Space:1999 graphic novel hardcover released

Out now from US company Archaia Entertainment is a collection of its mini series Space:1999 - Aftershock and Awe, a new story using the characters and setting of Gerry Anderson's live action SF TV series.

Written by Andrew E. C. Gaska with art from the late Gray Morrow (melding his work from the Charlton Comics Space:1999 series with new pages from David Hueso and Miki), the story is based on the events portrayed in the Space:1999 pilot episode “Breakaway” by Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, George Bellak and Christopher Penfold.

For this new graphic novel, Gaska has set the adventure in an alternate universe where US president John F Kennedy, a key supporter of the space program who pushed for the moon landings, was never assassinated, but mankind has suffered through World War III, unified into a single world government - and built a base on the moon by the year 1999.

On September 13th 1999, an atomic accident causes the moon to be blown out of orbit and hurled into the unknown and the survivors of the lunar base stationed there are launched towards their destiny across the stars. But what of the cataclysm and wanton destruction caused to the Earth in its wake?

This retro-reintroduction to the Andersons' series from the early 1970s follows nine lives who are forever changed by the carnage left in the moon’s wake. Told from the point of view of those left behind on a ravaged Earth, Aftershock explores the scientific, environmental, and social political repercussions of a world left with no moon.

The story continues in Awe, which adapts the pilot episode of Space: 1999 “Breakaway”, as seen through the personal logs of Commander John Koenig and Professor Victor Bergman on Moonbase Alpha - expanded to include both new and unfilmed material, and utilizing the remastered art of comics legend Gray Morrow as a basis for this revolutionary retelling of a sci-fi classic.

Andrew E. C. Gaska, who wrote the illustrated novel Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, ties together the “origin story” events of the original show’s pilot episode and an all-new tale, working together original art from Morrow and contemporary artists David Hueso and Miki, and fashioning the two stories into one.

Since Space: 1999 was originally made in the 1970s and since the title year has long since come and gone, publishers Archaia are keen to point out that this graphic novel is highly accessible to those who have not previously been fans of the show.

"Overall, it's my goal to take the best of Space: 1999 (its tone, characters, premise, etc) and augment them toward their logical conclusions in a way that old fans and new audiences alike can enjoy," Gaska reveals in an interview on the Archaia web site. "The television series originally aired almost 40 years ago, and while a lot has changed in the world since then, there is a lot of 1999 that still reflects today’s society and where we are headed.

"[The series had] so much potential, most of which was never realized," he enthuses. "The format of the first season of Space: 1999 was revolutionary: the series was dark and moody, and the message to the viewer was that, 'Space is dangerous, and things aren’t going to make sense. Basically, you’re screwed.' It was so different to what Star Trek had presented, and nothing was tied up in a nice little bow by the end of an episode. You were always left wondering, why? And it wasn’t unsatisfying, it was more of a cosmic why, the type of why that compels man to explore the universe around him in the first place. I want to complete the arc that the story started, and bring it to its logical conclusion, based on plans of the original creators, but filtered through y own vision of this world. I want to tell “why.”

• More about Aftershock and Awe on the Archaia web site

 

Effects director Shaun Whittacker-Cook interviewed in new Andersonic

Issue 11 of the ace Gerry Anderson fanzine Andersonic is now available via the publication's website and features a new interview with former Century 21 SFX director Shaun Whittacker-Cook in which he discusses his time working at Century 21 on all the series from Thunderbirds up to UFO.

Shaun shares anecdotes of his time at the studio and reveals how certain sequences were created, his favourite effects shots and what it was really like trying to get a sofa on board Thunderbird 3 and make spinning UFOs fly!

Other features include an analysis of Starcruiser: 'Run Robot Run', a recently unearthed script for the Anderson TV series that never was; Gerry Anderson collectibles (and why they're collected); a guide to the Space: 1999 episode 'Force of Life' in which Ian McShane catches a chill as Moonbase Alpha revisits Quatermass; a look at the South African puppet series Interster, which was influenced by Century 21; and Could You Fly a Thunderbird? - take a psychometric test and find out!

