Sunday, October 19, 2025

It's the 50th Anniversary of Space: 1999

Along with the undeniably-kool Halloween horror stuff our various RetroBlogs are running this October...

...we're also presenting the various graphic versions of the pilot episode, "Breakaway", that launched the series half-a-century ago in 1975 on Secret Sanctum of Captain Video!
Power Records/Peter Pan Read-Along Album
"Breakaway"
A 20-page comic book story accompanied by a 45rpm record featuring a full cast presentation in the style of old time radio dramas along with music and SFX!
Note: It's not the actual TV cast, music and SFX, but Power Records' in-house ensemble!
Scripter is unknown, and the art is by Neal Adams' Continuity Associates, who "packaged" the graphics for almost all the Power Records albums.
In this case, the artists included Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano, Russ Heath, and Terry Austin!
Charlton Magazines
"Last Moonrise"
Five-page b/w magazine adaptation by writer Nick Cuti and artist Gray Morrow, who apparently served as Lead Artist/Art Director for Space: 1999 licensing, since his art was used on other products like t-shirts, lunchboxes, etc.
In particular, the cover art for #1 (above) was also used for print ads in magazines (including TV Guide) to promote the show's debut!
Trivia: For an unknown reason, though most actors' likenesses were used in the American comics, actor Prentis (mustachioed Main Mission Controller Paul Morrow) Hancock's likeness couldn't be used, so all the American stories featuring Paul used artist Gray Morrow's face as the character's visage!

Charlton Comics
"Moonless Night"
Another 5-pager, also written by Nick Cuti, and illustrated by Joe Staton, this time for the color comic book.
This Wednesday:
The Never-Seen-in-America Illustrated Short Story Adaptation of "Breakaway" from the 1975 British Space: 1999 Annual!
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Saturday, October 18, 2025

Spooky Space Hero Saturdays ALIEN ENCOUNTERS "Monster of Planet Og!"

If you (like us) enjoy classic space opera, you'll love the tale behind this cover...
...which gives a new twist to the classic cliches!
Writer Christy Marx and artist Peter Ledger handle this never-reprinted story from Eclipse's Alien Encounters #2 (1985) like it's a 1940s comic written by an alien Edmond (Captain Future) Hamilton!
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Friday, October 17, 2025

Frightful Friday Fun DRACULA Dracula One-Page Tales #3

The English-language reprints of the 1970s Spanish Dracula magazine didn't have any Dracula...
...because they left out these kool, wordless, one-page features from the back cover of the original Spanish editions!
Note these two also feature Frankenstein's Monster!
Both England's New English Library and America's Warren Magazines (who licensed the translated NEL version) left out these entertaining pieces...despite the fact no translation was needed!
Written and illustrated by Alfonso Figueras, these one-pagers now make their American debut!
Be here every Friday in October for more kool vampire humor!
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(from 1971, featuring the first six issues of the translated-from-Spanish Dracula magazine...but not these Dracula humor strips...nor any Dracula content!)
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Thursday, October 16, 2025

Tales Twice-Told BLACK MAGIC "Screaming Doll!"

...to be more precise, you saw a re-illustrated version of the same script!
This is the first, never-reprinted, rendering of the story!
Illustrated by Bill Benulis, and scripted by a currently-unknown writer (Though it could be Simon & Kirby Studio bosses Joe Simon and/or Jack Kirby) this story from Prize's Black Magic V4N4 (1954) has some oddly-unique attributes!
It's only 5 pages, when most of the stories are 6-8 pages.
(The re-drawn version is 6 pages!)
There's no half or full-page splash panel, though almost all Black Magic stories (except for one or two-pagers) have them!
Was the original story condensed/re-edited for space or content?
At the time (early 1954), there was a rising rage against comics in general and horror comics in particular due to Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent witch-hunt!
Sadly, we'll never know...

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder HP LOVECRAFT'S THE CALL OF CTHULHU "Call of Cthulhu" Conclusion

...our intrepid explorers into the unknown approach an island...where none should exist...and see...R'lyeh...a city that shouldn't be there...
Once more, we present several pages with the truly unique, moody coloring used only in the Spanish-language publication of the tale...
Cthulhu Lives!
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