Captain's bLog: 0718.16

• Return Of The Blogger:  Wow. I haven't posted a "Captain's bLog" entry since November, 2014. Of course, I haven't posted to the blog much at all for the last couple of years, though I've never completely abandoned it. Working on this blog has always been a labor of love for me, but after six years of fairly regular posting, it eventually became a bit harder to justify the time I spent on the blog.

There are a number of reasons for this; most prominently, I've been spending more of my time on my comic book writing. Time and energy spent writing posts about Battlestar Galactica, Planet Of The Apes, Ark II and The Incredible Hulk was time I wasn't spending on writing comic book scripts, publisher pitches or short stories.

Additionally, a couple years back, my state lawmakers made it so that I could no longer earn money through Amazon referrals, and while I never made significant cubits that way, the payments that I did receive at least helped amortize the time spent on 70s sci-fi nostalgia. Every once in a while, generous readers made donations to the site, and I always tried to pay back their kindness with extra content, but such contributions were few and far between.

I also had some discouraging feedback that undercut my enthusiasm for retro blogging, such as a fairly vicious comment thread on Reddit where my passion for this subject matter was savaged and I was accused of being a sexist monster for the "Space Babes" feature. Perhaps I shouldn't have, but I took it personally.

Still, as I mentioned before, I never completely abandoned this blog, posting occasionally when the mood struck or I found something cool I really wanted to share, or had a relevant news item to post.

Ultimately, I'm still here... and I'm pondering ways to increase the frequency of updates here on the blog and ways to refresh and "reboot" the site. I'm considering opening the blog up to occasional "guest posts" from other Star Kids (if you're interested, drop me a line at atomicpulp@gmail.com), and will probably start posting capsule reviews of the few Space: 1970-era television shows that still are not commercially available in the U.S., like Project U.F.O. and The Fantastic Journey. Look for more "Fave Fives" and "Hall of Fame" posts, as well.

Justifying my time on the blog (and, thus, away from my other writing) is still a concern, but I received a very generous donation from a Space: 1970 fan this weekend, so I'll be making a sincere effort to publish more frequent blog updates throughout August and September.

Sometime soon, look for a review of a rarely-seen 1981 fantasy telefilm and a new "Fave fives" post.

Thanks to all of you who haven't given up on Space: 1970. Your patience and support is appreciated.

• Shameless plug: Perils On Planet X in print!  Over the past few years, I've occasionally mentioned my comic, Perils On Planet X. Originally serialized online, the entire, three-issue pulp space opera miniseries was officially published earlier this year under my own Atomic Pulp imprint, and is now available in print via mail order from IndyPlanet.

Each issue is 32 full-color pages, printed on high-quality, heavy paper stock. All three issues are also available as digital downloads, for those who prefer to read comics electronically.

If you're a fan of stuff like John Carter of Mars, Flash Gordon or Blackstar, you might enjoy Perils.  It's got monsters, rayguns, jetpacks, swordplay, sexy lady sky pirates, and a beautiful space princess. I'd appreciate it if you checked it out.

• Space: 1970 Wants You: I've always been open to - and grateful for - submissions from my readers. Now I want to outright encourage you folks to send me any cool Space: 1970-era stuff you might think would be interesting to your fellow Star Kids. Rare photos and production art, behind-the-scenes stills, nominations for "Space Babes" or Reader Polls, pretty much anything, really. Hell, even if you'd like to write a Guest Post, just e-mail me. I'll do my best to credit any contributions I use, of course.

Captain's bLog: 1124.14

• Five Years In Space:  This blog was five years old on November 2nd. Quite coincidentally, I'm sure, a couple of weeks ago, right in time for the anniversary, the Space: 1970 page on Facebook started getting dozens of "Likes" out of the blue. This was unusual, because the Facebook page has averaged only one or two "Likes" a month for years. Suddenly, there was a huge influx of new fans (presumably), and before too long, the page had surged past the 2,000 "likes" milestone. Needless to say, this sudden interest got me thinking about this site and how badly I've neglected it over the past year or so.

I recently wrapped up my two weekly webcomics (Perils On Planet X and the crime comic Gravedigger), and completed a couple other long-gestating writing projects. As I slowly clear my commitments from my desk, I'm looking forward towards the new year, and figuring out what I want to do next. One thing I definitely want to do is get back to regular posting here on this site.

