Reading Room MARVEL PREVIEW "Man-Gods from Beyond the Stars" Part 1

Chariots of the Gods? was the primary inspiration for Jack Kirby's Eternals...

...now the newest Marvel movie!

So let's look at a strip from the same era also inspired by Erich Von Daniken's concepts!

The story continues..Tuesday!

Written by Doug Moench, illustrated by Alex Nino.

Though largely discredited today, Von Daniken's books about "ancient astronauts" influenced pop culture from the 1970s to the present, including tv (BattleStar Galactica), movies (Prometheus and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull), and comics (Tragg and the Sky Gods)

The Eternals was originally called Return of the Gods and, like Mister Machine/Machine Man was intentionally not intended to be part of the Marvel Universe!
We'll go more into that next week...

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Chariots of the Gods

Deluxe Edition

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder "Secrets of SEEKER 3000!"

Before we continue our re-presentation of the time-lost Seeker 3000! series...

...here's some background on both "classic" and "next gen" versions of the series..

First, the original plans for the proposed series by co-creators Doug Moench and Tom Sutton from Marvel's FOOM Magazine #21 (1978)...

Sadly, 'twas not to be, as the series didn't make it beyond the "pilot" stage...until 21 years later!

The only reprinting it had before this was a serialized version in the Marvel British weekly Future Tense...

Now we'll have a look at the "next gen" version from 1998...

Be here next week as we begin the first re-presentation of the follow-up series, which has never been collected in TPB form or reprinted in any way!

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Marvel Premiere #41

SEEKER 3000!

(the first appearance of the series)

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder SEEKER 3000! Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...(behind this amazingly Star Trek-esque cover by Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott)

Don't you love a strip that provides its' own synopsis?

Note the final blurb?

That's because these images are from the Seeker 3000 Premiere which reprinted the Marvel Premiere #41 tale on higher-quality paper than the original, so we presented images from that edition here!

The cover by Andrew Currie and Arthur Nichols was an updated recreation of the original Cockrum/Sinnott cover!

Except for the final blurb, not a single word or image was changed, so we felt it was the right choice for you blog readers!

Next Wednesday, before we begin re-presenting the never-reprinted sequel mini-series, we'll run two behind-the-scenes features!

One from the HTF FOOM Magazine #21 (1979) detailing what co-creators Doug Moench and Tom Sutton had in mind for future installments.

The other one's the backup from this very issue, showing the radically-different plans for the mini-series by new writer/artist team Dan Abnett & Ian Edgington and Currie & Nichols!

Trivia: Both Dave Cockrum and Tom Sutton became major contributors to Star Trek comics history!

Cockrum illustrated Marvel's adaptation of Star Trek the Motion Picture as well as covers and occasional interiors for the ongoing follow-up series which lasted 18 issues.

Tom Sutton was the primary illustrator for DC's Star Trek series when the property moved from Marvel to DC after Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan!

He also rendered the art for the adaptations of Star Trek III: the Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home!

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Marvel Premiere #41

SEEKER 3000!

(the first appearance of the series)

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder MARVEL PREMIERE "Seeker 3000!" Part 1

We're going from the past on other worlds...

...to the future on Earth and other worlds...and a starship exploring the Final Frontier!

To be Concluded
NEXT WEDNESDAY!

Writer Doug Moench and artist Tom Sutton had some kool ideas for this project, which they hoped would go to series.

Yes, there are elements of Star Trek.

But remember, Star Trek took elements from previous sci-fi projects like Voyage of the Space Beagle, Space Patrol, and Forbidden Planet and did something different with the concepts!

Come back next week and see where it goes...

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Marvel Premiere #41
SEEKER 3000!
(the first appearance of the series)

The Dead Walk at Christmas...

There have been numerous comic adaptations of Charles Dickens' Christmas ghost story...

...but this never-reprinted one from (believe it or not) Marvel Comics, has the distinction of being illustrated by more artists than any other version!

Credited to "Diverse Hands", the art styles I recognize include Bob Hall, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Dave Cockrum, Marie Severin, Carmine Infantino, Steve Leialoha, John Romita Sr, Al Milgrom, Mike Esposito, and probably anybody who wandered into the Bullpen while this book was in production!

Trivia: 

This was the final title in the Marvel Classics Comics line which had started out as color reprints of the early '70s b/w Pendulum Press "comic adaptations of classic stories" series. After a dozen issues, Marvel began doing their own adaptations, continuing for another two dozen issues.

Scripter Doug Moench was no newcomer to adapting prose to comics having worked on comics versions of literary properties including Doc Savage, The Shadow, James Bond, and Fu Manchu!

Colorist Francoise Mouly later became the art editor of The New Yorker, co-creator of the legendary comic anthology Raw, and is currently the publisher/editorial director of Toon Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press. She is the creative partner (and spouse) of Art Spiegelman.

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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder BRAK THE BARBARIAN "Unspeakable Shrine" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Barbarian...

...it's not a synopsis, but the Steve Gan art was too kool for me not to present it!

Anyway on with the story...

Afraid not, Septegundus! 

This story in Marvel's Savage Tales V1N8 (1975) was the finale for Brak's graphic story adventures!

Unlike other barbarian/high adventure characters, Brak was never reprinted or revived.

OTOH, he fared better than Lin Carter's Jandar of Callisto!

There was a text feature in the previous issue of Savage Tales about the multi-volume John Carter/Carson of Venus pastiche by the noted fantasy author being adapted by Marvel.

Unfortunately, except for a couple of promo pieces, there was never any work done on the projected strip.

Next Week:

More High Adventure with Another Never-Reprinted Series!

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The (Complete) Adventures of Brak the Barbarian

Volume One & Volume Two

(includes a never-before-published conclusion to the series!)