Friday, September 23, 2011

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1979-80) Marvel Comics Cover Gallery - Part 1

Dave Cockrum/Bob McLeod
Dave Cockrum/Bob Wiacek
Dave Cockrum/Rudy Nebres
Walt Simonson/Klaus Janson
Walt Simonson/Klaus Janson
Rich Buckler/Klaus Janson
Rich Buckler/Klaus Janson
In 1979, Marvel Comics launched their Battlestar Galactica comic book series. In issues #1-3, writer Roger McKenzie and artist Ernie Colon adapted the premiere telefilm, "Saga Of A Star World," while Issues #4 & 5, by McKenzie and Walt Simonson, adapted the following two-part story, "Lost Planet Of The Gods." Starting with issue #6, Marvel began publishing original adventures, also written by McKenzie, with pencil art by Rich Buckler. Inker Klaus Janson provided the finishes on most of the run.

Unlike Star Trek, Galactica's type of space opera better lent itself to the Marvel Comics style of storytelling, and Simonson and Buckler, in particular, really had a handle on the material. It also appears that Universal gave the company a bit more leeway than Paramount had given them on Trek, because their Galactica series really pushed the concept and introduced a lot of great ideas.

I really love this series - especially the issues that Simonson worked on.

I'll post the second batch of covers shortly.

3 comments:

  1. I loved this series, especially the movie adaptation. It helped me get by for months until I could actually see the pilot in theaters (I had missed the premier when it first aired on TV, but they played it in theaters later). I particularly liked the out-of-the-box artwork, because elements often broke out of the standard comic frames. In particular, I remember artwork depicting Zak's death, with the Cylon reaching out of frame to point at Zak's exploding Viper.

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  2. LOVED this comic, almost as much as the actual show. Too bad there hasn't been a complete reprint of the entire run in omnibus form yet.

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  3. Great series with some really good stories... I loved the whole "Scavenge World" plotline, where Starbuck had to reluctantly stay behind as a male concubine in exchange for safe passage for the fleet... and of course the way the series wrapped with the Cylons reacquiring the trail... Remembering the final panel of the final issue still gives me a bit of a chill!

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