The original Battlestar Galactica TV show was must-see TV for Teen Groove. That such a short-lived show is so well remembered (and revamped with yet another fan-fave TV show) decades later speaks much for Glenn A. Larson and company. The reality is, though, BG wasn't the huge hit it was meant to be, so it didn't last as long as it deserved. Thank goodness, then, for Marvel Comics. Marvel licensed and adapted BG from the get-go, with the comicbook series outlasting the show by over a year (the TV series lasted from September 1978-April 1979, while the comic lasted 23 issues from December 1978-October 1980). Ol' Groove's all-time favorite is is #16's (March 1980) "Berserker" by Roger McKenzie and Walt Simonson. McKenzie's story is fast-paced and action packed. Plenty of laser-guns and space ships and the coolest Cylon ever. This allowed Simonson to really strut his storytelling stuff, giving us all kinds of wild action angles, explosions, innovative layouts, and cool sound effects. Walt even colored the ish, adding yet another layer of storytelling to his already prodigious artistic arsenal. You're gonna really dig this one, Groove-ophiles!
I love Simonson's short-span work of the '70s. I have several fill-ins like this one. It really shows where he would take Thor and the Fantastic Four in the '80s and '90s. Is it just me, or does this issue's Cylon bear a slight resemblance to Manhunter?
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has 'em, I'd love some postings of the Battlestar Galactica comics from the British Look-In magazine of the '70s-'80s.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, I have a chronology and analysis of Battlestar episodes, comics, and novels at http://battlestar.popapostle.com/