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Space: 1999 - To Everything That Was
September 13th, 1999 - when an atomic accident causes the Moon to be blown out of orbit and hurled into the unknown, the survivors of the lunar bar stationed there launch towards their destiny - and adventures - across the stars!
Set in the continuity of the original series, Space: 1999 - To Everything That Was fills in the gap between the first above second seasons as well as offering a glimpse beyond the gothic science fiction television series Space: 1999, offering an exciting narrative of events that occurred "between the scenes".
This collection is a celebration of the Space: 1999 comics of yesteryear, reprinting the best of the Charlton Comics series and the British Look-in issues along with remastered and unpublished works by comic book legends such as Gray Morrow (Man-Thing, Tarzan, Buck Rogers), John Byrne (Green Lantern, Superboy), and more.
This new edition includes material left out of the 2013 release and offers fans a first-ever look at the unproduced Space: 1999 Season 3 graphic novel series by BLAM! Ventures.
Set in the continuity of the original series, Space: 1999 - To Everything That Was fills in the gap between the first above second seasons as well as offering a glimpse beyond the gothic science fiction television series Space: 1999, offering an exciting narrative of events that occurred "between the scenes".
This collection is a celebration of the Space: 1999 comics of yesteryear, reprinting the best of the Charlton Comics series and the British Look-in issues along with remastered and unpublished works by comic book legends such as Gray Morrow (Man-Thing, Tarzan, Buck Rogers), John Byrne (Green Lantern, Superboy), and more.
This new edition includes material left out of the 2013 release and offers fans a first-ever look at the unproduced Space: 1999 Season 3 graphic novel series by BLAM! Ventures.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2013
About the author
Andrew E.C. Gaska
36 books60 followersWith two decades of experience in the comics and video game industries, author Andrew E.C. Gaska is the Senior Development Editor at Lion Forge LLC. Having previously freelanced for Lion Forge’s Labs division as a script, pitch, and proposal writer, he now generates original IP for the brand, developing both comics and animation projects while working closely with creative teams to guide their vision to fruition.
He is founder/creative director of the guerrilla integrated-media studio BLAM! Ventures, and for the past three years has worked as a freelance franchise consultant to 20TH CENTURY FOX, writing series reference bibles, maintaining continuity, streamlining in-universe canon, and creating detailed timelines for the legacy franchises of ALIEN®, Predator®, and Planet of the Apes®. He was also a sequential storytelling instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York and for seventeen years served as a visual consultant to Rockstar Games on the Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Revolver, and all other releases.
Known as ‘Drew’ to his friends, his online sci-fi and sociopolitical essays on social media and at rogue-reviewer.com draw controversial debate and discussion from all sides. His graphic novels and prose works include Critical Millennium™, Space:1999™, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century®: The Draconian Fire Saga, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes®, Tales from the Forbidden Zone: The Unknown Ape™, and the upcoming novel, Death of the Planet of the Apes®.
Drew resides in Gulf Breeze, Florida with his affectionately glutinous feline, Adrien. Find out more about his upcoming projects at www.blamventures.com
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 20, 2013
I had such high hopes for this book, considering it is fairly rare for any Charlton Comic book to be reprinted, much less the majority of a whole series. But this book is nothing but a COMPLETE disappointment.
"Remastering" to this "author" apparently means rewriting classic stories and imposing his own captions and dialogue. That's defacement and desecration in my book.
The people who would buy this book, the ones who want to read these old Space: 1999 stories want to read the stories as we remember them, not as someone with a Wade Williams complex has "improved" them. If you're not printing those original stories, why bother?
This also does a HUGE disservice to the original writers, Nicola Cuti and John Byrne, since it's basically saying that they didn't write well enough back then, so it's got to be updated for today's audience. Guess what? Cuti and Byrne are both legends in the industry and are still going strong, and their stories stand up today quite well, thank you kindly.
If you wanted a proper reprint of Charlton's Space: 1999 series, this is NOT the book you want to buy. Go spend your money on the original comics and magazines and get the real deal, not this travesty in four colors!
"Remastering" to this "author" apparently means rewriting classic stories and imposing his own captions and dialogue. That's defacement and desecration in my book.
The people who would buy this book, the ones who want to read these old Space: 1999 stories want to read the stories as we remember them, not as someone with a Wade Williams complex has "improved" them. If you're not printing those original stories, why bother?
