Births:
Freddie Adkins (1894); Barry Kitson (1957); Lee Brimmicombe-Wood (1963)
Notable Events:
The first issue of Viz was collected from the printers in 1979.
Willie Rushton hosted the ninth episode of Friday Night, Saturday Morning, on BBC 2, in 1979.
John Wagner, Alan Grant and Simon Bisley attended a Judge Dredd/Batman: Judgement on Gotham signing at Virgin Megastore, Marble Arch, London, in 1991.
Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD released on DVD in 2015.
Showing posts with label Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2018
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Space Precinct #6
30 Jan 1996. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Colin MacNeil.
Contents:
Colin MacNeil's cover, featuring Orrin and Romek, is a stylish affair, placing a squad car front and centre in a hint towards a complete story, Cruise Control, in this issue. Ridout's introduction continues to request readers to send in "drawings, paintings, sculptures, potato prints," suggesting that word of cancellation was very late into production, though the lack of a "next issue" plug hints at there being at least some indication as to the title's fate.
The aforementioned Cruise Control is the kind of story which highlights character, without sacrificing plot, or credibility, and is one of the best glimpses into the Space Precinct universe - brief, to the point, and very amusing. Grist manages to pack a lot of information into very few pages, delivering something which is both perfectly suited to the franchise and yet feels fresh.
A further reprint from FAB is a sign that all is not right with the back-up features. It is difficult to pinpoint why the extracts are so unsatisfying when there are clearly very talented, intelligent, and articulate people involved, and the conclusion must be the extreme lack of space allocated to these pieces. Had more room been placed aside, we might have discovered more about the series' workings, and the hurdles which needed to be overcome.
Reading that things are great, and no trouble at all, is boring. The hint of a challenge - as Jerome Willis describes whirring servos during scenes - and suddenly the set comes alive. Knowing that every line of dialogue requires post-production tinkering brings to us a feeling of peeking, however slightly, and however briefly, behind the curtain to see how the trick is performed.
The final three Roll Call installments, featuring Brogan's family, does a fine job of bringing the characters inner lives to light, though the slang used to exemplify the children's dialogue is painful. A problem which crops up remarkably often in titles, and is extremely evident here, is the re-use of identical images on the same page - Sally Brogan's headshot being placed at the top and bottom of the page. It's never a good idea to do this, and the duplication is not sufficiently spaced apart to mitigate any sense of penny-pinching.
A cutaway of Demeter City Hospital highlights one of the most underused elements throughout the franchise. We know that bio-mechanical engineering exists in the series, though how advanced this surgery is - for example, we never see a human receiving artificial limbs capable of replicating full movement. Artificial eyes, oft-used in SF, is never broached, nor is the possibility of inter-species bio-compatibility, raising the disturbing question of where blood supplies for species not otherwise seen is obtained.
While not up to the standards of the opening installment, True Believers continues to throw ideas at the page as if there's no tomorrow. There wasn't a tomorrow for the title, but still... It's interesting to see reactions from Romek and Orrin to the rioters, although not enough context to the background of the One True Path has been peppered throughout the franchise to make their appearance more than Plot Device of the Week #42.
The dramatic conclusion, in which Matt is injured, leaves the issue with a thrilling cliff-hanger which is very promising. It's infuriating that a conclusion to the story wasn't published in the title's run, but at least there is the collections...
With a final surge of exceptional content, Space Precinct ends on a high.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Colin MacNeil.
Contents:
2 Also Available from Manga Publishing in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files #09 (Feb 1996).
3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia
4 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Manga Books Mail Order (half page) advertisement for Grantham Book Services.
5 Cruise Control w: Paul Grist; a: Colin MacNeil, lettering by Elitta Fell, colouring by Nigel Parkinson.
11 Space Precinct Fun Packs to be Won! competition; photographs (uncredited).
12 The Illusionists, part two, Breeding Aliens text feature by Jim Swallow; photographs (uncredited).
14 Captain Courageous Jerome Willis & Christine Glanville interviewed by Ralph Titterton; photographs (uncredited).
r: FAB Magazine (Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society) #19 ().
16 Roll Call Sally Brogan / Matthew Brogan (half page) / Elizabeth Brogan (half page) fact files by Lee Brimmicombe Wood; photographs (uncredited).
18 Demeter General Hospital [City of Demeter Department of Interplanetary Health] cutaway by Graham Bleathman.
20 Case Review True Believers recap.
21 True Believers, part two, w: Simon Jowett; a: Graham Manley, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.
33 Crimewatch readers mail.
34 Episode Guide Body and Soul recap by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).
35 Hot New Game advertisement for Upper Deck's Sumo Dudes
23 Outrageous Characters & Retro-Mecha Action at its Best! in-house advertisement for Giant Robo videocassettes.
Colin MacNeil's cover, featuring Orrin and Romek, is a stylish affair, placing a squad car front and centre in a hint towards a complete story, Cruise Control, in this issue. Ridout's introduction continues to request readers to send in "drawings, paintings, sculptures, potato prints," suggesting that word of cancellation was very late into production, though the lack of a "next issue" plug hints at there being at least some indication as to the title's fate.