The new issue comprises 44 pages with colour inner & outer covers and is available via the website http://www.andersonic.co.uk/ - price £2.20 including UK postage. It will also be available from eBay for a limited period.

If you'd prefer to pay by cheque or PO, you can get in with Andersonic via their website for a postal address. Issues 4 to 10 are still available to buy from the website.

Space:1999 comes to Blu Ray

Don your flares, set your ray guns to stun and prepare to take off on a High Definition journey on the Eagle transporter with the Blu-ray debut of Space 1999 - The Complete First Series.

The cult Gerry Anderson live action series telling the adventures of Moonbase Alpha will be available to own as a 7-disc set on 1st November 2010.

This is the first time that the series is available in High Definition anywhere (a new DVD release has also been announced) and this set comes packed with several special features - although, not, sadly any of John M. Burns superb strips published in the 1970s comic Look-In.

September 13th, 1999... A nuclear waste dump on the moon unexpectedly detonates, blasting the moon out of orbit and taking the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha on a fantastic (although, we have to say, scientifically ludicrous) voyage of discovery to the stars, fraught with danger at every turn. Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Barry Morse star in this memorable fantasy series filmed at Pinewood Studios.

Gerry Anderson's third live action series, Space:1999 sprang from plans for a second season of UFO, which was unexpectedly not renewed despite strong ratings in the US. The first season is a gritty, if often downbeat saga, with critics bemoaning its at times pessimistic storylines when it first aired in the UK.

Like UFO, it suffered from a lack of a co-ordinated network airing across ITV (unlike Gerry Anderson's puppet series, such as Thunderbirds) and ran for just two seasons - the second revamped to bring in an alien shapeshifter, Maya, played by Hungarian actress Catherine Schell, who first guest starred on the show in another role in  Guardian of Piri.

Although not featured on this release, Space:1999 spawned comic strips on both sides of the Atlantic. Look-In (a title today owned by IPC, although it is no longer published) ran a two-page strip for 81 issues, amongst other strips based on popular tv series featured on ITV, alongside sport and pop articles. Written by Look-In's editor Angus Allan, artwork was largely provided by John M Burns and Mike Noble, with covers by Arnaldo Putzu. Mirroring the key date of the series itself, the first episode appeared in Issue 38, cover dated 13th September 1975 and ran for 20 issues.

The strips are regarded by fans as the best Space:1999 comic incarnation, which included a monthly comic published by Charlton Comics in the US featuring early art by John Byrne and in the Italian Farinas-Cardona comics (republished in Zack magazine in Germany).

Special features unique to this Blu-Ray release include digitally restored from new High Definition transfers; a restoration of Metamorph (which saw the debut of Maya) from season 2; Gerry Anderson commentary on Dragon's Domain, one of the scarier episodes of the first season; trailers for Alien Attack and Journey Through the Black Sun; SFX plates and deleted SFX scenes - with music track; a 'Concept and Creation' featurette starring Gerry Anderson, Christopher Penfold and Barry Morse, Christopher Penfold, Brian Johnson and Keith Wilson; and a Special effects and design featurette.

Also included is a "Clapperboard" two-part special on the work of Gerry Anderson from 1975 and "Guardian of Piri Remembered" in which Catherine Schell remembers her time working on the series one episode.

• SPACE 1999 - THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES (PG) 
• Releasd by Network DVD
• Release Date: 1st November 2010
• RRP: £79.99
• Discs: 7
• Running Time:1200 minutes (approximately)
• Screen Ratio:1.33:1 colour. Dolby 5.1
• Catalogue No:7957007

Web Links


• Space: 1999 in Look-In - Overview
• Space: 1999 Look-In Stories Checklist
• Space: 1999 Comics Gallery
• Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History - Space:1999

Andersonic flies back into action with exclusive interview

The latest issue of the ace Gerry Anderson fanzine, Andersonic, is now on sale. Issue 10 features a new interview with former Century 21 writer and director Leo Eaton in which he discusses his time directing the puppet series, writing for Captain Scarlet, what it was like working on Joe 90 and UFO, why he eventually left the series and how he came to work with Ed Wood.