This also does a HUGE disservice to the original writers, Nicola Cuti and John Byrne, since it's basically saying that they didn't write well enough back then, so it's got to be updated for today's audience. Guess what? Cuti and Byrne are both legends in the industry and are still going strong, and their stories stand up today quite well, thank you kindly.
If you wanted a proper reprint of Charlton's Space: 1999 series, this is NOT the book you want to buy. Go spend your money on the original comics and magazines and get the real deal, not this travesty in four colors!
September 29, 2013
It's very fitting that Andrew Gaska and the Blam! team chose one of the most fondly remembered lines from the british cult-classic series Space: 1999 as the title of this collection of "remastered" comic books based upon the series. Uttered by Professor Victor Bergman (the late Barry Morse) as Moonbase Alpha faced a nearly unavoidable destruction, that line was Professor Bergman's way of recognizing that--even at the worst of times--he had cherished every moment of the journey. And that is what Gaska and his team has done here...cherished what came before. "To Everything the Was" is a loving and painstakingly beautiful tribute not only to the series, but also to the work of all the artists that contributed to the original works as they were produced over 30 years ago.
To Everything that Was contains refurbished versions of those original comic books, but Gaska, while respecting the original material, is not wont to treat them as holy relics. Wisely he and his team not only restored the artwork but embellished it, making relevant in a 21st century, sophisticated graphic novel world. What he also does so wisely is tie all of these disparate works together into a cohesive whole. No, there isn't a specific plot that runs through all of the stories. What Gaska and team does is far more subtle.
Continuing the treatment in the excellent "Aftershock and Awe," Gaska manages to unite the best of season 1 and season 2 of the series -- seasons as different as tone as night and day -- within these remastered works as well. He does so by working these stories into the series timeline, taking characters that had only appeared in season 1 and introducing them to the comic early on. The result is that all of the works together have a story arc feeling, a through-line. Yes, Gaska rewrites some of these stories, but he does so to their betterment. Events that occurred in the series are subtly referenced and deaths (or disappearances) of characters from the 1st season are worked in as well. And it all flows wonderfully.
For me, I already owned all these original comics; so I wasn't looking for a straight re-printing. For me, Gaska managed to breathe new life into these works, augmenting, altering but always respecting the source material. He manages to give comics that are over three decades old a new life, a new relevancy. And in the process, he pays homage To Everything That Was.
To Everything that Was contains refurbished versions of those original comic books, but Gaska, while respecting the original material, is not wont to treat them as holy relics. Wisely he and his team not only restored the artwork but embellished it, making relevant in a 21st century, sophisticated graphic novel world. What he also does so wisely is tie all of these disparate works together into a cohesive whole. No, there isn't a specific plot that runs through all of the stories. What Gaska and team does is far more subtle.
Continuing the treatment in the excellent "Aftershock and Awe," Gaska manages to unite the best of season 1 and season 2 of the series -- seasons as different as tone as night and day -- within these remastered works as well. He does so by working these stories into the series timeline, taking characters that had only appeared in season 1 and introducing them to the comic early on. The result is that all of the works together have a story arc feeling, a through-line. Yes, Gaska rewrites some of these stories, but he does so to their betterment. Events that occurred in the series are subtly referenced and deaths (or disappearances) of characters from the 1st season are worked in as well. And it all flows wonderfully.
For me, I already owned all these original comics; so I wasn't looking for a straight re-printing. For me, Gaska managed to breathe new life into these works, augmenting, altering but always respecting the source material. He manages to give comics that are over three decades old a new life, a new relevancy. And in the process, he pays homage To Everything That Was.
October 27, 2013
A huge volume of remastered comics from the late 1970s about the TV series Space 1999. The stories in this collection happen between season 1 and season 2. I confess to not being the biggest fan of the series at the time it was on. I was young and it didn't ever grab me like Battlestar Galactica did. Based on these comics, I think I need to revisit the series as there is a depth there that I seem to have missed.
Remastered does not mean the same thing as reprinted, so that means these appear to have been largely rewritten. Not having as much familiarity with the source comics, this didn't bother me as much as it might some folks. The setup is a moonbase on Earth's moon is stranded in space when the moon breaks away from the earth. They spend their time trying to find a habitable planet that can be their new home. Along the way, they run into strange beings and circumstances that help and hinder their search. The stories are quite dense and wordy and it took me a while to wade through this 300+ page graphic novel. That's certainly not a complaint as I really liked the stories. The story arcs are also set up as separate "episodes" and grouped together behind gorgeous full color art.