The aforementioned Cruise Control is the kind of story which highlights character, without sacrificing plot, or credibility, and is one of the best glimpses into the Space Precinct universe - brief, to the point, and very amusing. Grist manages to pack a lot of information into very few pages, delivering something which is both perfectly suited to the franchise and yet feels fresh.
Demeter City is a diverse place, an interstellar melting pot of races and species from across the galaxy, some of whom are only out for a quick credit and not all of them ready to do it legally. Here, Humans from Earth are side-by-side with Creons from the planet Danae, Tarns from Simter, and a host of others like Xyronites and Saganians, as well as less well-known and often highly dangerous aliens liket the Meki, the Snake and the morphing murderess Aleesha.Jim Swallow's The Illusionists feature, on alien prosthetics featured in the series, doesn't go into detail on the creation of the suits or animatronics, but offers enough of an insight into the unbelievable turnaround required in order to meet demands - it is barely imaginable that such complex designs are so rapidly manufactured in screen-ready form. Without seeing the workings of the facial appliances, we can only ponder the processes involved.
A further reprint from FAB is a sign that all is not right with the back-up features. It is difficult to pinpoint why the extracts are so unsatisfying when there are clearly very talented, intelligent, and articulate people involved, and the conclusion must be the extreme lack of space allocated to these pieces. Had more room been placed aside, we might have discovered more about the series' workings, and the hurdles which needed to be overcome.
Reading that things are great, and no trouble at all, is boring. The hint of a challenge - as Jerome Willis describes whirring servos during scenes - and suddenly the set comes alive. Knowing that every line of dialogue requires post-production tinkering brings to us a feeling of peeking, however slightly, and however briefly, behind the curtain to see how the trick is performed.
The final three Roll Call installments, featuring Brogan's family, does a fine job of bringing the characters inner lives to light, though the slang used to exemplify the children's dialogue is painful. A problem which crops up remarkably often in titles, and is extremely evident here, is the re-use of identical images on the same page - Sally Brogan's headshot being placed at the top and bottom of the page. It's never a good idea to do this, and the duplication is not sufficiently spaced apart to mitigate any sense of penny-pinching.
A cutaway of Demeter City Hospital highlights one of the most underused elements throughout the franchise. We know that bio-mechanical engineering exists in the series, though how advanced this surgery is - for example, we never see a human receiving artificial limbs capable of replicating full movement. Artificial eyes, oft-used in SF, is never broached, nor is the possibility of inter-species bio-compatibility, raising the disturbing question of where blood supplies for species not otherwise seen is obtained.
While not up to the standards of the opening installment, True Believers continues to throw ideas at the page as if there's no tomorrow. There wasn't a tomorrow for the title, but still... It's interesting to see reactions from Romek and Orrin to the rioters, although not enough context to the background of the One True Path has been peppered throughout the franchise to make their appearance more than Plot Device of the Week #42.
The dramatic conclusion, in which Matt is injured, leaves the issue with a thrilling cliff-hanger which is very promising. It's infuriating that a conclusion to the story wasn't published in the title's run, but at least there is the collections...
With a final surge of exceptional content, Space Precinct ends on a high.
Space Precinct
Monday, November 19, 2018
Space Precinct #5
16 Jan 1996. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Tony Luke.
Contents:
The penultimate issue, featuring a somewhat Tarantino-esque cover courtesy of Tony Luke, has a breath of life injected into the issue which makes it stand out, even among the stellar work published so far. True Believers, the first strip of the issue, opens with a dramatic image of a derelict spaceship , and opens out the world of the characters with an idea which would later form a central part of Babylon 5's spin-off series, Crusade.
Brogan and Haldane stop a hooded figure assaulting a Creon, and discover that it is Professor Sondra Conway, head anthropologist from the expedition. Taken to talk to Captain Podly, she informs the officers that the explosion which destroyed the vessel, and which killed all but one of her friends and colleagues, was no accident. Her actions that night were in order to receive information about a sole shipment of artifacts from the vessel, stolen before it reached Pan-Simter Museum. The young Creon claimed he could lead Sondra to stolen relics, for a price, but had been frightened into reneging on their deal.
There are a lot of elements in play in the first installment which hint at the scope of worlds away from that seen in the series, and it is a shame we don't get to spend more time on the archaeological site. A peace rally is a little too mundane following the initial pages, though gives a good indication of variety within Demeter city, allowing tension to be ratcheted up a few notches.
Bleathman's Space Hopper cutaway calls to mind Red Dwarf's Bug shuttle, a pleasingly aware colour scheme (Thunderbird 2 not far from thought), though is slightly too clean and showroom-fresh to convince as a day-to-day vehicle. It is a problem with much of televisual SF, and attendant spin-offs, so it isn't a critical problem.
