Oh, if Wertham had seen this cover.
Smash Comics #2
Everett M. Arnold (September, 1939)
Well, here’s a new one. And what a cover to start out on. The Grand Comics Database and Comic Book Plus are claiming this for Quality Comics but it just says “Everett M. Arnold” in the publisher credit. Maybe it became Quality like Atlas and National became Marvel and DC respectively?
The guide section of our series may be shorter than I thought, but given I’ve also looked at the original sales pitch, back when the ship was the SS Yorktown and the captain was Robert April, this should still be a decent series of articles in the wider story bible review series. I thought each section was going to be longer than it is. Today we’re looking at the format for an average Star Trek script, after going over the show format last time. That’s kind of short, at one page, so we’ll also look at the next three pages, going over the USS Enterprise, and then next time go over the cast of characters in one go. What I do with the rest of the guide I’m not yet certain.
Since this is the version of the writer’s guide that came between seasons one and two they should already have the script format already down pat. You can break formula, and I imagine we’ll look into that when we get there, but only on rare occasions. The format, when done wrong, can become formulaic and dull if followed too closely each time, but when done right draws you into this futuristic world, with breaks to sell you laundry detergent (or just give you time to use the bathroom or refresh your popcorn). So how much is advice and how much is “law” is something to consider when putting these together and judging the script you see.
As for the Enterprise section, I’m expecting a description of the ship and any important facilities. I have a copy of Mr. Scott’s Guide To The Enterprise that came out some time after the NCC-1701-A was introduced and it’s fun to find the toilets (which nobody on television ever uses with rare exceptions), but what resources are writers supposed to consider when it comes to what the ship has to offer? That should also be fascinating. So let’s get started already.
“Hey, we can’t all fit on this cover!”
Sonic The Hedgehog #75
Archie Comics Publications (October, 1999)
“I Am The Eggman!”
WRITER: Karl Bollers
PENCILER: Steven Butler
INKER: Pam Eklund
COLORIST: Frank Gagliardo
LETTERER: Jeff Powell
EDITOR: J.F. Gabrie
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Control the origin, control the character, even partially. It’s why we get “the real reason (X) happened”. There might be a story there, but really they just want the ego boost to be part of canon and something writers after them are forced or even willingly use. There’s a reason Joe Chill being a simple mugger on the wrong night has taken hold in iconography in comics and from the first time it left comics to today. It’s simple and clean. It makes Bruce the victim of crime in general, not one specifically targeted to his family. Sometime comics try to hard to be complex under the mistaken belief that complexity is… I don’t know, more sophisticated or mature, maybe. It can be silly but it can also be a mistake. Just let the random mugging origin stand. It works for a reason.
Of all the current Star Wars content coming out of Disney and Marvel, the only one I’ve found really watchable (granted The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett were necessarily in my wheelhouses, especially the latter) was the Disney Junior show Young Jedi Adventures. Given that it’s set in their original timeline of the “High Republic”, has a kid pilot (because Disney Junior) with two moms, and there isn’t a white boy to be seen if you see a white person at all, that’s kind of amazing. At least the episodes I’ve seen do teach how to be a good person and hero. Which is more than I can say for a lot of Star Wars content these days.
When I first heard of Skeleton Crew I was expecting something along the lines of Lower Decks without the animated comedy. (Actually, I thought it was animated.) Well, the new trailer is out and it reminds me more of Star Trek: Prodigy or Space Cases, maybe The Astronauts. Does that mean it’s any good? From the promotional page:
“Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy, crossing paths with the likes of Jod Na Nawood, the mysterious character played by Law. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
The Executive Producers are Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson and the Co-Executive Producers are Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist, and Carrie Beck.
Interesting concept, which as I noted has been done before. I didn’t list all of them just with kids as the main crew. It’s not even the first time for Disney if memory serves. Still, just because it has been done before, the idea can be revisited with a new perspective, perhaps a Star Wars makeover?
“That’s one fly down!”
Sarge Steel #2
Charlton Comics Group (February, 1965)
“Man Who Blackmailed The World”
CHARACTER CREATOR: Pat Masulli
WRITER: Joe Gill
ARTIST: Dick Giordano
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