I doubt I'll ever get back to the nigh-daily updates of a few years ago, but I'd very much like to manage a post two or three times a week. I have a surprising number of unfinished articles, dating back a couple of years. One of my goals is to finish those up, along with a few long-belated reviews (The Aliens Are Coming, Star Maidens, Beyond Westworld, Space Stars, Meteor, Saturn 3, etc.) and get back to some old features (like "Fave fives" and "Favorite Episodes"). I'm also considering doing an episode-by-episode review of The Fantastic Journey television series, one of the few shows from the era that's still not on DVD (many episodes can be found on YouTube, though). We'll see how I do over the next few months, I guess.

For what it's worth... I have been re-watching a lot of 70s sci-fi shows over the last few weeks....

• HD News: Basically, it's all good news/less-good news on the hi-def 70s sci-fi front. Rumor has it that Universal will be releasing a Region 1 Blu-ray set of the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica in early 2015. That's the good news. The less-good news for some folks is that it will apparently not include any re-done CGI special effects (although it seems that they were considering it for a while), but will instead use the same HD masters as the German Blu-rays from a couple years ago.

To be honest, though, I'm kinda glad they didn't replace the effects with new CGI, no matter how nice and slick it might look. Part of my love for these shows is the handcrafted practical effects, and I'm glad they're being preserved.

The long-awaited second season Blu-rays of Space: 1999 appear to finally be on the way, as well. Network has announced that Year Two will be released on Blu-ray in the UK in the Autumn of '15. There will also be a standalone HD release of the two-part "Bringers Of Wonder" episodes.

Before American fans get too excited though, here's the less-good news: there has been no official word as yet about a Region 1 Blu-ray release through A&E, the show's US licensors.

• Stuff to Check Out: My virtual pal Rob Kelly has recently revived his Power Records blog, which means, of course, lots of cool Star Trek, Six Million Dollar Man, Planet Of the Apes and super-hero 45 rpm audio bliss, not to mention scans of the fantastic comics and album covers that graced these nostalgic faves. He's posting pretty much daily, so click over and visit.

I've mentioned it here before (a long while back), but I'm quite taken by what I'm seeing of Spectrum Games' Retrostar RPG, which endeavors to recreate the feel of the kind of 70s space operas we celebrate here at Space: 1970. I get a very strong Star Frontiers vibe off the thing, so you Old School gamers might want to give it a look.

• Space: 1970 Still Wants You: As mentioned in my last "Captain's bLog" (back in July!), I've always been open to - and grateful for - submissions from my readers. Now I want to outright encourage you folks to send me any cool Space: 1970-era stuff you might think would be interesting to your fellow Star Kids. Rare photos and production art, behind-the-scenes stills, nominations for "Space Babes" or Reader Polls, personal photographs of you and your friends with your favorite 70s sci-fi toys, pretty much anything, really. Hell, even if you'd like to write a Guest Post, just e-mail me. I'll do my best to credit any contributions I use, of course.

That's it for now, I guess....

Shameless Self-Promotion: PERILS ON PLANET X Webcomic - The End Is Nigh

Because I've mentioned it here on the site before, I wanted to note that after a year and a half of regular weekly Friday updates, the first (and hopefully, not last) Perils On Planet X online graphic novel, "Hawke of Terra," is nearly completed (just two pages/weeks to go). This project has been in the works so long (almost 15 years!) that I can hardly believe it's almost finished.

As the writer, I'm pretty proud of the story, which is my take on classic interplanetary swashbucklers like John Carter of Mars and Flash Gordon, and am especially pleased with the visual storytelling of my artistic collaborator and partner, the amazing Gene Gonzales. The importance of our colorist, Ian Sokoliwski's,  Technicolor hues cannot be underestimated, either. I've been very fortunate to have such talented collaborators.

If you haven't kept up with Perils On Planet X - or worse, haven't read it at all! - you can still read it from the beginning, for free on the site. That link will take you right to the first page. Our future plans are still up in the air, so this might be a good time to take a few minutes and catch up... and maybe post your thoughts on the book.

Captain's bLog: 0702.14

I haven't done one of these round-up posts since last November. Man, I've really been slacking off, huh? Anyway,you may have noticed that I've been posting a little more frequently of late, and it's my plan to to get back to somewhat regular updates here on the blog. I doubt I'll be posting daily again (there was a while there when I was posting twice a day!), but I'll try very hard to get in at least a couple posts a week. In fact, look for a new "Space Babes" post on Friday.

I want to thank the few loyal readers who generously donated to the Space: 1970 editorial fund (link in the sidebar) over the last few months. I am incredibly grateful, and feel guilty that I didn't post more. I hope to rectify that over the coming weeks.