Mary Woodvine comes across as someone thrown into the deep end, and left to sink or swim, in Mind Over Matter. Despite the extensive make-up and appliances constraining her ability to perform with nuances, she seems remarkably chilled out about her experiences. Simone Bendix's interview, pulled from FAB, doesn't reveal nearly as much of her personality. It would have been nice for someone to quiz the cast on how they saw their characters progressing, especially as a darker second season had (to whatever degree) been considered.
Timebomb is a quick little story which contains a solidly alien threat, allows Romek and Took to shine in the limelight, and has a twist ending which feels satisfying. It isn't, unfortunately, a startlingly original tale, but it is fun - for a series which veers inconsistently from dark and tormented to light and breezy it makes a nice pause between more dramatic material. Introducing temporal mechanics to the equipment already seen is, perhaps, not the most original notion, but raises plenty of time-travel options for writers to play with.
Delightfully, and bizarrely, The Adventures of Twizzle and Torchy the Battery Boy are featured in Blast from the Past, which looks at the early days of Anderson's career. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, the piece moves on quickly to Four Feather Falls, then Supercar, without spending enough time to really delve deeper into the series than the most basic overview. While these series have had retrospectives elsewhere, it would have been greatly appreciated to receive more than "this thing exists, so... yeah," which is pretty much the approach taken.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Tony Luke.
Contents:
2 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Telephone Collector Phonecards (half page) advertisement for P & J Promotions.
3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia
4 Double the Pages! Double the Action! in-house advertisement for Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition.
5 True Believers, part one, w: Simon Jowett; a: Graham Manley, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.
17 Roll Call Officer Aurelia Took fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood; photographs (uncredited).
18 Space Hopper [Specifications for a VW118-GB] cutaway by Graham Bleathman.
20 Mind Over Matter Mary Woodvine interview by Jim Swallow; photographs (uncredited)
22 Soundbite Simone Bendix interview by Ralph Titterton; photographs (uncredited).
r: FAB Magazine (Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society) #19 ().
23 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct
24 Crimewatch readers mail.
25 Limited Edition Space Precinct Phone Cards to be Won! competition; photographs (uncredited).
26 Timebomb w: Cory MacRae; p: Andrew Currie, i: Graham Higgins, lettering by Peter Nichols, colouring by Nigel Parkinson.
32 Blast from the Past, part one, Twizzle to Supercar text feature by Chris Bentley; photographs (uncredited).
34 Episode Guide The Snake recap by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).
35 It Found it's Voice... Now it Needs a Body - Ghost in the Shell in-house advertisement for cinematic release.
36 From the Hidden Files of the FBI in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files Special Edition.
The penultimate issue, featuring a somewhat Tarantino-esque cover courtesy of Tony Luke, has a breath of life injected into the issue which makes it stand out, even among the stellar work published so far. True Believers, the first strip of the issue, opens with a dramatic image of a derelict spaceship , and opens out the world of the characters with an idea which would later form a central part of Babylon 5's spin-off series, Crusade.
Deep space archaeology.Writing found aboard the ship contains vague similarities to ancient Tarn and Classical Creon scripts, but remain untranslated.
Long range scanners and space suits have replaced ancient maps and shovels, but the same questions occupy the minds of every member of the team:
What is it? Where does it come from? When was it built?...
Brogan and Haldane stop a hooded figure assaulting a Creon, and discover that it is Professor Sondra Conway, head anthropologist from the expedition. Taken to talk to Captain Podly, she informs the officers that the explosion which destroyed the vessel, and which killed all but one of her friends and colleagues, was no accident. Her actions that night were in order to receive information about a sole shipment of artifacts from the vessel, stolen before it reached Pan-Simter Museum. The young Creon claimed he could lead Sondra to stolen relics, for a price, but had been frightened into reneging on their deal.
There are a lot of elements in play in the first installment which hint at the scope of worlds away from that seen in the series, and it is a shame we don't get to spend more time on the archaeological site. A peace rally is a little too mundane following the initial pages, though gives a good indication of variety within Demeter city, allowing tension to be ratcheted up a few notches.
Bleathman's Space Hopper cutaway calls to mind Red Dwarf's Bug shuttle, a pleasingly aware colour scheme (Thunderbird 2 not far from thought), though is slightly too clean and showroom-fresh to convince as a day-to-day vehicle. It is a problem with much of televisual SF, and attendant spin-offs, so it isn't a critical problem.
Mary Woodvine comes across as someone thrown into the deep end, and left to sink or swim, in Mind Over Matter. Despite the extensive make-up and appliances constraining her ability to perform with nuances, she seems remarkably chilled out about her experiences. Simone Bendix's interview, pulled from FAB, doesn't reveal nearly as much of her personality. It would have been nice for someone to quiz the cast on how they saw their characters progressing, especially as a darker second season had (to whatever degree) been considered.
Timebomb is a quick little story which contains a solidly alien threat, allows Romek and Took to shine in the limelight, and has a twist ending which feels satisfying. It isn't, unfortunately, a startlingly original tale, but it is fun - for a series which veers inconsistently from dark and tormented to light and breezy it makes a nice pause between more dramatic material. Introducing temporal mechanics to the equipment already seen is, perhaps, not the most original notion, but raises plenty of time-travel options for writers to play with.