While the characters definitely have a late 1970s look about them (and look like the characters from the show), the stories are dense and very much in the space opera vein that I like quite a lot. Characters die and change and this feels different than episodic Sci-fi. Recommended for SF fans who like stories about lost travellers looking for a home.
I received this as a review copy from Archaia Entertainment, LLC and Netgalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title!
Remastered does not mean the same thing as reprinted, so that means these appear to have been largely rewritten. Not having as much familiarity with the source comics, this didn't bother me as much as it might some folks. The setup is a moonbase on Earth's moon is stranded in space when the moon breaks away from the earth. They spend their time trying to find a habitable planet that can be their new home. Along the way, they run into strange beings and circumstances that help and hinder their search. The stories are quite dense and wordy and it took me a while to wade through this 300+ page graphic novel. That's certainly not a complaint as I really liked the stories. The story arcs are also set up as separate "episodes" and grouped together behind gorgeous full color art.
While the characters definitely have a late 1970s look about them (and look like the characters from the show), the stories are dense and very much in the space opera vein that I like quite a lot. Characters die and change and this feels different than episodic Sci-fi. Recommended for SF fans who like stories about lost travellers looking for a home.
I received this as a review copy from Archaia Entertainment, LLC and Netgalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title!
July 24, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The is a wonderful and lovingly remastered collection of the 1975-79 British comic series. At 300+ pages, there is a lot here to like.
The comic series bridged the gap between season 1 and season 2 of the TV series. Unconstrained by real life limits, budget, time, sets, actors, etc., we have the opportunity to really expand on the characters, give them more robust aliens and worlds, but still keep the spirit of the series intact.
The restoration compiled the best of the series, remastered them, and included absolutely gorgeous full color art between the chapters. The chapters themselves are set up like the episodes - with an intro and then preview of the upcoming episode/chapter. I can almost hear the two seasons' themes when I was reading.
I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it was to be taken back to the time of being a 10 year old girl and watching Maya transform, Koenig bluster, Eagles blown up, and lots of drama. Although I have the DVD set, the comic fills in a lot of details about the characters and behind the scenes of the episodes that wouldn't make it onto TV.
Although I have a digital copy, I will be purchasing the physical version as well. I want that larger format.
Obviously, this is ideal for the Space 1999 or sci fi fan. But really, there's a lot here for the comic/graphic novel collector as well. Although very 'talky' and busy as was the style of the era, there's so much to digest and go over. This is a large volume with a lot of content that will provide enjoyment over quite a long period of time. A great value for the money.
A quality book, great content, and highly recommended.
Received as an ARC from the publisher.
January 12, 2024
Space 1999 is a show from my childhood that I loved. A live action TV show from Gerry Anderson about the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha following a nuclear explosion on the moon that tears it out of earth orbit and begins its journey through space where the Alphans meet all manner of alien life while they are looking for a new home. The show run for 2 seasons in the 1970s.
This book brings together reprinting some of the Charlton and Look-in comic strips plus some unpublished strips.
The artwork is amazing, and this large size volume gives us a great look at that artwork.
The stories span across both seasons of the show plus more from what may have been series 3 if things had been different.
My only gripe is the color choice for the personal logs in same stories make it really hard to read the text when a dark background color is used but this really is a minor gripe.
A must have for fans of the show.
This book brings together reprinting some of the Charlton and Look-in comic strips plus some unpublished strips.
The artwork is amazing, and this large size volume gives us a great look at that artwork.
The stories span across both seasons of the show plus more from what may have been series 3 if things had been different.
My only gripe is the color choice for the personal logs in same stories make it really hard to read the text when a dark background color is used but this really is a minor gripe.
A must have for fans of the show.
June 16, 2013
I... I wrote this, didn't I? Oh! Ok. Yes! I wrote this!
September 19, 2013
You can read my review on my blog. Click (or copy) the link: http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.co...
November 29, 2014
Quite essential for fans, uncannily evocative of the show itself.
