Showing posts with label covers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label covers. Show all posts

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Picturing the USS Titan

In the 2002 movie Star Trek Nemesis it was revealed Captain Riker would be taking command of a starship of his own, the USS Titan. Almost nothing else was revealed about the ship on-screen, other than that Deanna Troi would be joining Riker on the new ship, and their first mission would be to deal with the fall-out on Romulus after the events of the film.

With the TNG-era done on-screen, the door was left open for new adventures of this new ship in Star Trek fiction, and Pocket Books made sure those adventures came, starting in 2005 with new book series featuring Riker's new ship, Star Trek: Titan.

Taking Wing, the first book in that new series, established the Titan as Luna class, a medium sized vessel of exploration. That book also included details of a competition to design the Luna class Titan. The winning design would be selected by a panel of Star Trek experts, and would become the official design of the new ship, and be featured on a future book cover. As the rules described:
All designs will be judged by the Star Trek editorial staff at Pocket Books, together with Star Trek designers Doug Drexler, Michael Okuda, and Rick Sternbach; Associate Producer, Star Trek: Enterprise David Rossi; Senior Director of Licensed Publishing for Viacom Consumer Products Paula M. Block; and Manager of Licensed Publishing for Viacom Consumer Products John Van Citters, all of whom are fully qualified to apply the stated judging criteria. Entries will be judged on the basis of originality (25%), execution (25%), consistency with the U.S.S. Titan Concept Notes (25%), consistency with Star Trek Starfleet style (25%). The winning design will be published in an upcoming Star Trek: Titan novel, and will be used as the basis for cover art on the same book. The winning designer will be credited on the novel's copyright page. In the event that there is an insufficient number of submissions received that meet the minimum standards determined by the judges, the prize will not be awarded.
The rules also included details of the Luna class, which the winning design would have to conform to (continues after the jump):

Monday, August 8, 2011

Covers: Spock Must Die!

Spock Must Die! was Bantam Books first original Star Trek novel, first published in 1970. It was written by James Blish, who had by then already written several of Bantam's Star Trek novelization anthologies. The book was later reprinted many times by Bantam, by Corgi in the UK, and in French, German and Italian translations.

Original 1970 edition
  • Publisher: Bantam Books
  • Cover: Photomontage



1972 Williams-Verlag German translation
  • Title: Enterprise 7
  • Publisher: Williams-Verlag
  • ISBN 380710029
  • Cover artist: Eddie Jones, signed as S. Fantoni
  • Language: German
  • Number 7 in Williams-Verlag's Enterprise series. The only book in the series that is not a reprint of one of Blish's adaptation anthologies.
1974 Corgi reprint
  • Publisher: Corgi Books
  • ISBN 0-552-09498-6


1978 Bantam reprint
  • Publisher: Bantam Books
  • ISBN 0553125893
  • Cover artist: Bob Larkin


1978 Star Trek Reader omnibus


1984 Bantam reprint
  • Publisher: Bantam Books
  • ISBN 0-553-24634-8
  • Cover artist: Bob Larkin, reuse of 1979 edition artwork.


1984 Corgi reprint
  • Publisher: Corgi Books
  • ISBN 0-552-09498-6



1988 Goldmann-Verlag German translation
  • Title: Spock Muß Sterben!
  • Publisher: Goldmann-Verlag
  • ISBN 3-442-23742-4
  • Cover artist: Bob Larkin, reuse of 1979 edition artwork.
  • Language: German
  • Translator: Hans Maeter and Hermann Urbanek
  • Number 12 in Goldmann-Verlag Raumschiff Enterprise series
  • Note: There seem to be two different versions of this book, but as far as I can tell both have the same ISBN and publication date. One of my readers has suggested the top cover was the one used in the first printing of the book, and that subsequent reprints used the second version of the cover.

