FLASH GORDON (1980) Original Movie Poster Art

Richard Amsel

Lawrence Noble

Here are scans of the original art for two of the U.S. theatrical one-sheets that promoted the Dino DeLaurentis/Mike Hodges Flash Gordon film in 1980. The top piece is by the legendary Richard Amsel, who also painted the first Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Dark Crystal posters, among others. He also painted a slew of incredible - and now highly-collectible - TV Guide covers.

The second piece (and thanks to Luis for the info!) is by Lawrence Noble, who also worked on the advertising campaigns for Time After Time, Sharkey's Machine and others. He was the artist of The Empire Strikes Back 10th Anniversary poster, as well. Here's his website!

Captain's bLog 0606.11

•    I expect reader traffic here to slow down this week, because posting is likely to be comparatively light. I have a lot of other writing work to catch up on after a couple of months of illness-diminished productivity, including a couple of comic book scripts and short stories. I do plan to be making daily posts at my DVD Late Show website, however, and some of those reviews are likely to be of some interest to Space: 1970 readers. If I actually manage to get caught up with my other writing, posting here will obviously increase. I have a number of blog posts in various stages of completion, and will complete and post them as time allows.

•   No new Space: 1970-type purchases since the last "Captain's bLog" update, but I have made my way through the complete second season of The Bionic Woman on DVD. And while I hadn't encountered any grievous audio problems when I last wrote about my purchase, I now understand where the online complaints are coming from. On a couple of episodes - most notably, the first part of "Deadly Ringer, Part One" - there are severe problems with the sound. But, I don't understand the cries for boycotting the release - out of all the hours of entertainment in the set, you're not going to buy it because of intermittent sound problem on a couple of episodes? If Universal had failed to provide subtitles, I might see it, but otherwise...

Anyway, my full review will be posted at my DVD Late Show site shortly.

•     I'm mostly encouraged by the response to the 'pilot episode" of the Space: 1970 podcast, and I'm pretty sure I'll be doing more, though not on any fixed schedule. For those who thought there was too much music, I apologize, but that won't change, probably. First, I like listening to and sharing the sci-fi-themed tunes of that era, and second, I hate the sound of my voice. Any further episodes will probably follow the format of the first (although with some technical improvements, I hope), at least for a while. If it helps, think of the podcast as the Space: 1970 radio show...

•    Stats: May was the largest month ever for traffic here at Space: 1970, with over 25,000 page views. The Facebook fan page now has over 600 "likes" and the site itself is closing in on 300 Blogger "followers."

•    Shameless Self-Promotion Dept: Anyone interested in my non-70's sci-fi writing should check out my personal/professional homepage, Atomic Pulp. That's where you'll find previews of my upcoming comic book and fiction writings, a bibliography of my published works, and links to my various other pop culture blogs and websites. It's this sort of stuff that will be getting most of my attention for the next week or two.

•      And, finally, birthday wishes to my wonderful better half, Brandi. It's amazing how much patience that woman possesses. And she'll even watch most of this stuff with me!

As always, thank you all for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your stay!

ALIEN: THE ILLUSTRATED STORY (1979) Graphic Novel

Being an R-rated horror film precluded Alien from being adapted by Comics Code-approved Marvel Comics back in 1979, but the publishers of the adult-oriented Heavy Metal magazine didn't have the same sort of restrictions on content. So they wisely hired writer Archie Goodwin and artist Walter Simonson (the same creative team who'd adapted Close Encounters of the Third Kind for Marvel, and who would each work on Marvel Comics' Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica comics at various times) to craft a faithful, uncompromising graphic novel retelling of the Ridley Scott space thriller, from Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett's screen story..

Alien: The Illustrated Story is a phenomenal graphic novel, and a genuine classic of comic book art. Here are a few selected pages:

Weekend Rerun: BLACKSTAR (1981)

Since it's too nice a weekend to stay inside and write blog posts, here's another rerun of an early Space: 1970 review/article. As usual, it's been slightly edited and updated, and I've added a few more screenshots. Enjoy.

Blackstar (1980-81) was probably the last Filmation cartoon I remember actually getting up early to watch. I was into D&D then, and anything with a sword & sorcery theme caught my interest. Unfortunately, if I recall correctly, it aired in the same timeslot as Ruby-Spears' superior Thundarr The Barbarian on another network, so unless Thundarr was a repeat, I usually opted for the post-Apocalyptic barbarian over the sword-slinging astronaut, John Blackstar.

Loosely inspired by interplanetary romances like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ "John Carter of Mars" pulp stories, Blackstar tells of an American astronaut, who, after passing through a black hole, finds himself stranded on the primitive planet Sagar. The planet is ruled by the evil, Darth Vader-esque Overlord, and opposed by a motley band of freedom fighters, including the sorceress Mara, shape-shifter Klone, and seven pink "trobbits" (according to producer Lou Schiemer, the name was derived from "tree hobbits.) that, with their easily-distinguishable personalities, somewhat resemble Snow White's dwarfs - or pink smurfs. John Blackstar somehow comes into possession of the Starsword (an adventure never related on the series), a mystic blade that can be combined with the Overlord’s Powersword to become the Powerstar – an ultimate weapon that the Overlord desperately covets.

Watching it today as a 40+ adult, I find that Blackstar is actually somewhat better than I remembered. The animation still looks pretty slick and, oddly enough for a Filmation adventure show, uses very little, if any, rotoscoping. The character designs and background paintings are excellent, really selling the alien environment of planet Sagar. The scripts – mostly by animation and sci-fi veterans J. Michael Reeves (Batman - the Animated Series) and Marc Scott Zicree (Sliders) – are fun and fast paced. I still hate the little pink "trobbits," though, and prefer the episodes that play down their child-friendly antics.

My favorite episode is probably "Shipwrecked," written by Reaves, where Blackstar's old fiancee - also an astronaut - follows his ship's trajectory through the black hole to Sagar. Of course, she's captured by the Overlord, who wants her starship's technology. She is rescued by - and reunited with - Blackstar, but is ultimately forced to leave Sagar without him. The best part, though, is that when she emerges from the black hole to her own side of the galaxy, she contacts Earth command and sets them to work preparing an invasion fleet! She wants to go back to Sagar in force and bring her fiance back! Unfortunately, that intriguing plot thread is never revisited during the remainder of the series.

A few years back, before BCI/Eclipse went wherever it is defunct video labels go, they released the complete series on DVD. The full-frame transfers are excellent; the source material on Blackstar looks much better than the prints used on their previous Flash Gordon set, with bright colors and virtually no visible debris or damage. Extras include an informative booklet of liner notes, writer and producer commentaries on two episodes, on-screen interviews with many of the creators of the show, two image galleries, and "The Magic of Filmation" documentary.

In the interviews Scheimer reveals that the character was originally intended to be an African-American (hence, the none-too-subtle name), but the network rejected that idea. In their interviews, head writers Zicree and Reaves acknowledge the show's pulp sci-fi influences and look back fondly on their experiences working on the program.

If you're nostalgic and want to revisit your childhood – or know kids who are into fantasy adventure – the out-of- print Blackstar DVD set is well worth hunting down and picking up.

ALL ABOUT STAR TREK FAN CLUBS Magazine

Anyone else remember this one? In 1976 and 1977, I was a regular reader of the short-lived All About Star Trek Fan Clubs magazine - one of the most oddly-titled genre fan magazines ever. Although (obviously) Trek-centric, it did occasionally touch on other sci-fi productions. Mostly, though, it covered Star Trek fandom in all its pre-Internet Seventies forms, with fannish articles on conventions, collectibles, episode trivia, pull-out posters, interviews with the Trek cast (and prominent Trek fans!), fanzine reviews, and, of course, extensive fan club listings.

The layout and content was really quite amateurish - especially when compared to contemporaries Starlog and Fantastic Films - with no interior color, and it was printed on cheap newsprint. With its reliance on fan art and candid con photographs, it really did seem like a fanzine that somehow got free offset printing and then scored a national newsstand distribution deal. Still, as a 12-13 year old, it - in some ways even moreso than Starlog - helped assure me that there were other people out there in the world that loved Star Trek (if perhaps to an unhealthy extreme!).

I still have my copies of Issues 2, 4, and 6 (pictured above), originally purchased at the old Mr. Paperback bookstore at the Turnpike Mall in Augusta, Maine. #2 and #4 are really beat-up, yellowed and torn, but #6 is still in good shape. As I said above, while earnest and enthusiastic, it's a rather unprofessional little mag - but that kinda adds to its nostalgic 70s charm.

Coming Attractions: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) Theatrical Trailer

 Here's the full-length trailer for 20th Century Fox's second attempt to ressurect the Planet of the Apes franchise. Due in theaters this August.

Meh. Still not impressed.

70's Sci-Fi Model Rockets

When I was in 7th and 8th grades, I belonged to the Model Rocket Club. Once a week, a handful of students would stay after school, and, under the supervision of our science teacher, Mr. Teague, we'd gather in the parking lot behind Williams Junior High School and fire solid-fuel-powered rockets made of cardboard, plastic and balsa wood into the air. The fun part was pressing the launch button on the little hand-held, battery-powered igniter and watching the rockets take off. The less fun part was hunting in the woods and fields around the school for the rockets after they'd parachuted back to earth.

I was pretty into it, as you might imagine, even though my limited modeling skills - and even more limited budget - basically meant that I only built the cheapest and most simple of the rocket kits offered by the Estes company and its prime competitor, Centauri. That didn't stop me from drooling over the plethora of sleek rocket designs offered in their catalogs, though - especially those designs based on the sci-fi movies and TV shows I loved. In fact, those annual, digest-sized catalogs were just as compelling to me as a burgeoning teenager as the Sears Christmas Wishbooks were just a year or two before. I spent hours and hours poring over those colorful pamphlets, fantasizing about owning all those beautiful rocketships....

