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Battle of the Planets (comics)

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Battle of the Planets is a comic book series, based on the television series of the same name. As of 2024 two series have been produced - the first was published by Gold Key Comics between 1979 and 1981; the second was published by Top Cow Productions between 2002 and 2003.

Gold Key Comics

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Battle of the Planets
Cover to Gold Key Comics' Battle of the Planets #4, art by Winslow Mortimer
Publication information
PublisherGold Key Comics
ScheduleBi-monthly
FormatsOriginal material for the series has been published as a set of ongoing series.
Genre
Publication dateJune 1979 - February 1981
Number of issues10
Main character(s)G-Force
Creative team
Writer(s)Gary Poole
Bob Langhans
Charlie Seeger
Artist(s)Winslow Mortimer

Creation

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Sandy Frank had imported the anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman to America in 1978, retooling it as the syndicated Battle of the Planets with instant success. Wanting to exploit the licence, he linked up with Western Publishing, who put out a bi-monthly title via their Gold Key comics subsidiary. At the time former DC Comics artist Winslow Mortimer was on the Gold Key staff and was assigned to draw the book. Initially each issue contained of two stories of between 10-12 pages and were generally self-contained, formulaic affairs. The final two issues contained book-length 22-page stories.[1]

Publishing history

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The comic was hampered by distribution problems, as Western Publishing had recently been taken over by Mattel. The new owners wanted Gold Key to move away from single issue newstand sales and towards their successful bagged comics series, whereby three issues were packed in a single bag and sold on a non-returnable basis to chains that didn't deal with returnable monthly comics; these were issued under Western's Whitman brand.[2] As a result the series suffered poor distribution, and was cancelled after 10 issues. Gold Key had planned storylines for at least another three issues, and art from the unpublished Battle of the Planets #11 has surfaced at auction.[1]

Collected editions

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In 2003, the Gold Key comics were compiled in the collection Battle of the Planets - The Classics, published by Dynamic Forces. This trade paperback removed the colour from the strips.[3]

Title ISBN Release date Issues
Battle of the Planets Classic Issues Volume 1 [ISBN missing] 2003 Battle of the Planets #1-10

Other versions

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A different Battle of the Planets strip was published in the UK weekly in TV Comic from 1981 to 1983, illustrated by Keith Watson.[4]

Reception

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Due to the lack of reference material passed on to the creative staff, the artwork was often variable, colouring errors were frequent and the plots were often considered lightweight.[1]

Top Cow Productions

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Battle of the Planets
Cover to Top Cow Productions' Battle of the Planets #12, art by Alex Ross
Publication information
Title(s)
Battle of the Planets
(12 issues, August 2002 - September 2003)
Battle of the Planets/Witchblade
(1 issue, February 2003)
Battle of the Planets Battlebook
(1 issue, May 2003)
Battle of the Planets/Thundercats
(1 issue, May 2003)
Battle of the Planets: Mark
(May 2003)
Battle of the Planets: Jason
(1 issue, July 2003)
Thundercats/Battle of the Planets
(1 issue, July 2003)
Battle of the Planets: Manga
(3 issues, November 2003 - January 2004)
Battle of the Planets: Princess
(6 issues, November 2004 - May 2005)
FormatsOngoing
Limited Series
One-shots
Genre
Publication dateAugust 2002 - May 2005
Main character(s)G-Force
Creative team
Writer(s)Munier Sharrieff
David Wohl
Artist(s)Wilson Tortosa
Edwin David

Creation

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While Battle of the Planets was largely dormant in North America after ending in 1981, the show developed a cult following. In 2001 a boom in 1980s nostalgia in the comics industry followed the successful revivals of G.I. Joe by Devil's Due Publishing and Transformers by Dreamwave Productions, with independent comics publishers scrambling to license similar properties.[5] Top Cow Productions acquired the rights to make new Battle of the Planets comics, and were able to engage painter Alex Ross - a fan of the series growing up, and one of the most popular artists working in comics at the time following Earth X - as the series' art director.[6] To build anticipation, a sketchbook of Ross' redesigns was printed in the pages of Wizard Magazine.[7] Ross contributed designs and cover artwork; the series itself was written by Munier Sharrieff and featured art from Wilson Tortosa. Due to growing knowledge of the show's origins as Gatchaman and the desire to find a more adult audience for the book saw several of the elements added by Sandy Frank, such as the robot 7-Zark-7, omitted.[6]

Publishing history

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Initial sales were strong; Top Cow reported the first issue of the ongoing sold 150,000 copies,[8] and the company swiftly planned a number of spin-off one-shots.[9] These included individual comics focusing on the characters Mark, Jason and Princess. The latter was also a crossover with Top Cow's successful Witchblade, with art from Jo Chen.[10][11] Another crossover was with WildStorm's ThunderCats revival; this saw Top Cow publish a Battle of the Planets/ThunderCats one-shot, with WildStorm reciprocating with ThunderCats/Battle of the Planets.[12][13]

However, sales dropped off; the ongoing series was rebranded as a 'maxi series' but ended on a cliffhanger after twelve issues.[14] A relaunch was planned for November 2003 with a six-issue G-Force mini-series[15] but the title never appeared. Top Cow attempted another approach with the black-and-white Battle of the Planets - Manga, written by David Wohl and drawn by Edwin David, which ran for three issues. Wohl and Tortosa then produced a six-issue mini-series focusing on Princess. To resolve the cliffhanger from the regular title a two-issue mini-series, solicited first as Coup De Gras and then Endgame, was planned but never made it into print. The licences of both Top Cow and Sandy Frank for the property subsequently lapsed.[14]

Collected editions

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Title ISBN Release date Contents
Battle of the Planets: Trial by Fire 9781840236071 26 March 2003 Battle of the Planets #1-3
Battle of the Planets: Blood Red Sky 9781582403236 21 December 2003 Battle of the Planets #4-9
Battle of the Planets: Destroy All Monsters 9781582403328 5 January 2004 Battle of the Planets #10-12, Battle of the Planets: Mark, Battle of the Planets: Jason and Battle of the Planets/Witchblade

Reception

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The revival received mostly positive reviews from contemporary critics.[16][17][18] However, in a 2022 retrospective article for Comic Book Resources, Gene Kendall questioned the series' willingness to shock fans, but praised Alex Ross' covers.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Freidt, Steven (August 2021). "Battle of the Planets - Or G-Force in Action!". Back Issue!. No. 129. TwoMorrows Publishing.
  2. ^ Marcus, Leonard S. (2007). Golden Legacy. Golden Books. ISBN 978-0-375-82996-3.
  3. ^ "Dynamic Forces collects early 'Battle of the Planets' comics - Comic Book Resources". October 4, 2012. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Hofius, Jason; Khoury, George (2002-12-15). G-Force Animated - Jason Hofius, George Khoury, Alex Ross - Google Boeken. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781893905184. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  5. ^ "News & Notes". Wizard. No. 119. Wizard Entertainment. August 2001.
  6. ^ a b McDonough, James (July 2002). "Battle Plans". Wizard. No. 130. Wizard Entertainment.
  7. ^ "How Alex Ross Reintroduced Battle of the Planets". CBR. November 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "'Battle of the Planets #1' breaks 150,000". Comic Book Resources. 2002-06-13. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  9. ^ "News & Notes". Wizard. No. 132. Wizard Entertainment. September 2002.
  10. ^ "CHRISTINA CHEN WITCHBLADE MEETS BATTLE OF THE PLANETS". May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "SPEAKING WITH MUNIER SHARRIEFF: WRITER OF BATTLE OF THE PLANETS/WITCHBLADE". May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ McDonough, James (October 2002). "The Never-Ending 'Battle'". Wizard. No. 133. Wizard Entertainment.
  13. ^ "ThunderCats and Battle of the Planets: An '80s Nostalgia Overload". 7 February 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Top Cow's Battle of the Planets Ended With a Ridiculous Cliffhanger". CBR. March 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Serwin, Andy (June 2003). "Fringe Benefits". Wizard. No. 141. Wizard Entertainment.
  16. ^ "Battle of the Planets #1 "Trial By Fire Part 1 of 3"". TheFourthRail.com. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on June 21, 2006. Retrieved May 21, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ "Comic Book Review: Battle of the Planets #3". The Trades. 2002-09-23. Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  18. ^ Jason Brice (2002-07-14). "Battle of the Planets #1 vs. Warrior Bugs #3 Review - Line of Fire Reviews". Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2013-08-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ^ Kendall, G. (March 29, 2022). "Top Cow's Battle of the Planets Ended With a Ridiculous Cliffhanger". CBR.
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