MESSAGE FROM SPACE: GALAXY WARS Graphic Novels (1979)

I haven't posted much about the Message From Space: Galaxy Wars television series, spun off from the Japanese feature of the same name, because until recently, I knew very little about it. I still don't have a lot of information about the series, but I know it was popular in Europe (especially France), and in English-speaking markets it was known as Space Ninja!

There was also a feature-length compilation/condensation, called Swords Of The Space Ark. I actually found and watched it on YouTube some months ago. It was fun, although it made little sense. The strongest connection to the original movie seemed to be the re-use of both miniatures and actual effects shots.

This artwork is from the cover of one of a pair of graphic novel adaptations, published in France by Dargaud in 1979 and 1980, written and illustrated by Pierre Frisano.

Thanks to August Ragone for the info!

German SPACE: 1999 Comics

These terrific Space: 1999 ("Mondbasis Alpha 1") comics covers from Germany were sent to me over two years ago (!) by reader Kessler Tobias, but got lost in my e-mail. In any case, better late than never! Kessler didn't include any publication info, or identification of the artists, but damn, look at these! 50's pulp-styled robots! Giant ants! Enjoy!

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.

Look-In Bionic Gallery

Hope you're all having a great Monday. To kick off the week, here's a gallery of Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman cover paintings for the British kid's magazine, Look-In. I'm pretty sure that all of these were painted by regular Look-In cover artist Arnaldo Putzu, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm mistaken. Enjoy!

Unused SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN Comic Art by Staton

 

Here's an interesting find: an unpublished cover painting of The Six Million Dollar Man's Colonel Steve Austin battling an alligator by my friend and collaborator, legendary cartoonist Joe Staton, intended for the fourth issue of the 1976 Charlton Comics series. For some reason, a considerably less-dynamic piece by Jack Sparling was used instead.Cool, huh?

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Marvel Comics Cover Gallery

I don't know if anyone has ever satisfyingly explained why Marvel Comics chose to license Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction headtrip, 2001: A Space Odyssey, for an ongoing monthly comic book, nor why they waited eight years after the film's release to do so. It is also baffling why (except for the fact that they were contractually obligated to keep the artist busy with work) they chose the awesome Jack Kirby to write and illustrate it.

Kirby was an astounding artist and creative genius, but his explosive, dynamic art - and decidedly thunderous prose - were hardly sympatico with Kubrick's stark visual style and leisurely storytelling. Also, the film really didn't seem to lead naturally into any sort of traditional continuation, so the Marvel Comic had to blaze its own, bizarre path in building on the film's narrative.

In any case, after an oversized "Treasury Edition" adaptation of the film in 1976, the subsequent ongoing 2001 comic ran for ten issues, all produced by the legendary Kirby, who explored the movies themes and concepts in his own unique manner. The stories were wild, colorful and bugnuts crazy, but they did make one lasting contribution to the sprawling Marvel universe in the form of Kirby's robotic creation, Mister Machine/Machine Man, who was introduced and featured in the final issues of the book.

Here are Kirby's covers for the ten-issue run:

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.

BUCK ROGERS Comic Art By Mel Crawford

Here's the original cover painting for Western Publishing/Gold Key Comics' Buck Rogers In The 25th Century #2, the first issue of their 1979 series adapting the NBC television series (Western had published a Buck one-shot back in 1964, hence the numbering). The painting is by versatile commercial illustrator and fine artist, Mel Crawford. The talented Crawford did countless comics covers for Dell and Western and is especially well-regarded for his children's book illustrations.

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.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1976-1977) Charlton Magazine Cover Gallery

Neal Adams

As they did with the Space: 1999 property, Charlton Comics of Derby, Connecticut published both a series of color Six Million Dollar Man comic books and a black & white, magazine-format series. The magazine artwork was produced primarily by Neal Adams' Continuity Associates in New York, with scripts written primarily by Charlton staff writers Joe Gill and Nicola Cuti.

