History Main / RaygunGothic

* A lot of the look of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' as a whole is partly inspired by Raygun Gothic, particularly some of the buildings, the technology and the lot of the Planet Express Ship. The show itself is an inversion of this trope, using a semi-Raygun Gothic style as a backdrop for a CrapsaccharineWorld where what would normally be helpful technology is instead [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill you]]. More specifically parodied in one episode when a novelty bar is decorated in this style, and the patrons enjoy it in an ironic sort of way. "Everything's so retro!"

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', the plot inside the [[HardLight simulator]] features a spaceship, a DeathRay, and {{Latex Spacesuit}}s straight out of 1950's pulp sci-fi.
** [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=167 See the poster]] and following pages.

* There are several Creator/DCComics characters who live in between the present era and the CrystalSpiresAndTogas era of the Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, including Tommy Tomorrow and the Planeteers, the Knights of the Galaxy, Ultra the Multi-Alien, Space Ranger, and Space Cabbie. ComicBook/AdamStrange does this in the present time.

* ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' takes place in a parallel universe where all fiction is true, so the aesthetics of the world shift in every time period to match the aesthetics of that time period's pop culture. Appropriately, the first two volumes (which take place in the late Victorian era) have a pronounced {{Steampunk}} vibe, whereas the standalone graphic novel ''The Black Dossier'' (which shifts the action to the 1950s) changes this to Raygun Gothic.
* ''Comicbook/MagnusRobotFighter,'' both MediaNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} original and (at least in the beginning) the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks 1990's revival.]] More recent revivals have averted this.
* Mike Baron and Steve Rude's ''{{Comicbook/Nexus}}'' is an interesting example, since Steve Rude has always said his two biggest artistic influences are ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' and Creator/DrSeuss.

** Adam Strange also appeared in some ''ComicBook/StarmanDCComics'' comics and fits in very well because the title already had a certain Raygun Gothic aesthetic.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The CasualInterplanetaryTravel of the Golden Age [[Franchise/WonderWoman Wondy]] stories is rife with colorful {{retro rocket}}s, marvelous space travel capable submarines with extra little scalloped fins and so very many types of {{ray gun}}.

* Flashbacks to Krypton in the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics from the GoldenAge through most of MediaNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} maintained this look.
* MediaNotes/{{The Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' stories often have Raygun Gothic elements.

* The pin from ''{{Film/Tomorrowland}}'' displays a vision of city with this aethetic, though its combined a bit with SolarPunk. The real city is a bit less shiny.

* Flashbacks to Krypton in the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics from the GoldenAge through most of UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} maintained this look.
* UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' stories often have Raygun Gothic elements.

* ''Comicbook/MagnusRobotFighter,'' both UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} original and (at least in the beginning) the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks 1990's revival.]] More recent revivals have averted this.

* The art style of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' was [[https://www.youbioit.com/en/article/fictional-article/259/kim-possible-making designed]] to be like this, and of course, they have all the [[DeathRay Ray guns]], [[IWantMyJetpack jet packs]], flying cars and the rest of the [[AppliedPhlebotinum fancy-pants technology]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series is set in a post apocalyptic Raygun Gothic world. In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', the Institute plays this aesthetic completely straight. The actual ideals, [[BigBad not so much]].

* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'''s sardonic successor ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' continues the tradition of "super-science" and [[{{Zeerust}} retro-looking technology]].

* ''Blasto'' falls neatly into this trope.

* Gru's style in ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' is very much Cold War atompunk.

* ''Manga/GiantRobo'': Although the OAV was produced in the early 90s, it retains the look and feel of the multiple 60s mangas it was based on.

** ''ComicBook/RobinSeries''[=/=]''ComicBook/RedRobin'' villain Scarab has wears a polished suit of PoweredArmor that definitely fits this aesthetic, her helmet even has the central crest-like fin that's so popular for the genre.

* The TropeNamer, William Gibson's "The Gernsback Continuum", is about a freelance photographer hired to take pictures of buildings inspired by this aesthetic, who either slowly finds himself being sucked into an alternate timeline where it was all real or is [[UnreliableNarrator hallucinating the whole thing.]]
* Gibson's story refers to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Gernsback Hugo Gernsback,]] the "Father of Science Fiction," who founded the first science fiction magazine, created science fiction fandom (by encouraging readers who wrote to him to interact with each other directly), wrote very early examples of the genre, such as ''Ralph 124C 41+'', and ''[[TropeNamer coined the term]] "[[ScienceFiction Scientifiction]]."''