Other features include:-

• Supermerchandisation - A look at how Century 21 revolutionised the marketing of 'tie-in' products in the 1960s. (The Andersonic website has additonal info on this subject)
• Into Infinity - Script to screen feature revealing scenes that didn't make it to the final version plus a new interview with musician Steve Coe.
• Space:1999 - Earthbound - a look at Anthony Terpiloff's episode where Christopher Lee gives everyone an egg and Gerald Simmonds Esq does everything he can to get back to where he once belonged.
• Brink of Disaster Retrospective - four writers evaluate one of Thunderbirds' most stylish episodes. Is complete automation a viable option? Whadda you think!
• UFO - Survival - Michael Billington makes his UFO debut as test pilot Paul Foster in a moon-based episode that explores prejudice and, er, survival.
• Space Patrol - a look at the 1960s series made by former Anderson alumni Arthur Provis and Roberta Leigh, which had an interesting legacy.
• Review Section - New merchandise reviewed.
• SHADO Staff Handbook - What not to do in your new job. Please sign and return to the HR department. What do you mean you don't want a lilac gull-wing company car?
• Joe 90 A-Z - everything you need to know about WIN's 4' 4" Most Special Agent.
• X-Planes Extra - more inspirational designs we couldn't fit in last time. Ever wondered what inspired the design of Thunderbird 1, FAB 1, Supercar and UFO's Lunar Carrier?

• The new issue is available via the website www.andersonic.co.uk - price £2.40 including UK postage. It will also be available from eBay for a limited period. If you'd prefer to pay by cheque or PO, please get in touch for a postal address via the web site. Back issues are also back in print.

Flights Of Fancy: Sci-Fi Air Show

What do ILM special effects men do in their time off? For Bill George, who has an impressive CV that includes original and new Star Wars movies as well as Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Harry Potter and Twilight films, his time off is used to create models of old TV and film spaceships and then to insert them into a real world situation where, if they were indeed real, members of the public would be able to interact with them. To this end he has created the impressive Sci-Fi Air Show.

The website's concept is that the spacecraft that we saw in TV series such as Space:1999, Planet Of The Giants or original Battlestar Galactica were not special effects models but real flying vehicles built for the series that they were used in. Once the filming was completed, they passed into collectors' hands in the same way that older military aircraft can pass into civilian hands and they now have joined the real airshow circuit as many older military aircraft have.

In the same way that a real air show would show off aircraft in the air or in static displays with fighter cockpits and transport aircraft holds open so that visitors can see into them, the Sci-Fi Air Show has photos of Vipers with their canopies up and Eagle transporter pods open for visitors to walk through. George has taken this one step further by providing backgrounds for some of the vehicles, from how they were designed, manufactured and flown in the series, to how they came into the hands of the current owners and the problems those owners had in getting and then keeping them air, and even space, worthy.

The Sci-Fi Air Show currently has three Vipers and a Galactica shuttle from original Battlestar, an Eagle transporter and Hawk attack craft from Space:1999, the Spindrift from Land of the Giants, the Flying Sub from Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and the Orion shuttle from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can also see Star Trek shuttlecraft and a 2001 Moonbus in the backgrounds of some of the photos.

The flying craft are shown on the ground with their undercarriages deployed and often with people queuing to get a better view which, of course, then shows off the size of the original craft. It would be even nicer to see them beside real aircraft with, for instance, the Galactica Vipers beside F-16 Fighting Falcons, the real jet fighters that are nicknamed Vipers by their pilots, or a Space:1999 Eagle beside a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter that was the spaceship's original real world inspiration. Perhaps such ideas will come in further updates to this already impressive site.

• The Sci-Fi Air Show can be found here.

Hammer Films Bray Studios Faces Demolition

Bray Studios - considered the spiritual home of cult British films and the home of Hammer Film Productions for years - could be turned flattened and turned into homes, unless a new campaign to save it succeeds.

Earlier this month, the Maidenhead Advertiser reported that current owners the Bray Management Company says the the operation - set to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year - is struggling to keep up with technological advancements.