Delightfully, and bizarrely, The Adventures of Twizzle and Torchy the Battery Boy are featured in Blast from the Past, which looks at the early days of Anderson's career. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, the piece moves on quickly to Four Feather Falls, then Supercar, without spending enough time to really delve deeper into the series than the most basic overview. While these series have had retrospectives elsewhere, it would have been greatly appreciated to receive more than "this thing exists, so... yeah," which is pretty much the approach taken.
Space Precinct
#6
Friday, November 16, 2018
Space Precinct #4
19 Dec 1995. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Mick Austin.
Contents:
Mick Austin is a very talented artist, able to inject a great deal of life - realistic details, and a sense of humanity - into a single image. A (surely unintended) side-effect of maintaining such fidelity to the cast's appearance highlights a critical problem with the source material, and it is something which, once considered, can never be scrubbed completely from the mind:
Slomo is a less advanced version of Metal Mickey. In space.
He even looks like he's made of plastic in Austin's image. It is, as I've said, a wonderful painting of the officers in a moment of relaxation, away from the usual drama, allowing them to be seen as more than their duties, but by hewing so close to reality it negatively affects my perception of the character. There's even a detectable hint of Omnibot 2000 and Nintendo' R.O.B. in his genetic (or rather programming) code, which makes him even less credible as an assistant to police operations. Whenever such a robot is central to a television series, credibility issues inevitably arise.
Let down by the final page, in which that old television standard of everyone chortling at an unfunny joke, as the scene fades to black before the closing credits, creeps into the story. I dislike the original Star Trek series because of those moments of forced levity, and the formula is no better here. Artificially ending every story with a moment of jocularity is an ill-advised move, and the story's theme of inter-species war does not immediately suggest humour as a means with which to round out the strip.
If Schindler's List ended with someone cracking a joke, the remaining characters laughing and smiling as the credits roll, there would have been outrage and protests. World War II was fought on a single planet, with (even by today's standards) primitive weapons. Space Precinct is set in a universe filled with alien species, and the subject of the plot is a relic of an inter-planetary war with advanced bio-mechanical weapons capable of devastating damage. A modicum of respect in-universe would have been appropriate - closing the plot with a memorial for the dead, a quote from the Creon leader during the conflict in a text box, seemingly more appropriate.
Graham Bleathman's cutaway makes clear further issues with the design of Slomo. In a busy scene (in the show), or in a crowded panel full of happenings (in comic strips), the robot isn't so noticeably awful, but in isolation, and in such scope, deficiencies are painfully apparent. Even Bleep would be embarrassed hanging around with this tin can.
Covering the series' special effects work, The Illusionists uses Bugs as one of Bill Pearson's credits, as if we are meant to nod in agreement with his being part of crafting such a stellar piece of quality television. I'm sure he's proud of the work featured in that series, but - as both drama, and SF - the series was abysmal, and it is worrying that a more discerning tone isn't taken when discussing his involvement in Space Precinct. If you refer to earlier works, then the overwhelming urge should be to point out that the current project is better than everything which has gone before.
The original pilot, Space Police, is (finally) covered, with photographs from the production. Had there been more consideration, the preliminary footwork - sketches, character notes, and rough plotlines - would have appeared first, then the pilot, and finally leading in to an extensive look at the show from which the title is based, grounding readers in the long history which brought the series to screen.
Tom, Dick, and Harry, the alien police officers who appear to be based on humanoid cats, are conspicuously absent from Space Precinct, and one can only wonder at the possibilities had they been included. It was, in retrospect, a wise move, distancing the production from accusations of pilfering from Larry Niven, though the unfortunate appearance of the make-up might also have required their reconsideration. There are a few ideas which are mentioned as having been part of the original story that don't sound particularly well-considered, and their exclusion must be seen as a good thing.
Officer Cathy Costello, whose ability to generate an impenetrable black shell around her, should have been included in the show, as it is something which sounds like it might provided opportunity for great action scenes. Guyver-esque transformations are too few and far between to constitute anything resembling a consistent character type - the only other example of a similarly-attributed character which comes to mind is DC Comics' Blue Beetle, in a series with numerous subtle allusions to his bio-boosted inspiration.
Calling Space Police's villain V. Lann, and his sidekick E. Vile, smacks of desperation.
The seasonal story, Christmas Spirit, tying in with the cover illustration, opens with the precinct in turmoil - overworked and understaffed, the officers attempt to cope with the deluge of cases. Slomo reports an incident at Bracy's department store uptown, and, sensing an opportunity to escape from the madness surrounding him, Podly decides to personally investigate, taking Slomo along with him. Well... he might come in handy if criminals start shooting - not that I'm suggesting Podly would throw Slomo into the line of fire as a distraction.