* A lot of cover art for [[Creator/PhilipKDick Philip K. Dick's]] novels from back when Ace published them clearly fits into this. More [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in the books themselves, assuming the trope was applied in the first place.

* Larry Doyle's ''Literature/GoMutants!'' is a parody of this.

* The Zombie missions in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar''.

** The [[Recap/Analog1939 October 1939 issue]] has one of the [[Literature/GrayLensman Lensmen]] standing outside of a [[OurDoorsAreDifferent big circular door]]. They're wearing a silver suit [[LatexSpacesuit tight enough to show off their muscles]], with knee-high boots, a helmet in their hand, and silver goggles with blue shades. The steps they're standing on have round holes in the sides.

And of course, [[AppliedPhlebotinum futuristic fancy-pants technology]] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment of the future]] is ubiquitous. {{Ray Gun}}s, [[RocketBoots jet packs]], {{flying car}}s, {{Video Phone}}s, SpaceClothes, atomic-powered everything, cigar-shaped {{Retro Rocket}}s and other ShinyLookingSpaceships, and "electronic brains" capable of calculating complex equations in ''mere minutes'', all decorated with [[CowTools little blinking lights that don't really serve any purpose (but they sure look futuristic!)]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' takes place in an alternate-universe version of TheSeventies, and features a strong mid-sixties take on how wonderful the future nearly was.

* UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age|of Comic Books}} ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' stories often have Raygun Gothic elements.

* ''Comicbook/MagnusRobotFighter,'' both UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} original and (at least in the beginning) the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks 1990's revival.]] More recent revivals have averted this.

* Creator/ECComics' scifi output - namely ''Weird Science'' and ''Weird Fantasy'' - naturally had this aesthetic, although tonally and thematically they were often a bit grimmer and edgier than this trope normally suggests, in keeping with [=EC's=] countercultural sensibilities. Notably, "Judgement Day", a story that originally ran in ''Weird Fantasy'', was one of the first scifi instances of FantasticRacism, and ended with a rather damning - and, at the time, controversial - commentary on contemporary race relations in America. You could even call "Judgement Day" a forerunner to {{afrofuturism}}.

[[folder:Film]]

* The Necromonger fleet from ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' is a much darker interpretation of this aesthetic.

* Anton Furst's designs for Gotham City for the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' film have some elements of this.
* Like the source material, the ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'' movie is full of this; unlike the original, it is one of the first entirely conscious uses of the trope. Of note is that the CoolAirship ''Ajax'' is referred to by the delightfully old-timey title of "war rocket". Also note that Zarkov's rocket, built on Earth, does NOT invoke this trope, at least in comparison to the ships of Mongo.

* The character designs for ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}'s'' EDF soldiers, particularly [[strike:[[CaptainErsatz Flash]]]] '''[[CaptainErsatz Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth!]]'''

[[folder:Web]]

%%* ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons''
* Gru's style in ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' is very much cold-war atompunk.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', where a novelty bar is decorated in this style, and the patrons enjoy it in an ironic sort of way. "Everything's so retro!"
** Of course, a lot of the look of ''Futurama'' as a whole is partly inspired by Raygun Gothic itself, particularly some of the buildings, the technology and the lot of the Planet Express Ship.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' itself is an inversion of this trope, using the semi-Raygun Gothic style as a backdrop for a CrapsaccharineWorld where what would normally be helpful technology is instead [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill you]].
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory''.

** The 2003-2005 WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers also carries this theme.

* And its sardonic successor ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' continues the tradition of "super-science" and [[{{Zeerust}} retro-looking technology.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' takes place in an alternate-universe version of TheSeventies, and features a strong mid-sixties take on how wonderful the future nearly was.

* ''WesternAnimation/PinocchioInOuterSpace''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Planet51'' certainly has this aesthetic.
* The titular character from ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant.''

* The characters in ''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}'' all look retro-futuristic.
* The future in ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'' has a very 50s/60s "Space Age" type aesthetic, with neat lines, geometric shapes, and pastel colors.
* In ''Franchise/ToyStory'', Buzz Lightyear and Zurg have a raygun gothic vibe, more so in ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand''.