I've showcased a couple of these great pieces before; specifically, Jack Sparlings art for Issue #3 and Earl Norem's striking cover for Issue #5. I hope you enjoy this bionic art gallery!

Neal Adams

Jack Sparling

Earl Norem

Earl Norem

Earl Norem

Earl Norem

MAN FROM ATLANTIS (1977) Comic Art By Mike Zeck

From the first issue of Marvel Comics' Man From Atlantis comic book (dated February 1978) comes this pin-up portrait of the crew of The Cetacean submersible by the great Mike Zeck. I like it, but I'm not sure who he was using as a model for Dr. Elizabeth Merrill - it's certainly not Belinda Montgomery!

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN by Earl Norem

From Charlton Comics' mid-70s run of Six Million Dollar Man magazines, here's artist Earl Norem's original cover art for Issue #5 (May 1977), where we find super OSI agent Steve Austin battling a four-armed, bionic Yeti (a cousin of the Bionic Bigfoot, I wonder?)!  I don't have this issue, and not having read the story this painting illustrates ("High Stakes in the Himalayas"), I'm not sure what's really going on. But the amazing Mr. Norem does a great job on the cover!

PIZZAZZ Magazine Cover Gallery

I have never actually read an issue of Marvel Comics' 70s-80s tween/teen magazine, Pizzazz, but I wouldn't mind getting a look at the mag's exclusive serialized Star Wars comic, which was mixed into the usual assortment of puzzles, pop culture articles, bubble gum pop star coverage (Shaun Cassidy!), short stories and games.

Of course, being of the Space: 1970 era, it covered (and cover-featured) plenty of genre stuff, including two properties that Marvel Comics was then publishing in four-color form: Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica - and lots of Marvel superheroes. Here's a small sampling:

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!

STAR HAWKS (1977) Paperbacks

 

As we've seen here before, back in '77, in the pop cultural afterglow of Star Wars' unprecedented success, lots of folks tried to cash in on the perceived appetite for space opera entertainment. Along with the film and television knock-offs, toys and games, there were a handful of "original" sci-fi comics, many of them with the word "star" in the titles. One of these was the Star Hawks newspaper comic strip, which I've written about here before.

As knock-offs go, Star Hawks - written by sci-fi author and comics historian Ron Goulart, and drawn by legendary comic book artist Gil Kane - was reasonably successful, running daily and Sundays for three and a half years, for a total of 1,252 strips. Some of these strips were collected into two standard-size paperbacks by Ace/Tempo books, in 1979 and 1980. To the publisher's credit, the artwork was not cut apart panel-by-panel and re-formatted to standard page size, but run intact - although the strip's unique two-tier format required that the art be run on its side, forcing the reader to turn the book sideways to read it.

Actually, I don't find that to be a problem, but the small size of the lettering does make it difficult for these aging eyes to read, even with these damned, old man bifocals I wear these days. 

Anyway, aside from two strip collections from Ace/Tempo, Goulart wrote two Star Hawks prose novels, published by Playboy Press, beginning in 1980. The first of these, Empire 99, makes its connection to the newspaper strip very clear, with a cover and interior illustrations by comics collaborator Kane - and even trumpets its comic strip origins as a selling point. The second novel, on the other hand, came out well after the strip had been cancelled, and was marketed less as a comic strip tie-in. 

I haven't included a scan of that second novel, The Cyborg King, here because a.) I don't have it (yet), and b.) it doesn't have a Gil Kane cover, and c.) I couldn't find a decent cover scan online.

ADDENDUM: Thanks to "Tex," here's a scan of the cover of the second Goulart Star Hawks novel, The Cyborg King:

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.....

ADVENTURES ON THE PLANET OF THE APES (1975) Marvel Comics Cover Gallery

Marvel didn't get around to color comic book adaptations of the wildly popular Planet Of The Apes films until two years after the last movie, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, had come and gone from theaters. Hell, even the television series had already run its course. But someone decided to reprint - in color - the movie adaptation that Marvel had done the year before in the black & white POTA comics mags... and the color version ran almost a year (11 issues), adapting the first two POTA flicks.