Space 1999 Annual 1975

One of the best of Gerry Anderson's TV shows was the live action Space 1999 series from back in the seventies. This programme which ran from 1975 to 1977 was a firm favourite of mine back in my youth (I'd just left school by then).

Surprisingly Space 1999 only ran for two seasons though there were 48 episodes in all which told the story of Moonbase Alpha on a one way journey through space after an accident hurled Earth's satellite out of the solar system and into deep space.

Starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Barry Morse this series certainly caught the imagination of many viewers and like many programmes in the sixties and seventies caught the attention of publishers. The age of the Annual continued.

This, the first of at least five contained mainly magazine style features about Space 199 but there were two (rather poorly drawn and written) comic strips.

There were some comic book adaptations of Space 1999 including two titles published by Charlton Comics in the USA. It was these I was searching for when I came across the Annual.

 

The first (illustrated above) was a traditional "four colour comic" aimed at the general comics market and lasted just 7 issues. The second was in a "magazine" style format and had more "adult" content aiming at older readers. Unfortunately I have never been able to get hold of copies of these.... but one day!



British readers were able to follow Moonbase Alpha's adventures in Look In, something that up until now I have never read. Something I will shortly rectify.



The fifth Annual carries a number of reprints of the Charlton series. That'll be worth looking out for.

 

Since this is the last of a weekend of Gerry Anderson related posts I just have to end with a video. This time it's the opening sequence.

Wonderful stuff that surely deserves repeats on one of the myriad of channels that broadcast today!