As an early birthday (coming up next week) gift, my wife picked me up one of the recently re-issued Space: 1999 Eagle Transporter kits from Round 2 models. This is a replica of the original MPC/Fundimensions kit from the 1970's, and I'm thrilled to have it again. (I hope they re-issue the Hawk Interceptor soon!) I also recently picked up the fifth and final season of The Six Million Dollar Man on DVD, and have been really enjoying revisiting it. Steve Austin spends a lot more time as an astronaut this season - even returning to the moon - and there are rematches with Bigfoot and a new Death Probe. Plus aliens. So, you know, all the good stuff.

• On Video: As noted in previous posts, the 1983 Roger Corman-produced Space Raiders is due out on DVD and Blu-ray in August from Scorpion Releasing. It's a fun flick, full of recycled effects footage from Battle Beyond The Stars (and, I think, 1982's Android), and I'll enjoy having a copy in my library.

I missed it, but 1975's Rollerball was released a month or two ago on Blu-ray by Twilight Time. Unfortunately, it was a limited edition, and has sold out from the company. That's disappointing, because I really would have liked to pick up a copy.

Suddenly, I'm also thinking that I've forgotten another upcoming 70s sci-fi release. I really should start making notes.

UPDATE: I was right. I did forget something. Kino Video will be releasing a Blu-ray edition of the 1979 disaster flick, Meteor, in September. I'll post more info on this release soon.

• Space: 1970 Wants You: I've always been open to - and grateful for - submissions from my readers. Now I want to outright encourage you folks to send me any cool Space: 1970-era stuff you might think would be interesting to your fellow Star Kids. Rare photos and production art, behind-the-scenes stills, nominations for "Space Babes" or Reader Polls, pretty much anything, really. Hell, even if you'd like to write a Guest Post, just e-mail me. I'll do my best to credit any contributions I use, of course.

• Shameless self-promotion: Finally, I'm still working on my sci-fi adventure webcomic, Perils On Planet X, which is illustrated by the talented Gene Gonzales, and colored by the equally-talented Ian Sokoliwski. It runs a page a week, with a new one posted every Friday, and it's absolutely free. We're closing in on the end of the first story arc, and the story is blasting along like a rocket, packed with Flash Gordon/John Carter-styled pulp thrills. I hope you'll check it out, if you haven't already.

Season's Greetings from Space: 1970

Here's wishing you all a very fine holiday season and a fantastic New Year! Thank you for your interest in this blog - and special thanks to those who recently supported my efforts here with donations. The plan is to get back to more regular posting after the holidays.

And yes - I listen to this album every year!

Captain's bLog: 1125.13

• It's been a long time since I've posted anything here - over a month, in fact - and this is the first post I've made in November... and that's nearly over. I even missed marking Space: 1970's fourth anniversary on the 1st. Really rather embarrassed about that.

I have no good excuse. November's just been a bad month for me overall, writing-wise, and this site has suffered from that unfortunate (and frustrating) motivational drought along with all my other writing projects.

But that doesn't entirely account for the reduced posting here since the Summer. I've kinda been feeling like it's getting harder to find cool images to post, and the more involved articles - essays, film and DVD reviews, "Fave Episodes," "Fave Fives," "Hall of Fame," etc . - well, it's always been difficult for me to make the time to really do them up properly. And that's always been frustrating, because, for me, anyway, those are the most personal and satisfying posts to write.

Another factor in my Space: 1970 ennui is that due to recent changes in my state's tax laws, I no longer receive any kickbacks from Amazon's affiliate program. Don't get me wrong - this site was never about making money, and it never amounted to much anyway, but the couple hundred bucks a year at least helped me justify to myself the time and effort I put into Space: 1970, and it did allow me to buy more cool 70s sci-fi stuff (videos, books) for my collection. (I do still have the Paypal button over in the right-hand sidebar, but nobody's donated anything in over a year.)

Now, I know this all sounds pretty grim, but I'm not about to abandon this blog. My passion for disco-era sci-fi (and sci-fi disco, for that matter) hasn't diminished one iota. I'm just going through an extended  low-energy phase (or as they're referred to around here, a "funk"), and with a little luck, I'll be back up to speed soon. In the meantime, I'll try to scrape up a few more interesting photos over the next few weeks so the site doesn't go completely fallow. I appreciate your patience.

•  I did pick up the Hanna-Barbara series Space Stars on DVD from Warner Archive, and will try to post a review here soon. I will say now that the transfers are surprisingly good, and Warners has included some fun additional content that was not included in their original network airings. If you're a fan, it's a great package.

In upcoming video releases, I'm definitely still looking forward to the imminent release of 1980's Stanley Donen sci-fi gothic, Saturn 3, on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory, which goes on sale on December 3rd.

