1960's and 70's Star Trek comics
Michael Rogers
looking into a "bizarro" Star Trek world.
Especially in the early issues they seemed to have no idea about the
series except the basic ship and characters. They would often refer to
the ship's engines as "rockets" and Kirk would ask to see things on a
"TV Scanner". Spock and McCoy are businesslike and professional to each
other. In early issues, the Transporter is called "The Teleporter".
The interiors of the ship often look like the inside of a submerine. The
outside of the ship is often weird looking.
The stories were mostly B Sci-fi movie retreads.
The first 2 issues of the series were drawn by an American artist.
Starting with issue 3 they actually used an artist in Rome who had never
seen Star Trek. He made the art working from a set of early publicity
photos and filled out the rest from other reference material.
In almost every issue he draw there was a drawing of Spock that
resembled the publicity photo of Leonard Nimoy holding a beaker(as seen
on the first issue of the series).
The strange thing is that he drew spock with eyebrows that swept up and
looped over. He also (or the inker that inked his pencil work) sometimes
forgot the pointed ears and/or the eyebrows. Most of the time, the shirt
insignia was not drawn.
As time went on and Star Trek got more popular, the Roman artist was
able to get more reference material and his work became more accurate to
the look of the show (but the looped over eyebrows on Spock were always
there).
But this is some fun stuff to see. This is before the days of tight
licencing control that would demand a certain accuracy.
I just found a site about the early Star Trek comics here:
http://curtdanhauser.com/Main.html
Before videotape and the ability to see a show or movie whenever you
felt like it, these comics and other toys mattered ever more to me since
it was my way of "having a piece of the show".
Mike
Brad Filippone
: How many here ever got them? They are so fun. Reading these is like
: looking into a "bizarro" Star Trek world.
: Especially in the early issues they seemed to have no idea about the
: series except the basic ship and characters. They would often refer to
: the ship's engines as "rockets" and Kirk would ask to see things on a
: "TV Scanner". Spock and McCoy are businesslike and professional to each
: other. In early issues, the Transporter is called "The Teleporter".
<clipping rest, interesting though it was>
I remember a few issues of this that I once had. Once in awhile the
writing actually got halfway good. One frame still makes me chuckle when
I think of it. Kirk is on a planet that the Klingons have taken an
interest in. The natives of the planet have the ability to project
pictures of things and places they've seen so that others may see them.
Kirk is disguised as one of them and has a camera with him, snapping
pictures (something the tricorder is capable of in the TV series that the
comic book writer forgot). A Klingon spots him and demands to know why
one of the natives would even need a camera. He adds "Perhaps because
you're not really from this planet" and he pulls Kirk latex mask off.
Kirk very calmly replies, "I guess that's why."
Well, maybe you'd have to see it to get the chuckle, I'm not sure if that
discription does it justice.
I also remember one in which the natives of a planet are getting younger
until they disappear. (the Animated Series did something along those
lines too but in a different way). Spock and Scott are sent on a mission
to stop what's causing this. They succeed, but have become the size of
young boys (curiously, Spock "de-ages" at the same rate as Scotty!). I
remember that for some reason their speeches are mispelled in such a way
as to suggest the awkward pronounciation that young kids used; which makes
no sense, since they still keep the knowledge of their adult selves, so
why wouldn't they be able to prounouce words correctly. Anyway, of
course, McCoy has come up with an antidote to negate the effects and they
are adults again.
So do you remember these ones?
Brad
ToolPackinMama
> : How many here ever got them? They are so fun. Reading these is like
> : looking into a "bizarro" Star Trek world.
I have only one in my possession - a gift from a Trekkie admirer. Star
Trek number 51, dated March, 1978. Note that that is nearly a decade
after the show was canceled.
The episode is titled "Destination...Annihilation!" (LOL) Weird things
on a planet are happening, and it turns out the guy to blame is harmless
old eccentric named Professor Whipple. One of his experiments went
awry. When two local cops show up to arrest Whipple for endangering
public safety, Spock pinches them to delay Whipple's arrest. Why he
does that is not explained, but Kirk approves:
Kirk: "Thank you, Mr. Spock!"
Professor Whipple: (Shocked) "Good grief... I hope you didn't harm
them!"
Spock: "Actually, when they awaken they will feel rested and
refreshed!"
LOL!
Typically, a series of wildly preposterous hijinks leads to the end of a
war between two worlds. Typically, a "God" appears who is not really a
God, he's just a man (specifically Whipple). Typically, Kirk "forgives"
the bad guy and helps him to avoid paying any penalties for his
meddling. Typically, Kirk and Spock do everything and go everywhere
together like they are super-glued to each other. LOL.
Man, it's perfect. :)
Wouter Valentijn
"Michael Rogers" <mi...@rochester.rr.com> schreef in bericht
news:3E3B712D...@rochester.rr.com...
> How many here ever got them? They are so fun. Reading these is like
> looking into a "bizarro" Star Trek world.
>
I loved the old Gold-Key comics.
They were my first steps into collecting Trek stuff.
The stories were real fun: There was a planet with rings around it that
caused madness and death.
A planet were plants were extremely deadly (one of the crewmen was turned
into a plant).
Specially I liked the comic where the Enterprise visisted the center o f the
Big Bang where it was confronted with the Enterprise from the previous
universe!
Some elements of that story remindid me of one of the first eps of TNG where
we first saw the Traveler.
<snip>
--
Wouter Valentijn
Delete NOT in e-mail address
Michael Rogers
made an effort at having some fidelity to the show.
