STARCRUISER:An Introduction

[jim244]

Starcruiser......This is a bit of an oddity in Look-in strips but often forgotten and never chronicled (actually most strips in Look-in haven't been chronicled,many are mentioned and some partially and often wrongly chronicled at other sites).
But this is Comics UK.So all Starcruiser strips will be chronicled correctly.

Starcruiser was a half page strip running in Look-in from 1977 to 1979.
The other part of the page was "The Worlds of Gerry Anderson".
Sometimes you just got the Anderson bit,other times just the picture strip but they were generally part of a package.
Basically,"The Worlds.." was a really great half page where Mr Anderson would answer special effects type questions from readers.
The strip was an idea Gerry had for his next show,basically an educational type space adventure.
This wasn't without precedent,GA had previously made the fantastic made for TV film "Into Infinity" with Nick Tate,Katherine Levy and Brian Blessed (known as "The Day After Tomorrow" outside UK.
This was conceived as a "space educational show" but the pilot unfortunately didn't take off.
Personally I love it but I digress....
Starcruiser was written and drawn by David Jeffris.
Airfix did release kits from the strip and later dinky toys were made that resembled the kits.
I wasn't a fan of the strip as a kid as it seemed a bit like Chibnalls' later version of Dr Who (not in the way that series was so woke and preachy but in an educational preachy way to a 9 yr old).
But the craft were amazing and I loved my models.
I've never read this strip,even skipped it as a kid,so will be an interesting one to chronicle.

[ShaquiUK]

If you don't mind my correcting you on a few facts here...

Into Infinity: The Day After Tomorrow was commissioned as part of an educational US series called 'Special Treat'.

It was produced between the two Years of Space:1999, and it was Gerry Anderson who tried to make it a back door pilot for a potential series.

The original Starcruiser format (for which I have an original story outline and full script - outlined in Andersonic issue 11 - possibly written by Fred Freiberger) springboarded from this format, albeit with a different family crew, making it akin to Lost in Space. It was even set on the other side of a black hole.

David Jefferis was given no brief for the Starcruiser strip, other than it should be educational, so the characters in it were his creation, as was the format. Whether this was anything to do with the intent of Into infinity isn't known - it didn't air in the UK until Christmas 1976 on BBC1.

But the first strips were written early, and it was possibly originally intended to start at the same time as the Space:1999 strip changed to the Year Two format. For unknown reasons (though possibly the fact that the new series didn't have a network start in autumn 1976) it was held back in Look-in to the start of 1977.

David Jefferis was peripherally involved in some of the merchandise, and drew a strip for the Airfix kit release of Starcruiser, as well as one of the two colouring posters for Thomas Salter showing a schematic of the craft.

[jim244]

If you don't mind my correcting you on a few facts here...

Into Infinity: The Day After Tomorrow was commissioned as part of an educational US series called 'Special Treat'.

It was produced between the two Years of Space:1999, and it was Gerry Anderson who tried to make it a back door pilot for a potential series.

The original Starcruiser format (for which I have an original story outline and full script - outlined in Andersonic issue 11 - possibly written by Fred Freiberger) springboarded from this format, albeit with a different family crew, making it akin to Lost in Space. It was even set on the other side of a black hole.

David Jefferis was given no brief for the Starcruiser strip, other than it should be educational, so the characters in it were his creation, as was the format. Whether this was anything to do with the intent of Into infinity isn't known - it didn't air in the UK until Christmas 1976 on BBC1.

But the first strips were written early, and it was possibly originally intended to start at the same time as the Space:1999 strip changed to the Year Two format. For unknown reasons (though possibly the fact that the new series didn't have a network start in autumn 1976) it was held back in Look-in to the start of 1977.

David Jefferis was peripherally involved in some of the merchandise, and drew a strip for the Airfix kit release of Starcruiser, as well as one of the two colouring posters for Thomas Salter showing a schematic of the craft.

Absolutely BRILLIANT ,
Thank you so much for enlightening me, to be honest while my strip story chronology is 100 PERCENT CORRECT, the intro was a few words based on memory of what little I knew or thought I knew about the subject.
It's a pleasure to know more.
I was astounded when reading your post that you had an actual script for the proposed story.
So I had a quick look......

[jim244]

IN REALITY......

Only ONE MAN has ever written about this lost to time 34 paged document and would therefore be reasonable to suggest that that person is the owner of the script ....

SHAQUI LE VESCONTE............

I rest my case. You are a legend.

[jim244]

I saw your name connected to podcasts, do you still do these and if so, could you provide a link?

[ShaquiUK]

I saw your name connected to podcasts, do you still do these and if so, could you provide a link?

No. I've only done one podcast for someone else, and that was about the UFO comic anthologies.

[ShaquiUK]

IN REALITY......

Only ONE MAN has ever written about this lost to time 34 paged document and would therefore be reasonable to suggest that that person is the owner of the script ....

SHAQUI LE VESCONTE............

I rest my case. You are a legend.

Thank you for the continuing accolade. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to obtain one, then the other.

Since obtaining that story outline and script, I've since had access to another script.

In many ways, I'm glad this didn't make it to a series, as it's typical 1970s US children's television crap. Nowhere near the standard of the half-hour shows the Andersons used to make.

[jim244]

IN REALITY......

Only ONE MAN has ever written about this lost to time 34 paged document and would therefore be reasonable to suggest that that person is the owner of the script ....

SHAQUI LE VESCONTE............

I rest my case. You are a legend.

Thank you for the continuing accolade. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to obtain one, then the other.

Since obtaining that story outline and script, I've since had access to another script.

In many ways, I'm glad this didn't make it to a series, as it's typical 1970s US children's television crap. Nowhere near the standard of the half-hour shows the Andersons used to make.

You have 2 now?????

May I ask, what is your favourite Anderson show?
Personally I am a massive fan of Four Feather Falls, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, UFO, Thunderbirds, Space 1999 series 1.....

[jim244]

I saw your name connected to podcasts, do you still do these and if so, could you provide a link?

No. I've only done one podcast for someone else, and that was about the UFO comic anthologies.

Odd.... I read something about you doing a series of podcasts but I guess that was false information

I enjoyed the UFO strip in Countdown and recall a good UFO strip from a Countdown annual
Unlike most Andersdon series, you really need to watch the episodes in order (especially the initial 4).
Great show.

[ShaquiUK]

Odd.... I read something about you doing a series of podcasts but I guess that was false information

I certainly never had any intention of doing so - I prefer being behind the camera, not in front of it - but have no idea if those behind the comic anthologies wanted me to. I deferred on the one I did until both Volumes of UFO were available, so as to not give too much away for Volume 2 while still working on it. As it was, John Freeman was supposed to interview me but he was unavailable at the last minute so Jamie Anderson stepped in.

[ShaquiUK]

May I ask, what is your favourite Anderson show?
Personally I am a massive fan of Four Feather Falls, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, UFO, Thunderbirds, Space 1999 series 1.....

Space:1999 is at the top of my list, as anyone will gather from the comic anyhology for it.

I had hoped that further comic anthologies for the American Charlton and German (Mondbasis Alpha 1) comics would have been possible. I had scanned them all in anticipation.

This is followed by Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and I had spec-ed out a two volume comic anthology just prior from being dismissed by the publisher. A shame it won't come to fruition as I had planned now.

I had pitched Annual Anthologies for Supercar and fireball XL5, which would have collected two each of the Collins annuals so readers could see these earlier fare.

[jim244]

May I ask, what is your favourite Anderson show?
Personally I am a massive fan of Four Feather Falls, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, UFO, Thunderbirds, Space 1999 series 1.....

Space:1999 is at the top of my list, as anyone will gather from the comic anyhology for it.

I had hoped that further comic anthologies for the American Charlton and German (Mondbasis Alpha 1) comics would have been possible. I had scanned them all in anticipation.

This is followed by Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and I had spec-ed out a two volume comic anthology just prior from being dismissed by the publisher. A shame it won't come to fruition as I had planned now.

I had pitched Annual Anthologies for Supercar and fireball XL5, which would have collected two each of the Collins annuals so readers could see these earlier fare.

Massive Space 1999 fan myself, although series 1 as the second season doesn't quite work for me, although certainly contains enjoyable episodes.
I wrote about the German and Charlton strips in an earlier post on this Look -in section.
With the Fireball Anthology of strips, I thought that it was a shame that it omitted the TV Comic strips.
Captain Scarlet for me is Andersons third best series, Thunderbirds second.
It's a shame that your annual anthologies didn't come to fruition, would have been fantastic.

[ShaquiUK]

With the Fireball Anthology of strips, I thought that it was a shame that it omitted the TV Comic strips.

It wasn't really feasible unless someone came forward with a complete collection of TV Comic covering that period. Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually own every single comic with an Anderson strip in it, though I do have a lot plus some foreign rarities.

Also, Neville Main's art wasn't that brilliant, despite some good storylines, and I think it would only have attracted completists, not a wider comic loving readership.

[jim244]

With the Fireball Anthology of strips, I thought that it was a shame that it omitted the TV Comic strips.

It wasn't really feasible unless someone came forward with a complete collection of TV Comic covering that period. Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually own every single comic with an Anderson strip in it, though I do have a lot plus some foreign rarities.

Also, Neville Main's art wasn't that brilliant, despite some good storylines, and I think it would only have attracted completists, not a wider comic loving readership.

Yes this was also the problem with "Dr Who Classic Comics" which was a brilliant idea but in reality they couldn't locate the original art work for a huge amount of the TV Comic strips.

Personally I would love to have the TV Comic Fireball strip as the few issues that I have featuring the strip are excellent in my opinion.

HOWEVER... I actually missed out on the Fireball collection as it had sold out from the Anderson shop by the time I realised it existed.
Will probably purchase from Ebay at some point although is rather steep at over £200 there.

[jim244]

The odd thing about the Dr who strips is I now have all of the TV Comic ones, which is the reason that I have been writing chronologies of them in another section here.
Only 30 percent original copies, the rest I downloaded and printed off.
Obviously for myself and not to rip the artists/writers off, although sadly many are doing so as very rare material appears in book form on Ebay
and is from the same source that I used.