I'm somewhat less excited about Sony's new manufactured-on-demand Salvage 1discs - I'm deeply annoyed that the studio has chosen to release only a couple of random episodes on standalone (expensive) discs, rather than assemble a complete series package. Also, my interest in the show diminished after the moonshot pilot, so I have little incentive to pick up these releases. If you're interested, TV Shows On DVD has the release info and packaging pics.

• Friend of the blog/Star Kid Paul Quinn recently sent me some cool stuff - all but one of the Beyond Westworld episodes and the 1983 Roger Corman flick Space Raiders, along with a complete run of Starlog magazine on DVD-ROM. This kind of "audience participation" certainly helps motivate me to keep plugging away at Space: 1970, and I wanted to publicly thank him for his generosity.

• Finally, I'm still working on my sci-fi adventure webcomic, Perils On Planet X, which is illustrated by the talented Gene Gonzales, and colored by the equally-talented Ian Sokoliwski. It runs a page a week, with a new one posted every Friday, and it's absolutely free. We're about halfway through the second chapter now, and the story is moving along like a rocket, packed with Flash Gordon-styled pulp thrills. I hope you'll check it out, if you haven't already.

Shameless Self-Promotion: PERILS ON PLANET X

Back in February, I launched the Perils On Planet X sci-fi webcomic, with new, free, full-color comics pages posted every Friday. The first chapter of that swashbuckling space saga ("Captives Of the Corsair Queen") concluded after 24 weeks (with nary a missed update!), on July 12th. (The whole first chapter is still available, by the way, if you want to catch up... and it's free, as always!)

Chapter Two, "Flight Into Terror," will begin Friday, August 2nd. The creative team remains the same: Yours Truly, writer; Gene Gonzales, artist; and Ian Sokoliwski, colorist.

In "Flight Into Terror," time-tossed Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke and the beautiful Xylosian princess, Odyri, make a daring escape from the aerial city of the savage Strato-Pirates, only to find themselves lost in a vast, untamed, alien jungle. "Flight" will run for 28 weeks, and is packed with action and excitement, including raygun battles, aerial dogfights, giant monsters, jetpacks, lost cities... and savage, sanguinary simians.

I hope you'll join us this Friday, and even more, I hope you'll enjoy the adventure enough to share the comic with your friends (and your enemies - I'm not picky!).  I would expect that fans of the kind of shows and movies I write about here on the blog - and fantasy roleplaying enthusiasts - would really enjoy Perils On Planet X.

Captain's bLog: 0726.13

• Not a whole lot to report on this time - I've been very busy with other projects (like my free weekly webcomics Perils On Planet X and Gravedigger) over the last month or so, and it's left me little time to work on this site or any of my other blogs. Fortunately, thanks to the annual geek festival that is San Diego Comic Con, there's been some exciting DVD/Blu-ray news to pass on, so this blog hasn't been entirely dormant.

Personally, I'm most excited about Shout/Scream Factory's Saturn 3 Blu-ray announcement - I've always had a soft spot (in my head?) for that Stanley Donen sci-fi gothic.

• Speaking of my weekly webcomics (see what I did there?) the interplanetary adventure Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, recently wrapped up its first 24-page chapter, "Captives Of the Corsair Queen." Chapter Two, "Flight Into Terror," begins next Friday, August 2nd. Perils On Planet X is a free, full-color serialized sci-fantasy swashbuckler with a new page posted every Friday.

POPX chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with alien monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-styled thrills. If you haven't checked it before, now is a good time to go and read the entire first chapter - if you do, I suspect you'll want to hang on for the rest.

• A Note Of Thanks: I want to express my gratitude to Star Kid C Raymond Pechonick, who recently sent me the last Berkley Battlestar Galactica and Pocket Space: 1999 novels I needed to fill out those particular paperback collections. I greatly appreciate it!

•  The Usual Plug: Anyone who enjoys my writing and the reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more. I haven't posted much to the site this Summer, but new articles will begin appearing in a week or so, including a full-fledged review of Olive Films' Hangar 18 Blu-ray.

Captain's bLog: 0612:13

Not a lot new to report here; still buried in my comics writing commitments (including the Perils On Planet X webcomic), and still trying to carve out some time to finish up some longer posts. So, in short... new stuff on the way; stay tuned.

• It's possible that I'm simply not looking in the right places or that my Google-fu isn't as strong as I think, but I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a complete list of the Space: 1999 paperbacks published in the U.S. by Pocket Books (Year 1) and Warner Books (Year 2) online. Now that I have a (nearly) complete set of Battlestar Galactica (I'm still missing one volume - haven't found an affordable copy of # 9 yet) and Man From Atlantis novels, I'm now concentrating on filling in the gaps of my Space: 1999 library.