It turns out that the robot Santa has gone crazy, and has taken Mr. Bracy and several children hostage in the toy department. Well, now we know where Futurama got the idea. Having been told that Santa doesn't really exist, the robot began giving away everything in the department for free, and when staff attempted to shut it down, it raided the toy department's armoury and gatecrashed Mr. Bracy's children's te party.
Wait. THE TOY DEPARTMENT HAS AN ARMOURY?
Slomo rushes in to talk robot-to-robot with the rogue Santa, and narrowly avoids a being shot. So close... Maybe next time, huh, Podly?
The level of artwork is superb throughout, and the storytelling better than anticipated (with a few minor concerns) - this really did feel, for about fifteen minutes, as if it was going to challenge other notable SF series' of the nineties for longevity, and this title would have been perfectly positioned to exploit the demand been present.
As the series draws to an untimely close, I can't help but feel disappointment in the lack of foresight shown by network executives in cancelling it.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by Mick Austin.
Contents:
2 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Telephone Collector Phonecards (half page) advertisement for P & J Promotions.
3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia
4 Case Review The Last Warrior recap.
5 The Last Warrior, part four, w: Ian Carney; a: John Erasmus, art assist by Ronit Bergman, Jon Davis, Madeleine Wurzburger & Isabelle Vialle, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.
17 Space Precinct Videos to be Won! competition; photographs (uncredited).
18 Slomo cutaway by Graham Bleathman.
20 The Illusionists, part one, Cities, Worlds and Starships text feature by Jim Swallow, contributions from Steve Begg, Bill Pearson & Alan Marques (of The Magic Camera Company); photographs (uncredited)
23 Double the Pages! Double the Action! in-house advertisement for Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition.
24 Star Laws text feature by Ralph Titterton; photographs (uncredited).
26 Christmas Spirit w: Stephen Jewell; a: Gary Chaloner, lettering by Gary Chaloner.
32 Roll Call Captain Rexton Podly fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood; photographs (uncredited).
33 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct
34 Episode Guide Flash recap by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).
35 It Found it's Voice... Now it Needs a Body - Ghost in the Shell in-house advertisement for cinematic release.
36 From the Hidden Files of the FBI in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files Special Edition.
Mick Austin is a very talented artist, able to inject a great deal of life - realistic details, and a sense of humanity - into a single image. A (surely unintended) side-effect of maintaining such fidelity to the cast's appearance highlights a critical problem with the source material, and it is something which, once considered, can never be scrubbed completely from the mind:
Slomo is a less advanced version of Metal Mickey. In space.
He even looks like he's made of plastic in Austin's image. It is, as I've said, a wonderful painting of the officers in a moment of relaxation, away from the usual drama, allowing them to be seen as more than their duties, but by hewing so close to reality it negatively affects my perception of the character. There's even a detectable hint of Omnibot 2000 and Nintendo' R.O.B. in his genetic (or rather programming) code, which makes him even less credible as an assistant to police operations. Whenever such a robot is central to a television series, credibility issues inevitably arise.
After an emergency briefing, all available officers head out from the 88th Precinct.The Last Warrior, rattling along with as much style as anything else from Gerry Anderson's prodigious creative mind, hits a minor, though surmountable, problem in the latest installment. The five-armed bio-weapon, glowing with power, appears to have been dropped into the Space Precinct universe from an episode of Power Rangers, though it is so stylishly rendered that the incongruity of its appearance is largely mitigated. Largely. There's a lingering sense that this is out of place in a universe where attempts have largely been made to stick close to believable drama.
Brogan and Haldane accompany Officers Castle and Took to search Lower Downtown for the living weapon.
The last warrior's song now reaches a crescendo.There's significant problems in dealing with the living weapon - immense, and psychically-resistant, there appears no means by which to take it down without unacceptable collateral damage accruing around the officers. Brogan has an idea which might just work, but time is running out...
"O dark lord above, accept this offering," the lyrics implore.
"The blood sacrifice of a billion sould to restore the honour of the Ka-Llan people after their dishonourable defeat at the hands of the Creons!"
What he doesn't realise is that the Ka-Llan-Creon War was a damp squib that ended over twenty years ago!
Let down by the final page, in which that old television standard of everyone chortling at an unfunny joke, as the scene fades to black before the closing credits, creeps into the story. I dislike the original Star Trek series because of those moments of forced levity, and the formula is no better here. Artificially ending every story with a moment of jocularity is an ill-advised move, and the story's theme of inter-species war does not immediately suggest humour as a means with which to round out the strip.
If Schindler's List ended with someone cracking a joke, the remaining characters laughing and smiling as the credits roll, there would have been outrage and protests. World War II was fought on a single planet, with (even by today's standards) primitive weapons. Space Precinct is set in a universe filled with alien species, and the subject of the plot is a relic of an inter-planetary war with advanced bio-mechanical weapons capable of devastating damage. A modicum of respect in-universe would have been appropriate - closing the plot with a memorial for the dead, a quote from the Creon leader during the conflict in a text box, seemingly more appropriate.
