as engrossing as the story itself (and he was usually open about his influences, too, as the "S. Mead" label on the car below helps show).  A motorcycle or car that occupied two panels in a comic was fully designed from the ground up and (mostly) work, and I have always admired his architectural ideas as well.  Olympus city in Appleseed was an endlessly fascinating place to me as a kid, and I was very influenced by his design aesthetic.  Anyway, a few random panels of his to add to the thread: 

Edited Tuesday at 05:08 PM by guyxxed

[F-ZeroOne]

Yeah, I always loved the background engineering in "Appleseed", its where I first encountered the term "Arcology". Funny story, I bought "Intron Depot" because I loved his mechanical work and being a rather young and naive person at the time didn't realise that the volume contained certain unedited scenes from the "Ghost in the Shell" manga. I was waiting for a train with a friend and opened the book up to browse the contents, and I swear when I got a certain page I heard my friends eyes pop out their head... (along with mine!). 😅

Edited Tuesday at 07:16 PM by F-ZeroOne

[guyxxed]

I had a very similar experience flippnig through that book while sitting next to my wife on the couch!  😉  Needless to say, my fandom of Shirow's works come with a very big asterix and a pretty firm date range where said fandom ends.

Speaking of architectural greatness, I also need to give a shout out to another obvious one:  Moebius.  I remember reading 'Airtight Garage' and being blown away by how laser straight and yet totally fluid his lines were and how amazing the landscapes were.  Imperial Boy is another (though in a totally different way) that has always grabbed my imagination.

[M'Kyuun]

I've not read any of Shirow's GitS manga, but I'm not surprised by the content judging by the GitS film or by the Major's meager apparel in the first season of SAC. Shirow obviously likes the ladies as near to nekkid as possible. His mechanical work is brilliant, though, and I love breakdowns, so that aspect of his work is appealing. It's commendable that he shouts out his inspiration as well.

As to Moebius' work, there's much to love. The nigh-dreamy atmospheres his works evoke invite you in and make you want to visit. That's an impressive accomplishment. Some of his landscapes incorporate a bit of the everyday in them, which imparts a hominess, as well. That's a very appealing aspect I also like about Simon Stalenhag's works- a mix of the everyday with sci-fiction elements blended seamlessly.

3 hours ago, guyxxed said:

Love this topic, and a lot of great entries so far.  

 

Thanks, and I'm happy to see it bearing fruit. I figured we're all a bit nerdy here and there ought to be a centralized place where we can just post cool sci-fi stuff. Moreover, as an international fandom, there are sure to be artists and artworks that those of us across oceans or even across borders have never seen or been privy to by virtue of geography or a lack of popularity outside of the artists' regions. Hopefully, this will be a place for them to be become better known and appreciated.

[Dangard Ace]

I've always liked 70-80 Sci Fic book Covers.  Peter Elson did some great art for Heinlen.  Chris Foss stuff, already mentioned, is great.  It really made the Stars at War series amazing (the writing after David Weber left the seriew was......ehhhh).   Then there's the artist that did the covers for Fred Saberhagens Berzerker series, og release not the reprints.  I loved those covers.  Really captures that otherworldly advanced machinery look.

[derex3592]

@M'Kyuun - Growing up in the 80's in Texas, I only had Robotech, GI Joe, Transformers and Voltron, so as a kid who didn't have any exposure to anything "international" growing up in the 80s (other than seeing odd Japanese model kits in old dusty hobby shops that I didn't really understand what they were, I was only looking for anything Robotech back then),  I'm really enjoying the artwork being presented here. I love the detail in some of the landscapes pictured above. Keep em coming! 

[sketchley]

10 hours ago, guyxxed said:

Love this topic, and a lot of great entries so far.  This one is a bit of a no-brainer, but I think it deserves mention:  Masamune Shirow (Manasori Ota) creator of Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell.  His manga work (before he devolved into a hentai artist) was a foundational building block of my sci-fi childhood.  A lot like Ron Cobb on the previous pages, Shirow didn't just come up with a cool design, he engineered it!  His books were full of technical tangents on all sorts of minutiae and footnotes that I typically found as engrossing as the story itself (and he was usually open about his influences, too, as the "S. Mead" label on the car below helps show).  A motorcycle or car that occupied two panels in a comic was fully designed from the ground up and (mostly) work, and I have always admired his architectural ideas as well.  Olympus city in Appleseed was an endlessly fascinating place to me as a kid, and I was very influenced by his design aesthetic.  Anyway, a few random panels of his to add to the thread: 

Agreed.  He was (is?) a talented artist.

In addition to what you wrote, there was one other thing that struck me way back when about his work: the fashion design.  For example the consistency in the clothes worn by the two characters in the manga above—they're different, but one gets a sense of the in-universe fashion trends.  Even though he didn't go into as much detail about them as say the weapons and mecha, they greatly added to the world-building in his manga.

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, sketchley said:

Agreed.  He was (is?) a talented artist.