I'm not particularly interested in the Powys Media re-issues, or any modern/new novels; at the moment, I'm focusing on the 70s U.S. volumes. If anyone can direct me to a complete list, I'd appreciate it.

•  So... Best Buy didn't cancel my order properly (despite the fact that I cancelled it a full ten days before I received notification that it had shipped), and I frankly don't trust them to correctly refund my money if I try to return it, so I've got an extra copy of the Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray on my desk. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. Hmmmmm....

•  The Space: 1970 blog has seen huge amounts of traffic lately, due mostly to my post on that unused Star Wars poster art, which garnered links from a number of high-profile sci-fi fansites and on Reddit. The Star Wars Burger Chef commercial has proven popular, too. I only hope that some of these new visitors take a few minutes to explore the rest of the blog and maybe become regular followers. In related news, the Space: 1970 Facebook page now has nearly 1400 "Likes." Cool! The more Star Kids, the better!

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: I want to remind you all again that my weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler has a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each week.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

Captain's bLog: 0506.13

• Well, I did a slightly better job keeping up with this blog in April than I did in March. Still have a number of long-ish posts/reviews in the works, waiting for a spare hour or two to finish them up....

• I've pre-ordered the Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray from Best Buy (at present, it is exclusive to that chain). As soon as I get my hands on it - which should be in just over two weeks, depending on how efficiently Best Buy fulfills their online orders - I'll let you all know how it looks.

I did pick up Shout! Factory's DVD of Kinji Fukasaku's Message From Space last week, and it looks very good, although I think Shout's source print is a little more beat up (more specks and pops) and the transfer a bit darker and less detailed than the Eastern Star import DVD. The Shout disc's English-only mono audio is crisper and clearer than the optional English language track on the Eastern Star disc, however.

• Star Kid Tim Snider sent me a note a few days ago to let me know about a forthcoming role playing game from Spectrum Games called Retrostar. Why? Well, because apparently, it's designed to emulate exactly the sort of movies and TV shows this blog was created to celebrate. From the Spectrum website:

While most people associate the 1970s with disco, polyester, feathered hair and eight-track tapes, many of us were far too busy being enthralled by the unprecedented amount of sci-fi programming on television to even notice those things. The television landscape was rife with these shows, from all the primetime series to the Saturday morning kid-vid fare. And that was just fine by us.

Those days may be long gone, but the shows still live on in our hearts and memories -- shows about the doomed human race attempting to escape its robotic oppressors; shows about a time-tossed astronaut making his way in a future world; shows about the occupants of a moonbase on an unwitting journey when the moon itself gets knocked out of Earth's orbit; shows about an individual who was rebuilt into a bionic man to be better... stronger... faster; shows about scientists traveling across the post-apocalyptic wasteland in a futuristic RV to find remnants of civilization and to help rebuild it.

These are the shows that -- despite their campiness, hit-and-miss acting and limited budgets (or perhaps partly because of such factors) -- have stuck with us for decades. With Retrostar, you'll relive all the magic and excitement of the sci-fi shows of yesteryear, right at your game table. 

I wonder if the folks at Spectrum are fans of this site?

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: First, I want to remind you all again that my weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler has a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each week.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

Captain's bLog 0408.13

•  As you may have noticed, March was pretty much a bust as far as maintaining any momentum in posting to this blog. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including a bit of seasonal depression deriving from a seemingly endless winter, a touch of creative burnout, and some now-resolved physical ailments over the last few weeks that had a disastrous effect on my overall productivity. Then, last week, I lost a dear friend, and that really sent me reeling, too.

Anyway, I'll be making a very sincere effort to resume somewhat regular posting here beginning this week, starting with this "Captain's bLog" post, and, over the next few days, some long-promised reviews (Westworld, Futureworld & 1974's Wonder Woman). Stay tuned.

•  Poll Results: Last month, I posted the musical question: "Which 70s "Space Princess" Was The Sexiest?" With 271 votes cast, the clear winner (116 votes!) was Ornelia Muti's smokin' "Princess Aura," from 1980's Flash Gordon.

Making a respectable showing in second place, was Pamela Hensley's sultry "Princess Ardala," from the Buck Rogers television series, with an impressive 92 votes. Carrie Fisher's iconic "Princess Leia," from the original Star Wars trilogy, placed a distant third, with 43 votes. Sorry, Your Worship.

 •  DVD News: Various sites recently reported that the long-awaited Space: 1999 Year Two Blu-rays had gone up for pre-order at Amazon, with a release date of May 17, but this was an error on Amazon's part. In May, Space: 1999 is being re-issued on DVD (again) in Season One and Season Two packages. There's still no confirmed release date for the Second Season Blu-rays.

• Remake News: Disney is still teasing a remake of 1979's The Black Hole, to be directed by TRON Legacy's Joseph Kosinki. This past week, it was announced that Prometheus screenwriter John Spaiht was penning the new script. Hard to get excited about any of this... I didn't hate TRON Legacy, but I wasn't very impressed by it, either, and as for Prometheus.... oh well. We'll always have the original, and if the remake actually gets off the launch pad, maybe we'll finally get a Blu-ray.

• Space: 1970 on the Radio: Well, not exactly - but your humble Captain will be appearing on an upcoming episode of the Earth Station One podcast, where I'll be joining in on a discussion about the character of Buck Rogers - in all his incarnations. No doubt, I'll be talking a lot about Gil Gerard and Erin Gray... and TWIKI, too. Of course, I'll post an announcement here when the episode goes live, later this month. 

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: First, I want to remind you all again that my new weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler sees a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Blackstar-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each Friday.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the DVD reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

Captain's bLog: 0307.13

•  March has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, but I'm hoping to get back to regular posting here next week. Look for reviews of The Questor Tapes, The Aliens Are Coming and the Cathy Lee Crosby 1974 Wonder Woman TV pilot on the site in the next few weeks, along with the usual mix of sci-fi memorabilia, and vintage video clips.

• I picked up Warner's Blu-ray edition of Westworld on Tuesday, and it's a very nice disc, with a fine HD transfer of Michael Crichton's seminal sci-fi film. It had been a few years since I'd seen it, and I'd forgotten that Majel Barrett (Star Trek) and Jared Martin (of The Fantastic Journey) had small parts in the movie. I also found it amusing that Alan Oppenheimer, the original Dr. Rudy Wells from The Six Million Dollar Man, played the Delos supervisor responsible for the androids.

The inclusion of the Beyond Westworld pilot (as I reported a few days ago) on the disc was a nice bonus, and I encourage anyone who'd like to own the entire short-lived series to visit the Warner Archive Facebook page, and make a public request. If they get enough interest, I think chances are good that they'll release it as a MOD disc.

I'll be posting a full review of the Westworld Blu-ray on my DVD Review site, DVD Late Show, early next week.... and it probably should go without saying that I'm looking forward to Shout! Factory's forthcoming Futureworld Blu-ray release, due out later this month.

• Stats: It's been a while since I've looked at the numbers, but when I checked today, I was pleased to find that the Star Kid Legion continues growing at a formidable rate! The blog here now has over 500 followers, and the Space: 1970 Facebook page currently has1,264 "Likes!" On Twitter, under my "AtomicPulp" handle, I've just passed 400 followers, many of whom are there just for the blog updates, I'm guessing.

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: First, I want to remind you all that my new weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler sees a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Blackstar-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each Friday.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the DVD reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

V (1983) or Not To V?

I've been on the fence about whether or not to include the two V television miniseries and subsequent weekly series here at Space: 1970. The original V mini ran in late 1983, which is pretty much my cut-off point here at the site, with the follow-up miniseries and weekly show airing the following year. I know it's my site, and realistically, I can write about anything I want - but man, the e-mails/comments I get when I step outside my self-imposed boundaries! It's amazing how quick people will jump on any opportunity to try and knock others down.

The show certainly feels like a 70s sci-fi show, with its ham-fisted social commentary, dystopian themes, Old School miniature effects, and broadly-drawn but appealing characters, and, frankly, I honestly enjoy most of the run in a way much like that of the shows I do cover here - unlike most 80s-90s genre efforts. A lot of this is probably attributable to the early creative influence of Kenneth Johnson, who originated the property and produced the first mini. Johnson was one of the most genre-savvy television producers of the era, with credits like The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk - and, later, Alien Nation - to his name. He was always pretty canny about making outlandish sci-fi ideas work for mainstream television audiences (and networks/sponsors).

Of course, it also has that humungous 80s hair. 

Anyway, I will continue to ponder whether V can be squeezed into my already-elongated timeframe... what do you folks think?

Captain's bLog: Supplemental

Sorry that February's gotten off to such a slow start. Between getting my two new webcomics series* launched and a few personal/family emergencies (nothing serious, as they turned out - but stressful and time-consuming), I haven't had much time or energy to devote to the site these last few days.

Which is a shame, since December and January were the biggest months ever - in terms of traffic and page views - for Space: 1970, and I really hoped to keep the momentum going.

