Monday Mecha Madness (Continued) BATTLESTAR GALACTICA "Berserker" Conclusion

We Have Already Witnessed...

..the "ragtag fleet" of human survivors find a planet rich in Tylium, which they can refine and convert to fuel!

But they encounter a Cylon spy satellite in orbit that starts broadcasting their position back to the Empire!

Jamming the signal, they discover the satellite is booby-trapped so that any attempt to destroy it will trigger explosives within the planet's core, which in itself will alert the Cylons to investigate!

Commander Adama sends a bomb squad to disarm and deactivate the device, but an unknown ship launches from the planet and attacks the squad's shuttle and the accompanying Vipers, out-flying the Colonial pilots...

Neither this Mark Three "Imperator" Cylon nor any of its' "brothers" were ever seen again!

Marvel's Battlestar Galactica was cancelled seven issues later.

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Walter Simonson's Battlestar Galactica Artist's Edition

(Featuring the complete original art for this story, among other goodies!)

(Original art for the cover of the issue)

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Monday Mecha Madness BATTLESTAR GALACTICA "Berserker" Part 1

After Adapting the Pilot Movie and the First Two-Part Episode...

...Marvel's Battlestar Galactica comic began doing original stories with a hot new talent illustrating them, including this one about a Cylon cyberseries never seen on TV!

To Be Continued, Tomorrow!

And, since you haven't seen the Cylon itself yet, here's the cover featuring it, which will be the header pic on tomorrow's post!

Written by Roger McKenzie and penciled/inked/colored by Walt Simonson, Marvel's Battlestar Galactica #16 (1980), is the only time a Cylon not seen in the TV show appears in the comic...the reason for which the robot itself explains in the conclusion!

Note that, continuing in the TV series' format of utilizing names from ancient mythology and the Judeo/Christian Bible, McKenzie & Simonson introduced several new ongoing characters including the Galactica's Chief Engineer, Master-Tech Shadrack, named after the Biblical figure Shadrach!

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Battlestar Galactica: the Definitive Collection

The Original Series

Galactica: 1980

Original Feature Film

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Space Hero & Heroine Saturdays ALIEN: THE ILLUSTRATED STORY

On our fellow Retroblog, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, we presented the original, 1979 version of the classic movie adaptation graphic novel by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson.

Yes, there were comic book and magazine adaptations (You've seen a number of them on Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™), but this was a one-shot trade paperback of all-new material based on a movie!

Officially called Heavy Metal presents ALIEN: the Illustrated Story, it was a major hit for the infant Heavy Metal publishing group spun off from National Lampoon.
And if Ripley, Dallas, Parker, Brett, Kane, and Lambert don't qualify as Space Heroes/Heroines, nobody does!
There's a new edition of this landmark, long-out-of-print, graphic novel, scanned and mastered directly from the original art still in Walt Simonson's possession, and you can order it below...

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Alien: the Illustrated Story

(Remastered)

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Monday Madness SECRET CITY SAGA "Gazra"

Begin the never-reprinted tale here...

...as we journey back through the mists of time, to the era of the Ninth Men!

(Don't worry, everything will make sense by the end of this chapter!)

Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Walt Simonson, the series was conceived and produced as a lighter (but not campy) Silver/Bronze Age-style response to the then-current "dark" trend in comics which began with Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.

Tomorrow:
BOMBAST!
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Kirby: Genesis

A retelling of elements of the Secret City Saga which also combines other Kirby projects like Galaxy Green, Captain Victory and Silver Star!

Reading Room JUDAS COIN "2087 AD: Manhunter 2070" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Interplanetary Bounty Hunter...

...tracking his latest quarry leads Starker into another encounter with the two "red-haired Greenies" who, years earlier, tricked and left the bounty hunter for dead.

But neither Starker nor the two con-women realize what the true prize is...

Did the coin survive...and cause the star to go nova?

Could it end up in the hands of someone we know in the 30th Century?

Only time will tell...

If this tale by Walt Simonson is, in fact, Manhunter 2070's swan-song, it's a helluva finale, and one I'd like to think creator Mike Sekowsky would've appreciated!

Reading Room JUDAS COIN "2087 AD: Manhunter 2070" Part 1

Last week we told you about Twilight...

...a 1990 mini-series that "resolved" the story of Manhunter 2070...by killing him!

But, DC's continuity being what it is (or isn't) these days, it seems you can't keep an interplanetary bounty hunter dead for long.

In 2012, comics legend Walt Simonson wrote and illustrated a graphic novel...

The coin falls into the hands of various people throughout recorded history (including a number of notable and almost-forgotten DC characters), the final chapter takes the reader to a near-future those who read our recent re-presentation have more than a passing familiarity with...

Looks like Starker learned his lesson from their previous encounter.

But things are not quite what they seem, as you'll see tomorrow!

The now out-of-print graphic novel is a fascinating look at a master at work.

Simonson does each chapter in a different style mirroring each part's differing time period.

The "future" chapter is rendered in a kool manga/anime "look", though still utilizing Walt's trademark storytelling techniques.

(Having his favorite letterer, John Workman, along, doesn't hurt!)

Simonson also adheres to original story continuity, inserting references to occurrences from the earlier tales and keeping the characters to their pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths personalities!

It's a helluva book, and well worth picking up at your local comics shop (or e-book provider) to read the complete tale!