The Merchandise GuideComics: Charlton Comics
Compiled by Martin Willey
The Merchandise GuideSee Charlton comics and the 1970s.
Note that this US comics company is not the same as the UK broadcast company Carlton, who owned the rights to Space 1999 from 1999 to 2004. Art by kind permission of Charlton Media Group.
US 1975-6, bimonthly, $1.00 each
Each 68 pages (including 10 pages of adverts -Charles Atlas, mail order, etc). 50-55 pages of art, with 3 stories of 15-20 pages (issue 1 had 4 stories), plus 3 text pieces of 2-4 pages (1 text story in issue 2, series stars/life on Alpha in issues 1, 2 & 5, all others science articles -Moon, computers, nuclear power, etc).
Editor George Wildman, art editor Gray Morrow. All cover paintings (superb colour designs of Koenig & combinations of other characters, scenes & abstract designs) by Gray Morrow. Most art by Gray Morrow, also with Adolfo Buylla, Vicente Alcazar, Pat Boyette, Dick Ayers, Carlos Pino, Ed Davis, Carl Potts, Doug Beekman and Jack Sparling. Writers Mike Pellowski, Nicola Cuti, Joe Gill.
The first covering painting was used for ITC publicity art and appeared on the HG puzzles, the Image Entertainment laserdiscs, the CEL videos in Australia and, adapted, as the wrapper art on the Donruss bubble gum packs and Collegeville Halloween costumes.
Some superb art by Morrow & Alcazar, with good likeness but very stylised equipment & sets. On the other hand, most pages were obviously rushed and some was dreadful (the quality of the printing did not help). Koenig, Victor, Helena & Alan are the heroes and most other regulars are absent. Paul appears briefly - with a beard and based on Art Editor Gray Morrow, not Prentis Hancock. The ITC license specified only the likenesses of Landau, Bain and Morse, which had to be approved by ITC. To avoid paying royalties, they were not allowed to use the features of Tate, Hancock or the other actors. The stories and art feature Carter strongly, reflecting the TV series.
Some of format seemed based on the early 1999 premise (Moon City, Com-Com), but 1999 content was generally incidental. Stories included stock science fiction adventure, supernatural horror, & frequent social conflicts. The quality ranged from indifferent to good. Morrow later became a highly regarded comic-book artist.
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Vol 1 No 1 (Nov 1975) | The Last Moonrise (Nicola Cuti, art by Gray Morrow) Seeds Of Doubt (Joe Gill, art uncredited) Cornucopia (Nicola Cuti, art uncredited) Endgame (Nicola Cuti, art by Gray Morrow) |
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Vol 2 No 2 (Jan 1976) | The Possessed (uncredited; Joe Gill, art by Gray Morrow) E Pluribus Unum (uncredited; Nicola Cuti, art by Vicente Alcazar) The Mind Of The Snark (uncredited; Joe Gill, art by Vicente Alcazar) |
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Vol 2 No 3 (Mar 1976) | The Old Gods Are Not Eternal (Mike Pellowski, uncredited art by Vicente Alcazar) Spores (Mike Pellowski, art by Adolfo Buylla) The Dawn Of Extinction (Nicola Cuti, pencils by Ed Davis, inks by Gray Morrow) |
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Vol 2 No 4 (May 1976) | A Lonely Emperor (Joe Gill, uncredited art by Carlos Pino) Class Determination: Alien Insecta (Mike Pellowski, uncredited art perhaps by Carl Potts, Doug Beekman, Ed Davis) Another Name For Hell (Nicola Cuti, art by Alcazar and Asian) |
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Vol 2 No 5 (Jul 1976) | The Strange Ones (Joe Gill, art by Pat Boyette) An Alien Charm (Joe Gill, art by Dick Ayers) Undisturbed (Nicola Cuti, art by Gray Morrow) |
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Vol 2 No 6 (Aug 1976) | Just Like Home (Joe Gill, art by Adolfo Buylla) Snowball (Nicola Cuti, art by Vicente Alcazar) Paradise Progression (Mike Pellowski, art by Gray Morrow) |
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Vol 2 No 7 (Sep 1976- but according to title page, Vol 2 No 6 Aug 1976) | The Perpetual Metamorphosis (Mike Pellowski, art by Carlos Pino) Cosmic Headache (Nicola Cuti, art by Carl Potts, Doug Beekman, Ed Davis) The Infinity Mechanism (Mike Pellowski, art by Vicente Alcazar) |
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Vol 2 No 8 (Oct 1976) | The Metamorph (Mike Pellowski, art by Gray Morrow) The Primary Life Form (Mike Pellowski, art by Vicente Alcazar) |
U S 1975-6, bimonthly.
36 pages, 11 of which are adverts. One story per issue, generally 22 pages long, plus a 2 page text story. Cover painting by the same artist who did the comic strip.
Editor George Wildman, stories by Nicola Cuti (1-5), John Byrne (6) and Mike Pellowski (7). Art by Joe Staton (1-2), John Byrne (3-6), Pat Boyette (7). Staton worked on the first two issues, before moving to The Six Million Dollar Man, replaced by Byrne as main artist. Byrne would also write the story for issue 6, "Flotsam". For the last issue, Cuti and Byrne had left Charlton, and two Charlton regulars took over, writer Mike Pellowski and artist Pat Boyette. Generally the stories were entertaining. Most stories were based away from Alpha, again with only Koenig, Helena, Victor & Alan.
Each issue contained text stories, somewhat brief and dull, added to reduce US postage rates.
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Vol 1 No 1 (Nov 1975; 25c) | Moonless Night (Breakaway) & Intelligent Species (Joe Staton); text story (non 1999) The Krammerer Effect |
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Vol 2 No 2 (Jan 1976; 25c) | Survival (Joe Staton); text article (factual) The Stars |
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Vol 2 No 3 (Mar 1976; 25c) | Bring Them Back Alive (Byrne); text story The Space Sirens |
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Vol 2 No 4 (May 1976; 30c) | Demon Star (Byrne); text story The Micron Metamorphosis |
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Vol 2 No 5 (Jul 1976; 30c) | Gods Of the Planet Olympus (Byrne); text story The Contaminator |
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Vol 2 No 6 (Sep 1976; 30c, UK 10p) | Flotsam (Byrne); text story The Presence |
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Vol 2 No 7 (Nov 1976; 30c, UK 10p) | Metamorph (story Mike Pellowski, art Pat Boyette) Escape from Vipon (story Mike Pellowski, art Pat Boyette); text story Primitive Planet |
Original art by Pat Boyette for volume 2 number 7. 15" x 10" / 38cm x 15cm
Original art by John Byrne for other comics (thanks to Gordon Moriguchi).