Anyway... I'll try and get back on track tomorrow with a fresh post or two. I've got some new stuff on my desk to review - reader donations paid for a DVD of The Questor Tapes and a VHS copy of The Aliens Are Coming - and I'm eager to write them up, along with a few other long-in-the-works articles.

Stay tuned.

* Perils On Planet X and Gravedigger.

PERILS ON PLANET X Launches!

My new, weekly interplanetary adventure webcomic, Perils on Planet X, begins today at www.perilsonplanetx.com. The story will be updated one page a week, every Friday. The art is by the talented Gene Gonzales, and I believe that anyone who enjoys this blog - and the sci-fi/space comics of the Space: 1970 era - will enjoy Planet X. I hope you will all check it out!

Countdown To PERILS ON PLANET X

Although I'm always a bit reluctant to plug my own projects here on the Space: 1970 blog, I'm making an exception for my forthcoming Perils On Planet X webcomic, which begins its weekly schedule one week from today (February 1st) at www.perilsonplanetx.com.

Inspired, in large part, by Space: 1970 classics as Planet Of The Apes, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Jason Of Star Command and, yes, even Star Wars - but mostly the animated adventures of Filmation's Flash Gordon and Blackstar - the serialized Perils On Planet X is chock-full of action, adventure, monsters, raygun fights, gorgeous alien princesses (rendered with exceptional skill and talent by my artistic collaborator, Gene Gonzales), sword fights, airships, mad scientists, strato-pirates... and batwinged, vampire gorillas.

It's because I believe that most Space: 1970 readers - especially you Old School gamers (and I know there's a lot of you) - would really enjoy the webcomic that I'm choosing to promote Perils On Planet X on this site. I'll try not to overdo it (once it launches, I'll try and only mention it in my "Captain's bLog" entries), but I want to be sure you folks know about it and consider giving it a chance. If you get a moment, click over to the site and if you like what you see, bookmark it. I'm pretty excited about finally getting POPX out to the public (I've been working on it for about a decade), and I'd appreciate your support.

Now... back to our regularly-scheduled nostalgia.....

Re-Post: Regarding Comments

I posted these thoughts about comments in one of my Captain's bLogs a while back, but based on what I've been seeing lately, they bear repeating:

This may sound cranky or curmudgeonly, but as I close in on my half-century mark, I think I'm entitled to a bit of, uh, curmudgeoness. Anyway, I'm trying to be more selective about which comments I approve for publication on this blog. Over the last two and a half years, the reader comments posted to this blog have overwhelmingly been in line with my intentions for the site: enthusiastic, celebratory, nostalgic and, generally, upbeat. We've also remained virtually troll-free. But recently, I'm finding myself slightly less happy with the "interactive" aspect of this blog.

Perhaps it's inevitable that as readership grows, I'm going to see more comments show up in my e-mail box for moderation that I'm uncomfortable with or that, frankly, just irritate me. I'm even thinking about disallowing "Anonymous" posting entirely, as most (though not all) of the comments that bug me are posted without a name attached. I haven't taken that step yet, but I'm considering it.

So, for the record, here are the types of comments I'm not likely to approve:

• People selling something. That's not what this site is about. Try ebay. Related: people trying to find out what their memorabilia is worth. Again, that's not what this site is about. There are hundreds of other places online that are more appropriate for that kind of question. Use Google. That's what it's for.

• Linking to illegal downloads/bootleg merchandise. I've actually addressed this before. Comments that link to torrent sites or unauthorized video dealers will not be approved. No moral judgement here; I just don't want to have this site hosting those sort of links. This includes links to full-length shows & films on sites like YouTube - those are copyrighted works and usually not authorized.

• Non sequiturs. Okay, this is the one that's really driving me nuts lately. I've been seeing a lot of comments recently that I simply cannot make any sense of whatsoever. I understand that this site can be accessed all over the world, and English isn't everyone's first language - but I can usually tell when that is the problem. Far more often, I get comments that simply repeat the information I wrote about in the post (as if the commenter only looked at the headline and/or illustration before clicking the comment tab, feeling compelled to show off his knowledge of the subject) or utterly nonsensical comments that, well, indicate serious weaknesses in reading comprehension. If you're going to take the time and make the effort to comment on something I've posted here, please think about it a bit, and make it worthwhile.

 • Negativity. You know, I understand that not everyone likes the movies and television shows and other stuff I write about on this blog; some people outright hate them. Others think they're "cheesy" (a word that really bugs me and automatically raises my defensive shields), "lame," or just trash. And yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But this blog isn't the place to tell the world how crappy you think The Starlost is, or for expressing your ironic sense of post-modern snark. In the header at the top of this page, I use the word "celebrate," and that's what this blog is about. If you think the original Battlestar Galactica is lame, or that Starcrash is the Worst Movie Ever, write about it on your own site, or go find an appropriate message board somewhere. This is a blog, and, more to the point, it's my blog, and I'm not going to stand for people coming in and being jerks in my house.