Graham Bleathman's cutaway makes clear further issues with the design of Slomo. In a busy scene (in the show), or in a crowded panel full of happenings (in comic strips), the robot isn't so noticeably awful, but in isolation, and in such scope, deficiencies are painfully apparent. Even Bleep would be embarrassed hanging around with this tin can.
Covering the series' special effects work, The Illusionists uses Bugs as one of Bill Pearson's credits, as if we are meant to nod in agreement with his being part of crafting such a stellar piece of quality television. I'm sure he's proud of the work featured in that series, but - as both drama, and SF - the series was abysmal, and it is worrying that a more discerning tone isn't taken when discussing his involvement in Space Precinct. If you refer to earlier works, then the overwhelming urge should be to point out that the current project is better than everything which has gone before.
The original pilot, Space Police, is (finally) covered, with photographs from the production. Had there been more consideration, the preliminary footwork - sketches, character notes, and rough plotlines - would have appeared first, then the pilot, and finally leading in to an extensive look at the show from which the title is based, grounding readers in the long history which brought the series to screen.
Tom, Dick, and Harry, the alien police officers who appear to be based on humanoid cats, are conspicuously absent from Space Precinct, and one can only wonder at the possibilities had they been included. It was, in retrospect, a wise move, distancing the production from accusations of pilfering from Larry Niven, though the unfortunate appearance of the make-up might also have required their reconsideration. There are a few ideas which are mentioned as having been part of the original story that don't sound particularly well-considered, and their exclusion must be seen as a good thing.
Officer Cathy Costello, whose ability to generate an impenetrable black shell around her, should have been included in the show, as it is something which sounds like it might provided opportunity for great action scenes. Guyver-esque transformations are too few and far between to constitute anything resembling a consistent character type - the only other example of a similarly-attributed character which comes to mind is DC Comics' Blue Beetle, in a series with numerous subtle allusions to his bio-boosted inspiration.
Calling Space Police's villain V. Lann, and his sidekick E. Vile, smacks of desperation.
The seasonal story, Christmas Spirit, tying in with the cover illustration, opens with the precinct in turmoil - overworked and understaffed, the officers attempt to cope with the deluge of cases. Slomo reports an incident at Bracy's department store uptown, and, sensing an opportunity to escape from the madness surrounding him, Podly decides to personally investigate, taking Slomo along with him. Well... he might come in handy if criminals start shooting - not that I'm suggesting Podly would throw Slomo into the line of fire as a distraction.
It turns out that the robot Santa has gone crazy, and has taken Mr. Bracy and several children hostage in the toy department. Well, now we know where Futurama got the idea. Having been told that Santa doesn't really exist, the robot began giving away everything in the department for free, and when staff attempted to shut it down, it raided the toy department's armoury and gatecrashed Mr. Bracy's children's te party.
Wait. THE TOY DEPARTMENT HAS AN ARMOURY?
Slomo rushes in to talk robot-to-robot with the rogue Santa, and narrowly avoids a being shot. So close... Maybe next time, huh, Podly?
The level of artwork is superb throughout, and the storytelling better than anticipated (with a few minor concerns) - this really did feel, for about fifteen minutes, as if it was going to challenge other notable SF series' of the nineties for longevity, and this title would have been perfectly positioned to exploit the demand been present.
As the series draws to an untimely close, I can't help but feel disappointment in the lack of foresight shown by network executives in cancelling it.
Space Precinct
#5
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Space Precinct #3
05 Dec 1995. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by John Higgins.
Contents:
A very psychedelic cover immediately dates the issue - although it is a fine image, it is a much overused look for comics and magazines of the mid-nineties. There was a while when every other comic had some sort of swirling, garishly-hued image adorning the cover, and very few have weathered the years well.
Arcadia, determined to throw as many familiar plot points as possible into one story, falls back on the hokiest of them all. Captain Podly decides to set aside thirty-six years of following regulations in order to hand over evidence Bagaan in return for his niece, Ranna, prompting Romek and Orrin to chase after him. Once Bagaan's men open fire on their police cruiser they call in back-up, despite not being there for the criminal.
The overly-familiar elements aren't necessarily a bad thing, allowing for some interesting character observations. Arcadia is a far batter story than it sounds, though the final panel over-eggs the humour. Part of the problem the television series suffered was a desperate lack of grounding, and that sense of 'looking in on a sit-com' rather than 'following along with a real police unit' (as with NYPD Blue) is replicated on the page.
There's room for more intelligent stories set within this universe, tackling subjects which the series couldn't have touched. That a reticence to address such material was present through the title was a slight, though not insurmountable, problem. At least there were no attempt at canon-welding the continuity of the other series into the franchise.
Gerry Anderson's reserved statement regarding the future of the show, in the wake of Grove TV's demise, is optimistic, with notions to increase the realism of the series should it have been picked up. I wish we could have seen such a direction, as it would have filled a gap in the market for intelligent SF on the small screen.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Cover by John Higgins.
Contents:
2 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Breaking the Barriers - Subscribe... And Survive! (half page) subscription information.
3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia
4 Case Review Arcadia recap.
5 Arcadia, part two, w:/a: David Hine, lettering by Elitta Fell.
11 Double the Pages! Double the Action! in-house advertisement for Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition.
12 The Anderson Tapes, part two, Gerry Anderson interview by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).
15 The Anderson Tapes The Anderson Series, part two, outline of Gerry Anderson television series'.
30 Roll Call Police Officer Jane Castle fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood.
31 Space Precinct Mugs to be Won! competition.
18 Space Suburb cutaway by Graham Bleathman.
20 Case Review The Last Warrior recap.
21 The Last Warrior, part three, w: Ian Carney; a: John Erasmus, art assist by Ronit Bergman, Jon Davis & Madeleine Wurzburger, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.
33 Book Guide Demon Wing recap by Jim Swallow.
34 Episode Guide Enforcer recap by Peter J. Evans.
35 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct
36 Fromm the Hidden Files of the FBI in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files Special Edition.
A very psychedelic cover immediately dates the issue - although it is a fine image, it is a much overused look for comics and magazines of the mid-nineties. There was a while when every other comic had some sort of swirling, garishly-hued image adorning the cover, and very few have weathered the years well.
Arcadia, determined to throw as many familiar plot points as possible into one story, falls back on the hokiest of them all. Captain Podly decides to set aside thirty-six years of following regulations in order to hand over evidence Bagaan in return for his niece, Ranna, prompting Romek and Orrin to chase after him. Once Bagaan's men open fire on their police cruiser they call in back-up, despite not being there for the criminal.
The overly-familiar elements aren't necessarily a bad thing, allowing for some interesting character observations. Arcadia is a far batter story than it sounds, though the final panel over-eggs the humour. Part of the problem the television series suffered was a desperate lack of grounding, and that sense of 'looking in on a sit-com' rather than 'following along with a real police unit' (as with NYPD Blue) is replicated on the page.
There's room for more intelligent stories set within this universe, tackling subjects which the series couldn't have touched. That a reticence to address such material was present through the title was a slight, though not insurmountable, problem. At least there were no attempt at canon-welding the continuity of the other series into the franchise.
Gerry Anderson's reserved statement regarding the future of the show, in the wake of Grove TV's demise, is optimistic, with notions to increase the realism of the series should it have been picked up. I wish we could have seen such a direction, as it would have filled a gap in the market for intelligent SF on the small screen.
It's hard to say which assaults the senses more.The Last Warrior is more like the show Space Precinct should have been, with a style and mood which hints at the possibilities of the series if it had continued. Wonderfully-strange aliens fill the scenes, placing both Brogan and Haldane in full action hero mode for the duration.
The deafening rattle of utility pipes serving Downtown Demeter...
Or the stench of the city's unrecyclable waste water...
Or the all-surrounding darkness which hints at the oblivion of death!
Space Precinct
#4
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Space Precinct #1
31 Oct 1995; Cover price 1.25p.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Painted cover by Kev Walker.
Free Space Precinct sticker album and stickers.
Contents:
Gerry Anderson's work has inspired many great comics, and Manga obviously saw in Space Precinct potential to recreate some previous successes. This issue gets off to a good start with a painting which captures the essence of characters without being too faithful to likenesses - the bold image is one of several in the comic's run which surpasses series visuals, which is a problem. The show wasn't exactly the most aesthetically-pleasing SF to air, and when it compares unfavourably to a spin-off comic there's a problem no amount of promotion can fix.
The comic was living on borrowed time, and determined to live life to the full.
A car crash is the inciting incident in The Last Warrior. Okay, technically it is a 'hopper' (the flying vehicles of the series), and despite some really effective art, the first story here opening with a fender bender is something of a let-down. Unable to shoot it down while they are over a heavily-populated area, Brogan and Haldane take chase. Haldane jumps onto the vehicle and, discovering a dead Creon, has to regain control before crashing into Demeter City Hospital. I take back my disappointment.
Graham Bleathman's cutaway of the Station House is gorgeous. This is a location which has obviously had some thought applied to requirements for a police force operating in space: garage and a maintenance bay, holding pens, administration offices, hermetically sealed office for non-air breathing visitors, canteen... If Space Precinct had shown such workings of the world in as much detail, then we would be talking about the show with as much respect as Babylon 5 receives.
Policing the Final Frontier, a text feature on the series, brings up 1986's Space Police pilot without offering up any visuals to contrast and compare with what eventually ended up on screen. I can honestly say that I have never seen this pilot, not for scarcity but due to never having been sufficiently intrigued, and background details offered here do not encourage me to go look for it.
The opening of Parental Guidance is funny, but once again highlights an inconsistent tone which was to plague the nascent franchise. Silas' parent drop in for a visit while he is at work, arranging for him to show Morin, a young woman who bullied him as a child, the sights. This feels like a story intended for younger readers, which is somewhat at odds with stated intentions that the series was to appeal to a multi-generational audience - explaining episodes focusing on drug smugglers.