Best,
Mike
Michael Rogers
>
> I remember a few issues of this that I once had. Once in awhile the
> writing actually got halfway good. One frame still makes me chuckle when
> I think of it. Kirk is on a planet that the Klingons have taken an
> interest in. The natives of the planet have the ability to project
> pictures of things and places they've seen so that others may see them.
> Kirk is disguised as one of them and has a camera with him, snapping
> pictures (something the tricorder is capable of in the TV series that the
> comic book writer forgot). A Klingon spots him and demands to know why
> one of the natives would even need a camera. He adds "Perhaps because
> you're not really from this planet" and he pulls Kirk latex mask off.
> Kirk very calmly replies, "I guess that's why."
Hmmm, that issue doesn't ring a bell must of been a later one.
>
>
> I also remember one in which the natives of a planet are getting younger
> until they disappear. (the Animated Series did something along those
> lines too but in a different way). Spock and Scott are sent on a mission
> to stop what's causing this. They succeed, but have become the size of
> young boys (curiously, Spock "de-ages" at the same rate as Scotty!). I
> remember that for some reason their speeches are mispelled in such a way
> as to suggest the awkward pronounciation that young kids used; which makes
> no sense, since they still keep the knowledge of their adult selves, so
> why wouldn't they be able to prounouce words correctly. Anyway, of
> course, McCoy has come up with an antidote to negate the effects and they
> are adults again.
>
Was that this one:
http://curtdanhauser.com/St42.html
Mike
> Brad
Michael Rogers
> I loved the old Gold-Key comics.
> They were my first steps into collecting Trek stuff.
> The stories were real fun: There was a planet with rings around it that
> caused madness and death.
> A planet were plants were extremely deadly (one of the crewmen was turned
> into a plant).
That was the first issue:
http://curtdanhauser.com/St1.html
and it was reprinted in 1975:
http://curtdanhauser.com/St29.html
minus a couple of pages (edited for advertisments).
> Specially I liked the comic where the Enterprise visisted the center o f the
> Big Bang where it was confronted with the Enterprise from the previous
> universe!
> Some elements of that story remindid me of one of the first eps of TNG where
> we first saw the Traveler.
That was this one:
http://curtdanhauser.com/St33.html
The last issue drawn by the Italian artist.
Personally I always got a kick out of:
http://curtdanhauser.com/St36.html
In the begining of the story when they show the exterior of the research
satalite you can see that the Italian artist just drew the rotating
space station from 2001:A Space Oddysey. All in all a cute time travel
story.
http://curtdanhauser.com/St34.html
The first issue I got when I was just discovering Star Trek. It was like
a piece of gold in my hand.
http://curtdanhauser.com/St27.html
Got this one in one of those 3 pack back issue packs they used to have.
In the early 70's I was living in Anchorage, Alaska so any story with
snow and ice seemed to have a special connection with the "world" I was
in. Looking at the issue now, the story does seem kind of grim.
http://curtdanhauser.com/St15.html
First saw this one in the trade paperback reprints Gold Key came out
with. Plot is very similar to TAS's "Time Trap".
Best,
Mike
David B.
I had several of these comics. Too bad I somehow lost them years ago. I
lost them before I learned to take care of my comics properly.
David B.
>
> > Michael Rogers (mi...@rochester.rr.com) wrote:
> > : How many here ever got them? They are so fun. Reading these is like
> > : looking into a "bizarro" Star Trek world.
>
> I have only one in my possession - a gift from a Trekkie admirer. Star
> Trek number 51, dated March, 1978. Note that that is nearly a decade
> after the show was canceled.
>
> The episode is titled "Destination...Annihilation!" (LOL) Weird things
> on a planet are happening, and it turns out the guy to blame is harmless
> old eccentric named Professor Whipple. One of his experiments went
> awry. When two local cops show up to arrest Whipple for endangering
> public safety, Spock pinches them to delay Whipple's arrest. Why he
> does that is not explained, but Kirk approves:
>
> Kirk: "Thank you, Mr. Spock!"
>
> Professor Whipple: (Shocked) "Good grief... I hope you didn't harm
> them!"
>
> Spock: "Actually, when they awaken they will feel rested and
> refreshed!"
>
> LOL!
That is so funny.
Brad Filippone
: >
: > I remember a few issues of this that I once had. Once in awhile the
: Was that this one:
: http://curtdanhauser.com/St42.html
That was it, thank you.
Brad
ToolPackinMama
>
> I have that issue somewhere, that's when they knew what they had and
> made an effort at having some fidelity to the show.
That's true, it wouldn't have been a bad episode. :)
Brad Filippone
Michael Rogers (mi...@rochester.rr.com) wrote:
: >
: > I remember a few issues of this that I once had. Once in awhile the
: > writing actually got halfway good. One frame still makes me chuckle when
: > I think of it. Kirk is on a planet that the Klingons have taken an
: > interest in. The natives of the planet have the ability to project
: > pictures of things and places they've seen so that others may see them.
: > Kirk is disguised as one of them and has a camera with him, snapping
: > pictures (something the tricorder is capable of in the TV series that the
: > comic book writer forgot). A Klingon spots him and demands to know why
: > one of the natives would even need a camera. He adds "Perhaps because
: > you're not really from this planet" and he pulls Kirk latex mask off.
: > Kirk very calmly replies, "I guess that's why."
: Hmmm, that issue doesn't ring a bell must of been a later one.
Thanks to the web site you mention, I've identified this one. It's issue
#38. The accopanying article doens't meantion the amusing moment though,
it just says that a Klingon captures Kirk.
Brad
Michael Rogers
Mike