TV comics Archives - PS

TV Comix: The Incredible Hulk

Mantooth — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:39:00 +0000

I can’t believe it’s been three years since I last did a “TV Comix” segment on this blog. To make up for it, I have a pretty big deal from 1979 in the form of the Incredble Hulk. Put on your purple pants and join me after the jump:

British Annuals are always a good source for TV based comic strips for shows that didn’t get comics. Whether it’s TV Planet of the Apes, Logan’s Run or Manimal, sometimes the only comic strips they ever got were between the hard cover of these fun publications.

Such is the case with the Incredible Hulk, this is not Bruce Banner but David, and it closely follows the tone and feel of the series. Throughout the entire book there is no General Ross or other giant monsters, just small time thugs and would be kidnappers which is the theme of “Terrror of the Swamps”

Please note the undeniable lack of “Hulk Smash”, the big guy is mute.

Cue haunting piano theme.

I may have been a weird kid but I used to buy Hulk comics expecting them to be like the TV show, for that reason I really dug this book.

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TV Comics: Logan’s Run

Mantooth — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0000

I haven’t done an installment of TV comics in over a year so I might as well do one of my favourites, Logan’s Run. This is again from the amazing British weekly called “Look In” that I wished we had as kids. Logan’s Run got a Marvel comic in the US but it was based on the movie and I’m more of a fan of the shortlived 1978 TV Series starring Gregory “Gonzo from Trapper John” Harrison.The art is really nice and they’ve captured the look of the series, like a lot of these TV comics, most of the likeness shots are just direct swipes from promotional stills. You never get a good look at the characters in action scenes. I guess Look In never got a shot of the hover car that Logan, REM and Jessica drove because these comics always show them in the Sandman vehicle [/nerd]

One of these days I’m going to buy every issue of these and compile them into a gallery, mostly because I just want to read it….

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TV Comix: Bionic Woman

Mantooth — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Another US series done in UK fromat from the pages of “Look In” weekly. I think Charlton had the rights to Bionic Woman stateside and I’ll blog about that sometime in the future. One of the things about Look In is that you get an idea of what was the hit feature in the book by their use of colour. In the issue I have now, much of it is regulated to Black and White (such as the Man from Atlantis) but the Bionic strips are both in colour.

Jamie goes to a creepy mansion to see a reading of a will, this pretty much reads like an actual episode of the series. The art is excellent but suffers from that one thing I notice in a lot of these, the likeness of the lead character is usually only rendered for a close up and then it’s obviously copied from a still. The rest of the time, you’re treated to the back of the characters head, this is rampant in TV comics.
I’d say tune in next week but I don’t have that issue, check out the Look in links below for that.

For more on Bionic Woman, check out the 1976 Bionic Toys Selection and then you can move on to the 1977 catalog.For more on Look In, check out these two fantastic and exhaustive sites The Look In Picture Strip Archive and John’s Look Out both give you a glimpse of some very cool British 70’s pop culture.

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TV Comix: Man From Atlantis

Mantooth — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:16:00 +0000

As I try to scramble to get more colouring books to review, I thought I’d go through the various comic books I have based on TV shows from the seventies. It’s a little side obsession of mine that I didn’t even realize that I had.

I’ve decided to open with one of the shorter lived but memorable series from that era, the Man from Atlantis. Not the US Marvel version of the comic (although I will get to that later) but the comics done in the UK under the “Look In” banner.

For those not in the know, “Look In” was a weekly british comic that featured two page strips of popular TV shows and celebrities. During it’s run it would explore homegrown series such as “Benny Hill”, “The Tomorrow People” and “Space:1999”. US properties would include “Logan’s Run”, “Battlestar Galactica” and “Buck Rogers”

One thing I love about the UK is that even though the series would die in the US, the UK audiences seemed to embrace it more. This wonderfully drawn strip features the Victor Buono lead villian Mr. Schubert which seemed to the Lex Luthor to Mark Harris.
Look In had a talented stable of artists and this Man from Atlantis strip looks superior to the Marvel book produced at the same time. I’ve got a lot more to share from this book.

For more on Man From Atlantis check out the
Toy gallery on the main site.For more on Look In, check out these two fantastic and exhaustive sites The Look In Picture Strip Archive and John’s Look Out both give you a glimpse of some very cool British 70’s pop culture.

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