When Worlds Collide

When Worlds Collide is a '33 sf novel cowritten by Philip Wylie & Edwin Balmer along with its '34 sequel After Worlds Collide. It was 1st published as a six-part monthly serial (9/32-2/33) in Blue Book magazine, illustrated by Joseph Franké.
When Worlds Collide had far-reaching influences on the sf genre. The themes of an approaching planet threatening the Earth, & an athletic hero & his girlfriend traveling to the new planet by rocket, were used by writer Alex Raymond in his '34 comic strip Flash Gordon. Jack Williamson's '34 short story "Born of the Sun" also used the concept of a scientist & his fiancee escaping the destruction of the Earth in a hurriedly-constructed "ark of space". The '38-41 strip Speed Spaulding was more directly based on the novel. The themes of escape from a doomed planet to a habitable one also can be seen in Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster's '38 comic Superman. The novel was also adapted as the '51 film When Worlds Collide, produced by George Pal & directed by Rudolph Mate. The film inspired Deep Impact. Another film adaptation is 2012 by DreamWorks, directed by Stephen Sommers.