The Merchandise GuideComics: Zack Comics
Compiled by Martin Willey
The Merchandise GuideChildren's comic magazine, subtitled "The Big Adventure Of Our Time", with some 68 pages of colour comic strips, each having about 10 pages. Only "Mondbasis Alpha 1" was based on a television series. The magazine was 21 x 28 cm. Price was 2,50 DM.
The first mention of the series, in Zack 16 (dated 29 July 1977). "Moonbase Alpha 1. That's the name of the new science fiction hit that ZDF is launching on August 7th! Soon the exciting adventures of "Alpha 1" will also be available in ZACK: hot stories that television doesn't have. Drawn especially for you."
Zack issue 1977/19 had a one page feature about the show, featuring the artist Jose Cardona.
Zack 19 (dated 8 Sept 1977)
|
|
One page introduction to the series, with a picture of Cardona and 3 colour photographs from the series
After the first TV episodes "Moonbase Alpha 1" one thing is clear: This series is a hit! We are all the more pleased, to be able to present you this hit from ZACK 20 onwards! The Spanish illustrator Jose Cardona (32), who has already made a name for himself in America with SF and horror stories, is designing the series for ZACK. He has now been in Hamburg for three days. He came with a sample page of "Alpha l" - and he left with a suitcase full of slides. He needs them as templates for his drawings. Because of course the main characters in the comic should look the same as they do on television. Of the three days in Hamburg, Cardona spent almost two in front of the screen: we played TV cassettes for him on a video recorder. His comment: "Es phantastico", in German: "excellent!" |
There was a regular "Treffpunkt" (Meeting Point) section, with letters and small art from readers, which occasionally featured Space: 1999. For instance, in 1977 issue 23, one reader says "As a SF fan, I'm very happy about "Moon Base Alpha 1". I think it's particularly good that you don't show the stories that have already been shown on TV". A sub-section of this, "Experten Antworten" (Expert Answers), had comic artists answering readers factual questions. This frequently featured Jose Cardona answering questions about space science. There were lists of fan clubs, several for Space: 1999.
Each issue had a preview of the next cover, sometimes with a small Space: 1999 photo. In one example, Cubitus is dressed in an orange spacesuit, as "commander Cubi of Beta 2".
Each issue contained a "Zack info" feature, on one or more factual subjects, particularly cars, planes and motorbikes. In 1977/25 there was a unusual half-page on the Moonbase section colour-codes.
Die Rangabzeichen der Alpha 1 Besatzung
Immerwiedec seitdem die neue Weltraum-Serie ALPHA 1 aus der gleichramigen Fernsehserie bei uns ih ZACK erscheint, erreichen uns Leserbriefe in denen nach der Bedeutung der ÅrmeIstreifen der ondbasis- Mannschaft gefragt wird. Deshalb wolien wir euch an dieser Stelle einmal die verschiedenen Farben erklären, die die jeweiligen Arbeitsbereiche seines Trägers kennzeichnen:
Die Angehörigen der medizinischen Abteilung tragen einen weißen, die Piloten der "AdIer" einen in Orange, der Führungsstab einen roten, die Computeranalytiker einen gelben, das Personal der Datenverarbeitung einen braunen Ärmelstreifen. Der des Commanders ist tiefdunkel. Keinen Streifen tragen die übrigen Wissenschaftler und das Personal der Laboratorien.
The rank insignia of the Alpha crew
Ever since the new space series Space: 1999 from the television series ZACK appeared on our comic, we have been receiving letters to the editor asking about the meaning of the military base crew's armbands. That's why we would like to explain to you at this point the different colours that identify the respective work areas of the wearer:
The members of the medical department wear a white one, pilots of the "Eagle" one in orange, the command staff in red, computer analyst a yellow one, the data processing staff a brown sleeve stripe. The commander's is pitch black. The other scientists and laboratory staff do not wear any stripes.
This half-page advert for the Airfix Eagle appeared in 1978 issue 8.
"Build your own Eagle spaceship...and bring space home!
The Eagle spaceship probes deep into space from the moonbase Alpha and enters the battle between two enemy planets!
The Airfix model is 31 cm long and a futuristic replica of the ideas of TV author Gerry Anderson."
Three issues (1977 issues 23,24 and 25) included 2 free "Space: 1999" Panini stickers with each issue, and an offer for the album (by sending a postcard with your address to Jolly Press in Munich). In turn, the Panini album included promotion for Zack magazine.
There was also a competition in 1977 issue 26 to win the Airfix Eagle kit. The question: who is the Commander of Moonbase Alpha: Joe Jenkins, King Johnson or John Koenig? "Send the coupon with the correct answer to Zack - and you'll be entered into the spaceship raffle. The race is on!".
This also advertised Koralle's novelisation, "Die Katastrophe" ("Now as a book series for the television series! Exciting Alpha 1 books, not as comics, but as great adventure stories, richly and colourfully illustrated with over 70 original television photos"). The competition and the book had a full-page preview in 1977 issue 25.
The next competition was 1978 issue 12 (previewed in Zack 11, which didn't have a Space 1999 strip). The competition was to win "333 Alpha crews up for grabs (...and a monster doll, whose head glows in the dark)". These were the four Mattel figures
Copyright Martin Willey