Captain's 50th Anniversary Library SPACE: 1999 "Moonless Night"

Our final graphic adaptation of the pilot episode, "Breakaway", from the first issue of the color Charlton comic series.

Script by Nicola Cuti (who also wrote last week's "The Last Moonrise").

Art by Joe Staton (who, most recently, helped reboot the long-running Dick Tracy newspaper strip).

Next Week:
The Never-Seen-in-America Illustrated Short Story Adaptation of "Breakaway" from the 1975 British Space: 1999 Annual!

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Captain's 50th Anniversary Library: SPACE: 1999 "The Last Moonrise"

We presented the first of three different comic adaptations of the pilot episode, "Breakaway".

Today, we offer the second adaptation, from #1 of Charlton's Space: 1999 b/w magazine.

Written by Nicola Cuti, drawn by Gray Morrow.

It's interesting to see how much is left out of the five-page story, as opposed to the twenty-page Power Records version, which is much more complete.

Artist Gray Morrow was also the magazine's art editor, and painted all eight covers, some of which were reused on merchandise like t-shirts and puzzles.

The cover art for #1, shown above, was also used as advertising key art for first season print ads.

Next Week:

...the Four-Color Comic Adaptation!

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Captain's 50th Anniversary Theatre SPACE: 1999 "Breakaway"

 

Space: 1999 debuted in 1975 with a major licensing push, including audio adventures, novelizations (along with original novels), and both comic books and b/w magazines.
Power Records, the premier children's audio line of the era did two lp record albums and two comic book/45 record adventures, including the pilot episode "Breakaway".
Charlton Comics published two different series, one as a standard four-color comic, the other a b/w magazine, both of which adapted the pilot episode with far different results.
With three different graphic adaptations (not including the prose novelization from Pocket Books), "Breakaway" was the single most adapted sci-fi movie or tv show in history, until Battlestar Galactica came along in 1979.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Space: 1999, on Wednesdays though October, we're going to present all three adaptations of "Breakaway", plus the prose short story from the rarely-seen-in-America hardcover Space: 1999 Annual published in England!
First up, the Power Records version, complete with soundtrack!
(After all, it was meant as a read-along adventure!)


The writer who adapted the screenplay is unknown, but the art is by Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, and Neal Adams' Continuity Studios crew.
Trivia: While the various American licensors had the rights to use the likenesses of most of the cast, for some reason recently-deceased actor Prentis Hancock couldn't be used as Paul Morrow!

In all the American comics (including the two Power Records stories), artist/art director Gray Morrow served as the visual model for Paul Morrow!
However, the British comic strips in the Annuals and Look-In Magazine did use Prentiss' mustachioed visage as the stalwart Main Mission Controller!

Next Wednesday, the b/w magazine version.

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Captain's Library: Christmas Comics: CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT "Sergeant Twilight Writhes Again"

Captain Midnight enjoys celebrating the holidays, whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas...

...in one of the last comic book stories based on the radio show's format.

The comic book began to diverge from the radio show about the time this never-reprinted story, illustrated by Jack Binder, appeared in Fawcett's Captain Midnight #4 (1943).

Ichabod Mudd, who was Midnight's primary aide in all his media incarnations was already being altered with the addition of the comic-relief "Sgt Twilight" identity.
Cap himself would soon abandon the modified military flight suit seen in this story and adopt a skintight ensemble with built-in glider wings.
(It had the same color scheme, so many thought the new ensemble was just the old outfit with wings attached.)

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year!

Hollywood Halloween / Captain's Library BURKE'S LAW "Who Killed the Hollywood Hopefuls? The Fatal Attempt"

Before we begin, a brief primer on Hollywood makeup techniques...

...as they were in the 1960s, courtesy of writer Paul S Newman (again...not the actor) and artists Frank McLaughlin & Vince Colletta from the inside back cover of Burke's Law #3!

That's why it's b/w instead of color!

Now, with that out of the way, let's continue...

We Have Already Seen...

...several Hollywood actors killed by what appeared to be classic movie monsters come to horrifying life!

Captain of Detectives Amos Burke and his aides traced the creatures back to Gerald Grant, the now-retired actor who first portrayed all of them, and discover their primary suspect has an unbreakable alibi...

Written by Paul S Newman (for the final time...NOT the actor!) and illustrated by penciler Frank McLaughlin along with inkers Dick Giordano, Sal Trapani, and Vince Colletta, this never-reprinted tale from Dell's Burke's Law #3 (1965) followed the format of the TV show pretty closely, including the title character's continual reference to non-existent "Burke's Laws" to cryptically-explain his deductions.

Happy Halloween!

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Hollywood Halloween / Captain's Library BURKE'S LAW "Who Killed the Hollywood Hopefuls?: Third Victim"

When Last We Left Our Millionare Crime Solver...

Movie actors are being killed by...something...resembling famous cinematic monsters.

Los Angeles Captain of Detectives Amos Burke and his aides follow a trail of clues leading to the film studio that made the movies the creatures originally appeared in....

Well, this looks like another dead end...or is it?

You'll discover the astounding answer tomorrow as the story concludes on

Halloween!

Writer Paul S Newman (again, not the actor) and artists Frank McLaughlin (penciler) along with Dick Giordano, Sal Trapani & Vince Colletta (inkers) will keep you guessing as they finish this tale from Dell's Burke's Law #3 (1965).

Burke's Law (1963-1966) was produced by Aaron Spelling, who later did such genre series as Charlie's Angels, TJ Hooker, Matt Houston, Hart to Hart, Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, SWAT, Mod Squad, and Honey West (a spinoff from Burke's Law we've featured HERE.)

While it was a cop show, the plot was often secondary to the parade of high-profile guest stars playing victims and suspects, making it "CSI meets Love Boat".

Classic movie stars like Buster Keaton, Don Ameche, Basil Rathbone, Dorothy Lamour, and Broderick Crawford joined up-and-comers like William Shatner, Barbara Eden, Tab Hunter, Annette Funicello, and Telly Savalas as the weirdest grouping of West Coast eccentrics outside of San Diego ComicCon!

As you can see, translating it to the comic page proved difficult, since the editors felt the guest star aspect couldn't be carried out in a licensed comic.

Trivia: Every episode's title was "Who Killed (Insert Noun)?", much as Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s titles were "The (Insert Noun) Affair" and Wild, Wild West's episodes all had a "Night of the (Insert Noun)" title...even if they took place in broad daylight!

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