Space Family Robinson was an original science-fiction comic-book series published by Gold Key Comics. It predates the Lost in Space television series. Both are loosely based on the 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss (and similarly named movies) The Swiss Family Robinson .
Space Family Robinson was published as a total of 59 issues, from 1962 to 1982. The first issue was published in December 1962. [1]
In 1965, when Irwin Allen produced the primetime television show Lost in Space, Gold Key's publishers noticed the similarities between the comic books and the show. They considered filing suit, but decided against it, as Gold Key was also publishing an Irwin Allen title, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea . The two companies reached an agreement that the comic could change its cover title to Space Family Robinson: Lost in Space. The new title appeared starting with issue #15 (Jan 1966). [2]
The comic book was cancelled with #36 (October, 1969). It was brought back in October, 1973, in part due to the popularity of Star Trek . At this point, all issues between #37 and #44 had the tag "On Space Station One". The title was cancelled again with #54 (December, 1977) (with #49 being a reprint of #38). A further new story was published in Gold Key Champion #1 (1978). In 1981, the title was revived as a reprint title for issues #55–59 (1981–1982) under the "Whitman Comics" line. New stories also appeared in March of Comics #320, 328, and 352.
A backup series, titled Captain Venture and the Land Beneath the Sea, ran through issues #6-36 (1964–1969). Gold Key published two reprint issues in 1968 and 1969.
In August 2011, Dark Horse Comics began the Space Family Robinson archives hardcover reprint series. Volume 1 collects Space Family Robinson #1–7; Volume 2 collects Space Family Robinson #8–14; Volume 3 collects Space Family Robinson #15–22; Volume 4 collects Space Family Robinson Lost in Space #23–31 and March of Comics #320; and Volume 5 collects Space Family Robinson Lost in Space #32-40 and March of Comics #328.
The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide suggested the series was created by famed Disney comic-book artist-writer Carl Barks.[ citation needed ] In fact, Barks did suggest a Swiss Family Robinson in space comic to his editor Chase Craig circa 1960, but nothing came of it. The subsequent series was originated by people who had not heard of Barks' idea, which would have been more adventure-oriented. [3]
The comic was created by writer Del Connell and artist Dan Spiegle. [4] Gaylord DuBois became the sole writer of Space Family Robinson once he began chronicling the Robinsons' adventures with "Peril on Planet Four" in issue #8. He had already begun the Captain Venture second feature, beginning with "Situation Survival" in issue #6. As was typical of Gold Key's adventure comics, all cover art was painted, usually by George Wilson.
In the comic, the Robinsons were scientist father Craig, scientist mother June, early teenagers Tim (their son) and Tam (their daughter), along with pets Clancy (a dog) and Yakker (parrot). They lived in Space Station One, a spacious moving craft with hydroponic gardens, observatory, and two small Spacemobile shuttle craft. The family was selected by computer to be the most mentally and physically qualified to man the space station. They had left Earth in 2001. In the second issue, a cosmic storm deposited them far from Earth. The Robinsons' adventures continue as they try to work their way home.
A Space Station #1 fan mail reply in issue #18 of the comic book Space Family Robinson states, "The Robinsons lived in Woodland Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Craig and June worked as scientists in space technology laboratories in the area before being selected to command Space Station #1."
In 1966, the weekly UK publication Lady Penelope ("the comic for girls who love television"; published by City Magazines) printed Space Family Robinson stories. These used the same characters and technology as the Gold Key titles, but were original stories. The author of these stories is not known; they may have been written by Brian Woodford, a subeditor on the publication.[ citation needed ] The artist was John M. Burns.
The 52 weekly installments, printed in black and white, told six stories:
All six stories were reprinted in the Dutch comic TV2000 .
The Lady Penelope Summer Extra (1966) included a three-page story in which the Robinsons land on a recently abandoned planet. They discover that the hasty exodus was due to the approach of a massive gravity source. This story was reprinted in the TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra (1966) with the third page coloured by the Dutch publishers.[ citation needed ]
A story included in Lady Penelope Annual for 1966, "Tam Meets The Trygans", told how Tam returns to the station only to find it occupied by aliens intent on stealing it. This is the only story printed in colour throughout, the only story with a title, and the only one not drawn by John Burns. The artist has not yet been identified.