Anyway, Estes offered flying model rocket kits based on the spaceships of Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica... and even offered a Black Hole "space probe" rocket, while Centauri sold a Space: 1999 Eagle. These things were genuine marvels of engineering; the X-Wing and Viper were fairly easy to to adapt, since they were reasonably aerodynamic designs already. But the U.S.S. Enterprise and Klingon Cruiser really required some creative thinking on the part of Estes' designers. In the case of the TIE Fighter and the Space: 1999 Eagle, they ended up with basically lightweight, hollow, vacuformed plastic models that sat atop standard cardboard tube rocket fuselages.

I desperately coveted the X-Wing and Viper - I knew the others were beyond my skills - but the only one of the sci-fi tie-ins I owned was the Centauri Eagle... and I never even got it painted up. Eager to see it fly, I took the assembled but unpainted model to one of our meetings and took my turn at the launch pad. When I pushed the button, the Eagle shot into the sky -- and came right back down when the parachute failed to deploy. It crashed into the parking lot and the plastic shell shattered. I wasn't happy.

I know the hobby still exists, but I doubt that it's as popular as it was back in the late Sixties and Seventies.

June's Space Babe: Yvonne Craig

June's Space Babe is the delightful and delicious Yvonne Craig as Star Trek's mad Orion slave girl Marta, in the classic original series episode, "Whom Gods Destroy." The talented Ms. Craig's Marta was only the second specimen of that seductive species we ever saw on Trek, and possessed that extra degree of crazy that can make a woman truly unforgettable. As she was an experienced professional dancer, rumor has it that director Herb Wallerstein left the choreography of the episode's memorably sensual dance number up to the actress, as the budget/schedule didn't allow for hiring a choreographer. All I can say is: good decision.

Probably best known as the crimefighting superheroine Batgirl on the Sixties' Batman television series, the incredibly sexy Ms. Craig appeared on dozens of 60s and 70s television series, including an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. Apparently, in the 80s, she went into the real estate business, pretty much retiring from acting, although she does provide the voice of "Grandma" on the Nickelodeon animated series, Olivia.

SPACE: 1970 - The Podcast

EPISODE ONE: "PILOT"

Okay, Star Kids - I think I've finally figured this out. I hope so, anyway. Here's that Space: 1970 Podcast "Pilot Episode" that I recorded way back in November/December of last year. It took me a long time to get around to uploading it and making it public because I wasn't completely satisfied with the way it turned out. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to go in and try a new one from scratch, so...

Anyway, this first episode features some rare music, audio clips and commentary by yours truly. I tried to make it as close to an "audio version" of this blog as possible. I edited in Audacity, and I haven't quite mastered the program, so audio levels are a bit inconsistent. Also, the microphone I used wasn't very good, so the commentary's not as crisp and clear as I'd like it - and frankly, I'm not happy with the way I sound at all.

I haven't decided if I'll do more of these; it really depends on what sort of reaction I get to this experiment. To hear it ( it runs about 20 minutes), click on the link below. Listen at your own risk, and if you should choose to do so... please be kind.

Space: 1970

SATURN 3 (1980) Theatrical Posters

I know that it's not a popular opinion, but I actually find Stanley Donen's Saturn 3 to be one of the most interesting flicks of the Space: 1970 era. I'm not going to make any great claims as to its subjective quality, but for all its faults, there are some truly fascinating things going on in the movie.

The production design, by the late John Barry (not to be confused with the composer of the same name) is astounding; the sets, space suits, spaceships, and, especially, the killer robot Hector, are just beautiful late 70s sci-fi creations. The Elmer Bernstein score is also quite good.

It has a bad reputation as an Alien knock-off, and a lot of modern viewers have trouble with the fact that Harvey Keitel was dubbed (although, when I first saw this, I had no idea who Keitel was, so I honestly didn't notice), but I'm not sure it's quite as bad as it's reputed to be.  Admittedly, I've only seen it twice - once back in the early 80s on late night TV, and again on the old Artisan DVD when it first came out in the late 90s - but I remember enjoying it both times. I think its getting to be time to dig out the disc and check it out again....

Coming Attractions: STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) Original TV Spots

Here are a couple of original 1982 TV spots for the second - and still the best, IMO - Star Trek feature film: The Wrath of Khan. Enjoy!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Art by Luis Royo

Back in the late 90's actor Richard Hatch ("Apollo") began writing, with a string of collaborators, a series of Battlestar Galactica continuation novels that picked up roughly twenty years after the end of the original television series. Presumably, these novels were based on his ideas for his proposed television sequel, Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming. (In fact, not only the red flight jackets, but a couple scenes in the first two books, are identical to ones seen in his self-produced "trailer.")

The first two of these novels were published in 1997 by Pocket Books in both hardcover and paperback, and co-written by fantasy & horror writer Christopher Golden. Later books were co-written with other authors and published by iBooks. The initial novel in the cycle was called Armageddon, and featured this great cover painting by artist Luis Royo.

I've recently completed reading Armageddon and its immediate sequel, Warhawk, and am beginning on the third volume (co-written by Stan Timmons), Resurrection. I plan on writing up my reactions to these three books shortly.