This doesn't mean we can't have some good-natured fun with these shows, or acknowledge their flaws and amusing defects, but the key words there are "good-natured." (And don't send me angry comments about me not respecting your freedom of speech, or me being too cowardly to hear differing opinions. A. This isn't a public forum, and B. I really don't particularly care about the opinions of anonymous strangers.)

Please do keep sharing your own Star Kid memories in the comments, or passing on cool behind-the-scenes information, and politely correcting factual errors I make. And please, have fun with (and make fun of) these shows and movies. Just try and keep it... affectionate. That's the word I'm looking for, I guess.

I'm also not saying that people can't disagree with my opinions. That's cool. Just be polite about it, okay?

Thanks.

Captain's bLog: 0122.13

• Well, here we are, well into January, and I still haven't written up my review of The Omega Man - it is high on my to-do list, however, along with reviews of Star Maidens and The Humanoid. I also have an essay/article in the works about the aborted Star Trek 2 television series (they call it "Phase 2" these days, but at the time it was simply Star Trek 2), and a new "Favorite Episode" post. All of these have been delayed by my other writing commitments over the last month, as I'm getting back to regular comics writing and DVD reviewing again, which also explains the preponderance of image-based posts of late. Sadly, time management is not among my strengths...

• I'm currently re-reading the second Berkley Battlestar Galactica novel from 1978, The Cylon Death Machine, adapted by Robert Thurston (and "Glen A. Larson") from the two-part episode, "Gun On Ice Planet Zero." I read this one numerous times when I was a teen, and am pleased to find that I still enjoy it a great deal. Thurston really had a handle on the characters and Galactica universe (even if there were some variances from the aired episodes), and I especially like his handling of the Cylons and the character of Croft (played by Roy Thinnes on the show). It's a terrific space adventure novel, and confirms my opinion that Thurston was the best of the Berkley Galactica scribes.

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: First, I want to remind you all that my new weekly webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, begins a week from Friday, on February 1st, at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler will have a new page posted each Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each Friday in 2013.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the DVD reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more. 

News: PERILS ON PLANET X Webcomic Ready For Launch!

I hope you'll all forgive me for plugging a personal project, but I wanted to announce here that my new webcomic series, Perils On Planet X, with art by the exceptional Gene Gonzales, will debut on February 1st, with a new page being posted every Friday at perilsonplanetx.com.

Perils On Planet X is an interplanetary adventure in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars or Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon, though it incorporates influences from virtually every science fantasy/space opera you can imagine, including plenty of Space: 1970 favorites. (For one example: the green skies of our planet Xylos are a "homage" to the green skies of Blackstar's planet Sagar.)

The plan is to serialize the entire graphic novel (around a hundred pages or so) online, and then collect it in a print version upon its completion. We already have six month's worth of pages completed - and nearly six months' more drawn and lettered - so maintaining the weekly schedule won't be a problem.

I'm confident that anyone who reads this blog regularly will enjoy what Gene & I have come up with for this comic series, and hope that every Space: 1970 Star Kid will make a weekly habit of reading Perils On Planet X. I've literally been working on it for more than a decade and am eager to see how it's received. Please check it out come February 1st. Thanks!

Erin Gray - The Ultimate Space Babe

You may have noticed the "Popular Posts" list over in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. This widget tracks the most popular posts on this blog in the last 30 days. For the last twelve months - give or take a week or two where it may have dropped to number two or three - the most-viewed post on this site has been the "Erin Gray/Wilma Deering Gallery."

I can't say I'm surprised. Not only was Ms Gray's Wilma Deering stunning in shiny spandex, she was a strong, courageous, intelligent and fiercely feminine icon of the Space: 1970 era with a devastating smile and the sexiest laugh ever heard on TV. Star Kids of both genders couldn't help admire her... and that admiration and affection continues today (anyone else watch her on The Guild?). I hereby pronounce her the "Ultimate Space Babe!"

Here's wishing all Star Kids - those who grew up in the Seventies with the sci-fi shows, movies and memorabilia of the era, and those of subsequent generations who discovered this stuff years later - a very happy, safe, and space opera-filled New Year. Enjoy a toast of Saurian Brandy, Tranya or ambrosa tonight (drink responsibly - that stuff has a helluva kick), and I'll see you all here again on the 2nd.