Once the home for Hammer Film Productions, a planning application was recently submitted to the Royal Borough for repairs to Grade II listed Down Place, the site’s central building. The application notes that the studios, formerly used to provide offices and facilities in connection with the film business, have been hit hard by the economic downturn and are no longer a viable business - and hinted at plans to turn the historic site into housing.

Down Place was originally bought by Hammer Film Productions for use in their horror films, and then was gradually enlarged to become the studios that exist now. Films shot there include The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein, the Dracula film series and many more.

Other films and television shows have used the studios down the years, including a number of shows produced by Gerry Anderson such as Space:1999 and for effects work on various Doctor Who stories such as Frontier in Space and The Invisible Enemy.

The studios were sold in November 1970, but are still in use for recording, but, as a result of the current recession, faces stiff competition for business from nearby Pinewood Studios and elsewhere.

The plans to level the site for housing came to light in an application to replace the roof and windows of Down Place which were discussed and approved at a Bray Parish Council meeting earlier this month. The documents discussed revealed a further application is likely for extensive work to convert the site into housing.

Fans of Hammer Films and British film history have moved swiftly to highlight the threat, starting a Facebook campaign group, blog and Twitterfeed to raise awareness about the studios' plight,

"We quickly must look at the question of what can be done to help save the Studio," urges campaign organiser and Hammer Films expert Robert Simpson.

"In the first instance we have to assume that a huge volume of cash is needed - Down Place itself is in an unhealthy state of repair. It needs a large amount of work done if the Grade II listed building is to be preserved.

"...According to the information released Bray Studios is no longer viable as a business model - though we would suggest that the Studios need new capital investment to upgrade the equipment and allow it to compete once again," he continues. "The present owners clearly have no intention or desire to do that. Instead they see the chance for a quick profit in residential accommodation that will unburden them of their responsibility. Bray Management Ltd looks at the studios as property rather than a cultural landmark and facility.

"We are open to ideas and suggestions, and ways of raising funds to keep the studios alive and within the film industry," he says, appealing to Hammer Films fans and the wider British film community for support. "We want to maintain its historic integrity, and allow it to flourish. We want it to remain distinctive.

"Perhaps investors can be found with millions to spare on developing, upgrading and protecting the site? Perhaps there is a way we can find for a stay of execution allowing a campaign to build and find the resources before the site is compromised.

"...Bray Studios is a true independent studio space, and some fine examples of British film and television have been made here. Don't let that be destroyed."

Save Bray Studios Campaign

• Save Bray Studios Facebook Campaign Group

• Campaign Blog: braystudios.blogspot.com

• TwitterFeed: http://www.twitter.com/braystudios

Bray Studios Web Links

• Bray Studios: The Studio Tour
Unofficial guide to Bray Studios and its history

• David Rattigan's Bray Studio Guide

British FX designer Mike Trim headlines Andersonic Nine

The latest issue of the brilliant Gerry Anderson 'zine Andersonic (Issue 9) is now available and features a new, nine-page interview with designer Mike Trim, who discusses his work on the Anderson series from Thunderbirds through to UFO. His latest project, Agent Crush - a marionette-oriented spy spoof - is currently in post production.

While there's no comics material this time around, the 44-page magazine does include a feature that recalls a visit to the set of Space:1999's last episode, The Dorcons, in December 1976, and a reappraisal of Gerry Anderson's early supermarionation show, Supercar. Has it been unfairly overlooked in favour of its more colourful descendents? Andersonic argue it's 'most satisfactory'!

"X Marks The Spot" takes a look at the X-Planes and concept aircraft of the 50s and 60s that had such an influence on the designers at Century 21, while "The Roots of UFO" examines the film and literary influences that shaped the format of the Andersons' first live-action series.

Also included are retrospectives of some key episodes from several of the Anderson shows, including UFO's Ordeal, and a look at both sides of the argument when it comes to dating the time period of Thunderbirds, which was re-set to the 2020s in the 1990s.

• Andersonic is available via the website www.andersonic.co.uk - price £2.20 including UK postage and also from eBay for a limited period