Saucer Attack!

The Cold War's legacy in America? A lingering fear of malevolent, airborne platters. Per Jung, they scream cultural insecurity. Why this particular shape of UFO caught on circa 1950 as a symbol of the unknown, of the future, of certain doom for cows and others — why not something more torpedo-ish? — remains as much an enigma as its swift, sudden descent on today's box office. But whizzing through Saucer Attack! by Eric and Leif Nesheim this fairly monotonous collection of sci-fi art (much taken from old apocalyptic pulp mags, like the touchingly titled Fate), one feels a bit too much the rapt schoolboy in a musty attic. B