1998 Garden Editoriale Italian translation
  • Title: Spock Deve Morire
  • Publisher: Garden Editoriale
  • Cover artist: Bob Larkin, reuse of 1979 edition artwork.
  • Language: Italian
  • Translator: Annarita Guarnieri
  • Number 5 in Garden Editoriale's Star Trek series
  • The book also contains an adaptation of Patterns of Force, and articles on Vulcan physiology and Star Trek: The Next Generation

1993 Fleuve Noir French translation
  • Title: Spock Doit Mourir
  • Publisher: Fleuve Noir
  • ISBN 2-265-04787-2
  • Cover artist: Bob Larkin, reuse of 1979 edition artwork.
  • Language: French
  • Translator: Gilles Dupreux
  • Number 3 in Fleuve Noir's Star Trek series


1999 Bantam reprint
  • Publisher: Bantam Spectra
  • ISBN 0-553-24634-8
  • Cover artist: Kazuhiko Sano

1999 Fanucci Editore Italian translation
  • Title: Spock Deve Morire
  • Publisher: Fanucci Editore
  • ISBN 8834707109
  • Cover artist: Kazuhiko Sano, reuse of 1999 Bantam reprint edition artwork.
  • Language: Italian
  • Translator: Annarita Guarnieri


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Translations: French Star Trek comics

The following is a history of Star Trek comics published in France. So far various French publishers have reprinted: Eighteen comics originally by Gold Key Comics, these have been reprinted several times; Twenty-one comics originally from DC Comics' first Star Trek series; and thirteen iusses (three miniseries and one stand-alone) from IDW Publishing.

Éditions des Remparts: Les Héros de L'aventure (1972)
The first Star Trek comics published in French were found in a handful of issues of the second series of the magazine Les Héros de L'aventure, published by Éditions des Remparts in 1972. All were reprints of original Gold Key Comics titles; the first six issues.

Les Héros de L'aventure #2
  • Contents: K-G, Planète de la Mort.
  • Published: 11th June 1972.
  • Original: GK#1, The Planet Of No Return - 1967.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.

Les Héros de L'aventure #6
  • Contents: L'île du Diable.
  • Published: 9th July 1972.
  • Original: GK#2, The Devil's Isle Of Space - 1968.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
Les Héros de L'aventure #10
  • Contents: L'invasion des Constructeurs...
  • Published: 6th August 1972.
  • Original: GK#3, Invasion Of The City Builders - 1968.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.

Les Héros de L'aventure #14
  • Contents: Danger sur la planète Metamorpha.
  • Published: 3rd September 1972.
  • Original: GK#4, The Peril Of Planet Quick Change - 1969.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
Les Héros de L'aventure #18
  • Contents: La planète fantôme.
  • Published: 1st October 1972.
  • Original: GK#5, The Ghost Planet - 1969.

Cover art

Les Héros de L'aventure #22
  • Contents: Collision de planètes.
  • Published: 29th October 1972.
  • Original: GK#6, When Planets Collide - 1969.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
Éditions des Remparts: Star Trek (1972)
At the end of 1972 Éditions des Remparts launched a stand-alone Star Trek series, which ran for twelve issues, until 1975, again printing French editions of Gold Key comics, continuing on in the original published order from where the Les Héros de L'aventure series left off.

#1: La Planète Vaudou
  • Published: December 1972.
  • Original: GK#7, The Voodoo Planet - 1970.
  • Cover: By Mario Caria.
#2: La Machine à Rajeunir
  • Published: January 1973.
  • Original: GK#8, The Youth Trap - 1970.
  • Cover: By Mario Caria.
#3: L'héritage de Lazarus
#4: Le Sceptre du Soleil

#5: Les Émotions Dangereuses
#6: La Planète Pirate

#7: Le Voyageur de L'univers
  • Published: October 1973.
  • Original: GK#13, Dark Traveler - 1972.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
#8: La Mutinerie de L'Enterprise
  • Published: December 1973.
  • Original: GK#14, The Enterprise Mutiny - 1972.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
#9: Le Musée des Vaisseaux Perdus
#10: La Journée des Inquisiteurs
#11: Les Hommes de la Caverne du Cosmos
  • Published: October 1974.
  • Original: GK#17, The Cosmic Cavemen - 1973.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
#12: La Planète Volée
  • Published: December 1975.
  • Original: GK#18, The Hijacked Planet - 1973.
  • Cover: Original Gold Key cover art.
Éditions des Remparts: Star Trek Albums(1970s)
In addition to individual issues Éditions des Remparts also published omnibus editions in the 1970s. These books were made by binding together individual issues, and over five books collected together all the comics published by Remparts in both the Les Héros de L'aventure and Star Trek series. One Star Trek issue was also bound in the first album of the Magnus series.
Interior example, with Star Trek #5 in Album #3

Star Trek Album N°1

Star Trek Album N°2


Star Trek Album N°3

Star Trek Album N°4

Star Trek Album N°5

Magnus Album #3
  • Published: unknown.
  • Contents: L'invasion des Constructeurs de Villes (plus three isues of Magnus).
  • Original: GK#3: Invasion of City Builders -1968.
Sagédition: Rin Tin Tin et Rusty (1978)
The next Star Trek comics published in French came in 1978, found in issues of the second series of the magazine Rin Tin Tin et Rusty published by Sagédition from 1970 to 1985; although all the issues with Star Trek content were published in 1978. All were again reprints of original Gold Key Comics titles, and all had previously been printed by Remparts.

Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #103
Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #104
Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #106

Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #107
  • Contents: Les Jumeaux Suprêmes.
  • Published: December 1978.
  • Original: GK#5, The Ghost Planet - 1969.
Sagédition: Collection Présence de L’avenir (1978 - 1983)
Sagédition also started to publish a series of Star Trek omnibuses, Collection Présence de L’avenir, in 1978. There were three books in the series, all once again printing original Gold Key comics, and all had also been previously published by Rampart. In 1980 Segédition also published a French translation of Marvel Comics' adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

#1: Le Chemin des Etoiles
  • Contents: L'invasion des Constructeurs de Villes, and Danger sur la Planète Metamorpha.
  • Published: January 1978.
  • Original: GK#3 Invasion of City Builders, and GK#4 The Peril Of Planet Quick Change - 1968-1969.
  • Cover: Photomontage, including GK#4 cover.



#2: Le Voyageur du Cosmos
#3: Les Mutinés de L'espace
Le Chemin des Etoiles
Arédit: Star Trek (1985 - 1986)
Arédit were the next to publisher, producing eight omnibus editions of DC Comics' first series, translating the first twenty issues in the series and the first annual. Plus a stand-alone release of the adaptation of The Search For Spock.

#1: Odyssée dans L'espace
#2: Mortels Alliés
  • Published: April 1985.
  • Original: DC#3 Errand Of War (part 2), DC#4 Deadly Allies, DC#5 Mortal Gods, and DC#6 Who Is Enigma? (part 1) -1984.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#4.
#3: L'origine de Saavik
  • Published: June 1985.
  • Original: DC#6 Who Is Enigma? (part 2), DC#7 Pon Farr, and DC#8 Blood Fever - 1984.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#7.
#4: Double Image
  • Published: August 1985.
  • Original: DC#9 Promises To Keep, DC#10 Double Image, and DC#11 Deadly Reflection (part 1) - 1984-1985.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#11.
#5: Suspense Intergalactique
  • Published: October 1985.
  • Original: DC#11 Deadly Reflection (part 2), DC#12 The Tantalus Trap, DC#13 Masquerade, DC#14 Behind Enemy Lines (part 1) - 1985.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#9.
#6: Le Commencement de la Fin
  • Published: December 1985.
  • Original: DC#14 Behind Enemy Lines (part 2), DC#15 The Beginning Of The End, DC#16 Homecoming, DC#17 The D'Artagnan Three (part 1) - 1985.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#12.
#7: Trafic Interplanétaire
#8: Repos et Récréation!
  • Published: June 1986.
  • Original: DC#18 Rest And Recreation, DC#19 Chekov's Choice, and DC#20 Giri - 1985.
  • Cover: Original DC cover art for DC#19.
Star Trek III: A la Recherche de Spock
Delcourt (2009 - present)
After a long time without French translations, Delcourt began to publish IDW Star Trek comics in 2009. They have so far released three omnibuses of IDW miniseries, plus a special promotion copy of John Byrne's Alien Spotlight: Romulans, which was included with copies of the 2009 movie when it was released on DVD.

La Tactique Romulienne
Compte à Rebours
  • Published: October 2009.
  • Original: Countdown - 2009.
  • Cover: Original IDW cover art.
  • ISBN 2756020125.
Spock - Réflexions
  • Published: February 2010.
  • Original: Spock: Reflections - 2009.
  • Cover: Montage of images by David A. Williams from retail incentive covers of the second and third issues of Spock: Reflections, plus the Enterprise-E by David Messina from interior pages of Countdown #2 and/or #4.
  • ISBN 2756021075.
Leonard McCoy