Aiming material at a slightly more mature audience could have opened up so many storytelling avenues.
Photographs of tie-in toys for The Imagineers, an article on Vivid Imaginations, aren't appealing. It appears as if someone has hurriedly stood the figures on a table and snapped a couple of shots rather than crafting images which would encourage readers to go out and purchase them. This isn't grumbling about a lack of artistic flair - either the toys are an important link in the overall marketing strategy or they aren't.
The run-down of officially-licensed products is interesting, and seems comprehensive enough to make the article of lasting interest to fans of the show, but most of what is described is left unseen on the page. The more I consider the lack of decent photographs, the more it feels like the comic was in desperate need of a photographer to help supply shots. And you'll note, no doubt, that all of the cast photos peppered throughout are from promotional material which was also issues to other magazines and newspapers.
For fantastic artwork alone, this is still a great read. It is a shame that supplementary material wasn't up to similar high quality.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.
Edited by Cefn Ridout.
Painted cover by Kev Walker.
Free Space Precinct sticker album and stickers.
Contents:
.2 A cosmic new album and sticker collection from Panini advertisement for Space Precinct sticker album and stickers.
.3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 Editorial by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia
.4 Patlabor 2 The Movie in-house videocassette advertisement.
.5 The Last Warrior w: Ian Carney; a: John Erasmus, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.
17 More Mega Manga Action with... in-house advertisement for Manga Mania.
18 The Station House cutaway by Graham Bleathman.
20 Policing the Final Frontier text feature by Peter J. Evans.
23 Parental Guidance w: William Cade; a: Andrew Currie, lettering by Peter Nicholls, colouring by Steve Whitaker.
29 Space Precinct Action Figures and Toys to be Won competition.
30 The Imagineers text feature by Peter J. Evans.
32 Roll Call Lieutenant Patrick Brogan fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood.
33 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct
34 Episode Guide Double Duty recap by Peter J. Evans.
35 Breaking the Barriers in-house advertisement for Manga Books.
36 Street Fighter II Animated in-house videocassette advertisement.
Gerry Anderson's work has inspired many great comics, and Manga obviously saw in Space Precinct potential to recreate some previous successes. This issue gets off to a good start with a painting which captures the essence of characters without being too faithful to likenesses - the bold image is one of several in the comic's run which surpasses series visuals, which is a problem. The show wasn't exactly the most aesthetically-pleasing SF to air, and when it compares unfavourably to a spin-off comic there's a problem no amount of promotion can fix.
The comic was living on borrowed time, and determined to live life to the full.
A car crash is the inciting incident in The Last Warrior. Okay, technically it is a 'hopper' (the flying vehicles of the series), and despite some really effective art, the first story here opening with a fender bender is something of a let-down. Unable to shoot it down while they are over a heavily-populated area, Brogan and Haldane take chase. Haldane jumps onto the vehicle and, discovering a dead Creon, has to regain control before crashing into Demeter City Hospital. I take back my disappointment.
Graham Bleathman's cutaway of the Station House is gorgeous. This is a location which has obviously had some thought applied to requirements for a police force operating in space: garage and a maintenance bay, holding pens, administration offices, hermetically sealed office for non-air breathing visitors, canteen... If Space Precinct had shown such workings of the world in as much detail, then we would be talking about the show with as much respect as Babylon 5 receives.
Policing the Final Frontier, a text feature on the series, brings up 1986's Space Police pilot without offering up any visuals to contrast and compare with what eventually ended up on screen. I can honestly say that I have never seen this pilot, not for scarcity but due to never having been sufficiently intrigued, and background details offered here do not encourage me to go look for it.
The opening of Parental Guidance is funny, but once again highlights an inconsistent tone which was to plague the nascent franchise. Silas' parent drop in for a visit while he is at work, arranging for him to show Morin, a young woman who bullied him as a child, the sights. This feels like a story intended for younger readers, which is somewhat at odds with stated intentions that the series was to appeal to a multi-generational audience - explaining episodes focusing on drug smugglers.
Aiming material at a slightly more mature audience could have opened up so many storytelling avenues.
Photographs of tie-in toys for The Imagineers, an article on Vivid Imaginations, aren't appealing. It appears as if someone has hurriedly stood the figures on a table and snapped a couple of shots rather than crafting images which would encourage readers to go out and purchase them. This isn't grumbling about a lack of artistic flair - either the toys are an important link in the overall marketing strategy or they aren't.
The run-down of officially-licensed products is interesting, and seems comprehensive enough to make the article of lasting interest to fans of the show, but most of what is described is left unseen on the page. The more I consider the lack of decent photographs, the more it feels like the comic was in desperate need of a photographer to help supply shots. And you'll note, no doubt, that all of the cast photos peppered throughout are from promotional material which was also issues to other magazines and newspapers.
For fantastic artwork alone, this is still a great read. It is a shame that supplementary material wasn't up to similar high quality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)