Though unrelated to the original characters, a new musical was produced in London in 2002 entitled Space Family Robinson. Here, a man takes his family away from a planet Earth which is destroyed by aliens, only to discover that he has been rescued by a former girlfriend who wants revenge. The show was written by Julian Butler, with songs by Julian and Stephen Butler. It played at the Pleasance Theatre in London between 4 May and 26 May 2002, featuring well-known musical star Hannah Waddingham in the lead role of Starbird, as well as Laurie Hagen, Tim Barron, Helena Biggs, Stuart Piper, and Arvid Larsen. The production was directed by Oliver Campbell-Smith. Although moderately successful (a soundtrack CD was produced) the production has not been revived since. [5]
Uncle Scrooge is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck, his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in Duckburg and around the world. It was first published in Four Color Comics #386, as a spin-off of the popular Donald Duck series and is still presently ongoing. It has been produced under the aegis of several different publishers, including Western Publishing, Gladstone Publishing, Disney Comics, Gemstone Publishing, Boom! Studios, and IDW Publishing, and has undergone several hiatuses of varying length. Despite this, it has maintained the same numbering scheme throughout its six decade history, with only IDW adding a secondary numbering that started at #1.
Lost in Space is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson. The series follows the adventures of the Robinsons, a pioneering family of space colonists who struggle to survive in the depths of space. The show ran for 83 episodes over three seasons. The first season comprised 29 episodes that ran 1 hour apiece, filmed in black and white. In seasons 2 and 3, the episodes were 54 minutes long and shot in color.
Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge.
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC&S, is an American anthology comic book series featuring characters from The Walt Disney Company's films and shorts, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Li'l Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and others. With more than 700 issues, Walt Disney's Comics & Stories is the longest-running Disney comic book in the United States, making it the flagship title, and is one of the best-selling comic books of all time.
Donald Duck, also known as Donald Duck and Friends, is an American Disney comic book series starring the character Donald Duck and published by various publishers from October 1942 to June 2017. As with many early Disney comics titles, Donald Duck began as individual issues of Dell Comics' Four Color one-shots series. It was published as its own regular series in November 1952, starting with issue #26.
Solar is an American fictional comic book superhero created by writer Paul S. Newman, editor Matt Murphy, and artist Bob Fujitani. The character first appeared in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 in 1962 by Gold Key Comics and has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics in the 2000s, and Dynamite Entertainment in the 2010s.
Turok is a fictional character who first appeared in American comic books published by Western Publishing through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596. After a second Four Color appearance, the character graduated to his own title – Turok, Son of Stone — published by both Dell and then Gold Key Comics from 1956 to 1982. Subsequently, he appeared in titles published by Valiant Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Comics.
Strange Adventures is a series of American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the cover date, and published continuously until November 1973.
Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned by Gold Key Entertainment LLC, which consists of business partners and comic book enthusiasts Lance Linderman, Adam Brooks, Mike Dynes, and Arnold Guerrero.
Dan Spiegle was an American comics artist and cartoonist best known for comics based on movie and television characters across a variety of companies, including Dell Comics, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics.
Robinsonade is a literary genre of fiction wherein the protagonist is suddenly separated from civilization, usually by being shipwrecked or marooned on a secluded and uninhabited island, and must improvise the means of their survival from the limited resources at hand. The genre takes its name from the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The success of this novel spawned so many imitations that its name was used to define a genre, which is sometimes described simply as a "desert island story" or a "castaway narrative".
Tragg and the Sky Gods was a comic-book title published by Gold Key Comics in the mid-1970s. The series was created by writer Donald F. Glut and artist Jesse Santos. Later, artist Dan Spiegle would work on the title.
"Brothers of the Spear" was a long-running backup feature in the Tarzan comic-book series created by American company Western Publishing and published first through Dell Comics and then through Gold Key Comics. Though published as part of a licensed Edgar Rice Burroughs franchise, this original series was owned by Western.
Mystery in Space is the name of two science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics, and of a standalone Vertigo anthology released in 2012. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966, with a further seven issues continuing the numbering during an early 1980s revival of the title. An eight-issue limited series began in 2006.
Korak, a fictional character, is the ape name of John "Jack" Clayton III, the son of Tarzan and Jane Porter.
Planet of the Apes comics are tie-ins to the Planet of the Apes media franchise. They have been released by several publishers over the years and include tie-ins and spin-offs.
Lady Penelope was a British weekly comic book magazine for girls which ran from 1966 to 1969. Produced by Century 21 Publications and published by City Magazines, it was a sister publication to TV Century 21. Lady Penelope was edited by Gillian Allan, wife of comic strip writer Angus Allan.
Lost in Space was a comic book published by Innovation Comics, based upon the television series Lost in Space. It utilized the settings and characters from the series, but was set years after the end of the series, and featured older characters coming to terms with being cut off from Earth for so many years.
The Indiana Jones franchise has appeared in many comic books. Marvel Comics initially held the comic book licensing rights before they were acquired by Dark Horse Comics in 1990. Marvel published adaptations of the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, while Dark Horse adapted the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library is a series of books collecting all of the comic book Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, originally published between 1942 and Barks' retirement in June 1966. The series was launched in late 2011, and will comprise 6,000 plus pages over roughly 30 200- to 240-page volumes when it is finished.