In December, 1979, Trekkers and Trekkies from all over the universe were thrilled with the prospects of watching Kirk, Spock, and the whole Enterprise crew up on the big screen. With the original cast and a huge budget, it seemed like we were in for a far-out flick. Most of us, though, left the theaters less than thrilled. The film was kind of a dud, but it still spawned a ton of sequels (some of them were great!). Not only that, but it also gave those of us who were ST and Marvel fans what we'd been longing for--a Star Trek comic from Marvel. It all started with today's subject, Marvel Super-Special #15, in which Marv Wolfman, Dave Cockrum, and Klaus Janson adapt STtMP (and actually make the comic more interesting than the film). Marvel reprinted the adaptation in the first three issues its the standard Star Trek comic (January-March, 1980). Issue #4 (April, 1980) was also by Wolfman, Cockrum, and Janson, but after that, as was Marvel's wont at the time, the book fell into a continual barrage of changing writers and artists. A lack of regular creative teams, as well as a lack of general direction (the too many cooks syndrome) took the book on a downward spiral until Marvel finally pulled the plug with issue #18 (November, 1981). Still, it was worth digging through the garbage to find the jewels.Get out the popcorn! Set your phasers to stun! Ahead warp one! And don't forget to beam up when you're done!
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I know it took a while, but it was a fun trip down memory lane. I remember seeing this movie as a child in the theater and not having a clue what was going on until my parents explained later what V-ger was. I miss the days when they would put out quality full-color comic adaptations like this.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great adaptation. Cockrum was the perfect choice to draw Star Trek.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, fellas!
ReplyDelete