In addition to what you wrote, there was one other thing that struck me way back when about his work: the fashion design.  For example the consistency in the clothes worn by the two characters in the manga above—they're different, but one gets a sense of the in-universe fashion trends.  Even though he didn't go into as much detail about them as say the weapons and mecha, they greatly added to the world-building in his manga.

You bring up a good point: fashion. Most of us are here for the hard sci-fi stuff: ships, weapons, mecha and robots, futuristic vehicles, buildings, landscapes, and technology. But fashion is another aspect of sci-fi that makes a statement and adds to the world-building. 

In Megazone 23, everybody's living in (what they believe to be) 1985 Tokyo (conveniently, the year it was released). The fashion follows and reflects what was popular in at least America at the time. Love those leg warmers! 😄

Bubblegum Crisis ('87-91) takes place in 2032, not far removed from where we are now. Their outfits would still be passable today, mostly. Not sure what the hell Linna's wearing. Ugh!

But what about Logan's Run (1976) which reflected the era's free love and widespread drug use. The fashion is definitely adjusted to fit the characters and the roles they play in that particular future society.

I'm sure we've all seen sci-fi where the apparel isn't too far off from the current, and then we've also seen sci-fi where the apparel definitely made a statement adding to the look and feel of the world. Fashion is often overlooked, by me as well, but there are times when it definitely adds to the atmosphere. Star Wars and Star Trek come to mind for their very different wardrobe choices and how they complement the world aesthetic in each.

 

Edited Wednesday at 06:02 AM by M'Kyuun

[F-ZeroOne]

22 hours ago, guyxxed said:

I had a very similar experience flippnig through that book while sitting next to my wife on the couch!  😉  

 

Hah! Just for context, for those who may be unaware, the original Western release of the "Ghost in the Shell" manga was edited, in at least one scene, for... stuff. Don't try and look it up at work! (also, my apologies if you've heard the "Intron Depot" story before, I'm reaching the "Grandpa Simpson" stage of my personal geekdom). 

"Fashion" is an interesting one because it can apply to mechanical things as much as clothes etc. You can see it with 80s mecha designs, where the somewhat slimmer early to mid 80s mecha designs kinda give way to the "muscle car" mecha designs of things like "Gundam ZZ". And as has been said, some things are almost eternal; the original AV-98 Ingram from "Patlabor" still mostly holds up today and probably still will twenty years from now. After all, in the future... who knows? 

On the subject of BGCs "Linna", having recently rewatched the series (again!) one thing I was surprised by is despite all Priss grabbing all the attention, its actually Linna who probably kicks the most ars... posterior!

Edited Wednesday at 05:44 PM by F-ZeroOne

[Big s]

4 hours ago, F-ZeroOne said:

the original AV-98 Ingram from "Patlabor" still mostly holds up today and probably still will twenty years from now.

Oh definitely. It has a look of something designed at the tail end of the 80’s or possibly even something of today. And it has a super stylish simple onesie under the armor. It’s both tough and snuggly

[sketchley]

10 hours ago, F-ZeroOne said:

Hah! Just for context, for those who may be unaware, the original Western release of the "Ghost in the Shell" manga was edited, in at least one scene, for... stuff. Don't try and look it up at work! (also, my apologies if you've heard the "Intron Depot" story before, I'm reaching the "Grandpa Simpson" stage of my personal geekdom). 

Yeah, definitely not safe for work! 😅

Incidentally, those pages appear in the bilingual edition (random pages comparing the bilingual edition; not those, erm... "delicate" pages):

 

 

There were generally no age restrictions on the translated manga sold at the comic shops I used to frequent back home.  So it makes sense that those 'delicate' pages were removed to keep the manga from disappearing into the 'adults only' section.

It's a bit odd, though, as Crying Freeman (published in the same era) wasn't censored nor in the 'adults only' section either... 🤔

Edited Thursday at 03:50 AM by sketchley

[Bolt]

You guys really bring me back to my youth , loving so much Sci- fi for the first time. So many great and influential artists.!

I know this conversation has mostly been on the classics, a well deserved topic .

One of my more current favorites , concerning Sci-fi style designs is Tsutomu Nihei .

He's mostly in manga but his stuff has also been animated. His most famous work,IMO, being BLAME. I love his story telling with little to no dialogue.His work features landscapes of endless cyber dungeons and vast vistas. Also his dark fantasy cyber tech is super cool. Some of his stuff, like knights of Sedonia is approachable, if you like his style and not so dark and gorry in content. Others like Biomega and Abara are very intense and not for kids. I haven't read all of Aposimz ( just finished book 3) but I'm very much enjoying it. It's also more tame than the other two previously mentioned. Also ,his style has evolved to match the tone of his story telling.

Edited Thursday at 05:02 AM by Bolt

[Big s]

I always liked the ending images from Outlaw Star. They had really nothing to do with the show, but they sorta reminded me a lot of 70’s and earlier sci fi concept art that kinda got the imagination rolling.just a few of the pics from the end of the show