July 9, 2026
Nostalgic
August 31, 2016
There was an awful lot of hype that hit the airwaves before Space: 1999, the television series, hit local stations. Star Trek, despite having been off the air for six years, was just beginning to reach a great deal of fame. So a new sci-fi series, by someone with a track record (U.F.O and Thuderbirds Are Go) was much anticipated.
And of course once you have a television series that's a moderate success...merchandising will follow (and in many cases, lead the way). Part of that merchandising is comic books.
The success (if there was such) for the Space: 1999 comics was the (generally) fantastic artwork. With the talents of Gray Morrow and John Byrne, it's easy to see why anyone would want to pick up this book. Sadly, not all the art is up to this standard. Even in this collection there is some in which I can't tell the characters apart.
So now we come to... Why this? Why now?
Space: 1999 hasn't undergone a major revival (that I'm aware of), so what was the motivating factor to 'remaster' these comics? Someone, I suspect had fond memories of the books and had the means to have a go at it.
But while I was reading these books, enjoying the art, I thought to myself, "Wow...I don't remember these books being so dreadfully boring! Has age dulled them?" That was when I looked in to their writing and discovered that 'remastered' is another way of saying 'rewriting' or 'imposing my stories on this artwork.' It's actually an interesting idea, but only valuable if it's an improvement. This is not.
I wouldn't mind re-reading a collection of old Space: 1999 comics, but this isn't it.
Two stars, for the art.
Looking for a good book? Pass this one up and pick up some of the old Charlton comics on eBay.
This review originally published in blog, Looking For a Good Book.
And of course once you have a television series that's a moderate success...merchandising will follow (and in many cases, lead the way). Part of that merchandising is comic books.
The success (if there was such) for the Space: 1999 comics was the (generally) fantastic artwork. With the talents of Gray Morrow and John Byrne, it's easy to see why anyone would want to pick up this book. Sadly, not all the art is up to this standard. Even in this collection there is some in which I can't tell the characters apart.
So now we come to... Why this? Why now?
Space: 1999 hasn't undergone a major revival (that I'm aware of), so what was the motivating factor to 'remaster' these comics? Someone, I suspect had fond memories of the books and had the means to have a go at it.
But while I was reading these books, enjoying the art, I thought to myself, "Wow...I don't remember these books being so dreadfully boring! Has age dulled them?" That was when I looked in to their writing and discovered that 'remastered' is another way of saying 'rewriting' or 'imposing my stories on this artwork.' It's actually an interesting idea, but only valuable if it's an improvement. This is not.
I wouldn't mind re-reading a collection of old Space: 1999 comics, but this isn't it.
Two stars, for the art.
Looking for a good book? Pass this one up and pick up some of the old Charlton comics on eBay.
This review originally published in blog, Looking For a Good Book.
August 29, 2013
Seventies science fiction colour comic collection (series one). After an atomic accident, the moon is blasted out of Earth orbit, stranding the people who are stuck on moon base unable to return to Earth.
Influence from tv scripts leads to densely worded panels with speech bubbles overlapping frames. The likeness of character art to the TV actors is quite strong.
There is a gap in the stories between 1471 days and 2468 days. Apparently the Dorcon incident is one story which occurred during the gap and is omitted. According to a chronology at the end, those omitted stories are available in series two. Various stories are available in other series.
There is a cover gallery at the end (four covers per page).
I read a review copy from the publisher.
Influence from tv scripts leads to densely worded panels with speech bubbles overlapping frames. The likeness of character art to the TV actors is quite strong.
There is a gap in the stories between 1471 days and 2468 days. Apparently the Dorcon incident is one story which occurred during the gap and is omitted. According to a chronology at the end, those omitted stories are available in series two. Various stories are available in other series.
There is a cover gallery at the end (four covers per page).
I read a review copy from the publisher.
December 27, 2023
A pedantic approach to reprinted "Space 1999" comics (English and American) the serves mostly to add an extra layer of dullness to some very sub-par artwork. I'd give it one less star if it wasn't for the bright flashes produced by Mike Noble's lovely artwork that mostly shows the rest of the book up for what it might have been.
September 25, 2013
Beautifully crafted volume and a wonderful way to revisit the series. Completely true to the spirit of the show and brings the original comic art to life in a compelling and contemporary manner. Can't recommend it enough to fellow fans of the show or the crazy goodness that was Charlton comics.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews