Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction
Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction | |
---|---|
Curtis Magazines | |
Schedule | Bimonthly |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | |
Publication date | January 1975 – November 1976 |
No. of issues | 6 plus an annual |
Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction was a 1970s American black-and-white, science fiction comics magazine published by Marvel Comics' parent company, Magazine Management.
The anthology title featured original stories and literary adaptations by writers and artists including
Publication history
The black-and-white,
A framing device throughout the series featured an old curio dealer who presented his shop's visitors with dramas captured in "slow glass", a concept that series editor Roy Thomas and writer Tony Isabella credited in the magazine to writer Bob Shaw.[1]
Premiere
The premiere issue featured both new material and a number of reprints from
In addition to the "slow glass" sequences by writer Isabella and penciler Gene Colan, original material included part one of a two-issue adaptation of John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids, by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Ross Andru; and an adaptation by Isabella and Colan of Shaw's original "slow glass" short story "Light of Other Days".[1] Comics historian Richard J. Arndt believes the "Triffids" adaptation was originally scheduled for Worlds Unknown #7-8, the final issues, which had instead deviated from SF adaptations to adapt the contemporaneous film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974).[3] Arndt also notes, "The 'Savage World' story's art was done in 1954 for Buster Crabbe Comics but it was unused. In 1966 Wally Wood wrote a new script (the original had been lost) for the artwork...."[3]
Subsequent issues
Subsequent issues featured the original stories "War Toy", by Isabella and penciler
Adaptations included
Interviews with Bester (issue #2), Herbert (#3), Niven (#5), and van Vogt (#4) appeared in issues containing their respective adaptations.[1] Theodore Sturgeon was interviewed for the title's summer annual.[2] A planned adaptation of Robert Bloch's "A Toy for Juliette", promised in the letters page of issue #3, did not materialize here, although it was eventually adapted by Rick Geary for an independent comic in the mid-1980s.[3]
Cover artists included Brunner,
Annual publication
The Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction Giant Size Special Issue #1,
Historian Arndt believes "Threads", credited to writer Mat Warrick, "may actually be by Mal Warrick, a fanzine & science fiction writer of the time".[3] A writer named Mat Warwick published comic-book science fiction in this mid-1970s timeframe in Star Reach. Additionally, "Threads" was reprinted in the Marvel UK title Star Wars Weekly #3 (Feb. 1978), credited under yet another variant of the name, Matt Warrick.[7]
Editor
A column on page 95 of the special explains that the story "Man-Gods", planned for this issue and promoted on Marvel
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Unknown Worlds Of Science Fiction at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ a b c Unknown Worlds Of Science Fiction Giant Size Special at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Arndt, Richard J. (February 8, 2006). "Marvel's Black & White Horror Magazines Checklist: Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction Special". Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ Note: Arndt misspells "Boada" as "Bodia" in issue contents, but spells it correctly in annotations.
- ^ Cover title. The indicia title and issue number are: "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction Vol. 1, 1976"; it also, however, lists the price per issue as $1, though the cover price is $1.25
- ^ Arndt believes that "the inking for the story 'Preservation of the Species' is clearly Reuben [sic] Yandoc's. It's possible the pencils were by one of the Redondo brothers and, if that’s the case, the penciler was probably Virgilio Redondo...."
- ^ Star Wars Weekly (UK) 3-A at ComicCollectorLive.com. Archived from the original, January 25, 2011.
- ^ Thomas Roy. "An Editorial Last Hurrah: Interrupted Journey". Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction Giant Size Special Issue #1 (1976), p. 4
- ^ Marvel Preview #9 at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Marvel Preview #1 at the Grand Comics Database
External links
- Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction (1975) at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators