Tune in, turn on, live long and prosper: Star Trek - The Gold Key Comics years

[jack_babalon]

Beginning in 1967, Gold Key released a 61 issue run of the sci-fi cult classic Star Trek, that boldly chronicled (where no episode had gone before)the adventures of Kirk, Spock, Bones and the Enterprise. The series lasted until 1979, some nine years longer than the original series.

Going through the online galleries of this series (thanks to the Grand Comics Database Project) I came across the curious fact that most of the covers seemed to inordinately spotlight Mister Spock (I would've thought Kirk personally). Spock fighting robots. Spock fighting mummies. Spock on Acid. It's almost as if the implacable Vulcan was sort of the Trekkie equivalent of having Wolverine on the cover at the time and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that his very presence on such guaranteed a significant boost in an issues sales.

To be honest I'm more of a Next Generation fan myself, but what I truly love about these covers in particular is the surreal blend of Silver Age aesthetics mixed with the emerging psychedelic counter-culture of the time. There is still the sheer wonder of Roddenberry here, only it would seem to be filtered through the imagination of Timothy Leary. Think the Final Frontier in the Age of Aquarius.

These would be some of my favorites.



~In this issue special guest writer Robert Anton Wilson has Spock learn 17 of the 23 secrets of the Illuminati. Special fun non-fact: The scene where Spock and James Joyce split a tab before discussing the mysteries of the Golden Dawn was the inspiration for Wilson's Masks of the Illuminati.



~That's right Robot-Bitches, Spock knows Vulcan Jujitsu!



~Ladies and Gentleman, I now present every geeks wet dream... Spock & Kirk have joined your Dungeon Party!




~Come get some George Washington!




~In this issue can the crew of the Enterprise survive... DragonCon?!?!?!



~Oh Noooo! Space Voodoo!



~Mister Spock journeys to the Western Lands, dropping mummies with his... holy shit! Look out Spock you're wearing a Red Shirt!!!



~You had me at "Sky Pirates"...

Comments

[gumboot.livejournal.com]

i'm humming the star trek theme song as i look through these...i was spock for halloween once...i wasn't into costumery then (just out of college) and bought a little kids star trek costume, forced my arms into the bib-shirt, and wore the plastic spock face mask that made me sweat. It was a doctors and nurses halloween party in the gym at Rush Memorial Hospital in Chicago. All the doctors and nurses were doing MASH themed costumes and in walks me as a rather poorly done Spock...

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

it's all about bringing spock down to our level...
i think fans put spock and his "logic" on some pedestal,
and ever since, it's been a game to see who could break the vulcan.
find out what absolute depravity he is capable of committing.
kirk... hell, man. he's captain fucking kirk of the goddam enterprise.
fly it, fight it, or fuck it.
what else would you need to know about the man?

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

And no one wanted to play doctor with a Vulcan? Tch-tch Chicago:)

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Interesting point about bringing him down to our level. I was wondering if it was some sort of Space-Elf thing, like Terrance McKenna raps about or something. Yet it seems over the years that when the show started gaining camp value it was Kirk who got all the kudos.

You know though, in my mind I'll always wonder what it would have been like if Bruce Cambpell could play Kirk (if he was born a lot earlier... or with the relaunch later).

[mlfoley.livejournal.com]

These all look great, but I am totally going to have find a digital copy of the RAW-written one.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Well if it helps you any it's issue number 30 (though it's not written by RAW, I'm tempted to photoshop his dialouge into a mash-up between the two... if I ever get the $ for photoshop). In the meantime I'm definetly going to try to hunt down a copy of this issue at the next Con.