Alien Worlds was a science fiction anthology

Comics anthology

Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...

 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

  published by Pacific Comics

Pacific Comics

Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...

 and, later, Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...

, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones

Bruce Jones (comics)

Bruce Jones, whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001-2005.-Early career:...

 and April Campbell.

Publication history

Alien Worlds was published on a bi-monthly schedule by Pacific Comics

Pacific Comics

Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...

 from December 1982 to April 1984 (eight issues, including an offshoot Three Dimensional

Anaglyph image

Anaglyph images are used to provide a stereoscopic 3D effect, when viewed with glasses where the two lenses are different colors, such as red and cyan. Images are made up of two color layers, superimposed, but offset with respect to each other to produce a depth effect...

 Alien Worlds published in July 1984). After Pacific went bankrupt, two final issues were published by Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics

Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...

 in November 1984 and January 1985. In 1986, Blackthorne Publishing

Blackthorne Publishing

Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. was a comic book publisher that flourished from 1986-1989. They were notable for the Blackthorne 3-D Series, their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products...

 published their own one-shot  Alien Worlds, with reprints of stories taken from earlier issues. In May 1988, Eclipse issued a standalone, unnumbered edition of the title as part of its Graphic Album Series, featuring all new stories and art.

Nearly all of the stories in Alien Worlds were written by Jones, with only a few exceptions (notably Jan Strnad's "Stoney End" in Issue # 8 and Frank Brunner

Frank Brunner

Frank Brunner is an American comic book artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.-Comics:...

's "The Reading!" in Issue # 9). Jones had developed a skill for the short genre

Genre

Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...

 tale, often with a twist ending, during his years with Warren Publishing

Warren Publishing

Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades...

 while writing for their Creepy

Creepy

Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but...

and Eerie

Eerie

Eerie was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host...

titles. He was heavily influenced by the horror and science fiction movies of the 1950s

1950s in film

The decade of the 1950s in film involved many significant films.----Contents1 Events2 List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.-Events:...

, adding graphic violence and sexuality to the mix, complete with copious female nudity; several issues sported a “Recommended For Mature Readers” warning on the cover. However, for the most part Alien Worlds avoided the more intensely gruesome subject matter of Jones' other Pacific comic, Twisted Tales

Twisted Tales

Twisted Tales was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.-Publication history:...

, which was being published at the same time.

Front covers for the comic were by, among others, John Bolton, Dave Stevens

Dave Stevens

Dave Stevens was an American illustrator and comics artist. He is most famous for creating The Rocketeer comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, especially of model Bettie Page...

, Frank Brunner

Frank Brunner

Frank Brunner is an American comic book artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.-Comics:...

, and Joe Chiodo

Joe Chiodo

Joe Chiodo is an artist and colorist who has worked in the comics industry. He has been recognized for his work with a nomination for the Comics Buyer's Guide Favorite Colorist Award in 1997 , and in 1998 under his own name.-Biography:Chiodo was born on January 22, 1958, the youngest of four boys...

. Contributing interior artists included Bolton, Stevens, Al Williamson

Al Williamson

Alfonso "Al" Williamson was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western and science-fiction/fantasy...

, Richard Corben

Richard Corben

Richard Corben is an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine...

, Roy Krenkel, Val Mayerik

Val Mayerik

Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...

, and Rand Holmes

Rand Holmes

Randolph Holton Holmes was a Canadian artist and illustrator probably best known for his work in underground comix....

, as well as two stories written and illustrated by editor Jones himself.

In 1985, soon after the cancellation of Alien Worlds, Eclipse began publishing a similar science-fiction themed anthology, Alien Encounters

Alien Encounters

Alien Encounters is a science fiction anthology comic book published by FantaCo Enterprises and then Eclipse Comics. The comic debuted with FantaCo in 1981, and in 1985 was revived by Eclipse, where it ran for fourteen issues until 1987.Eclipse began publishing the title soon after the...

. The title ceased publication in 1987 after fourteen issues.

Issue guide

#	Date	Cover Artist	Story	Story Artist	Plot
1	December 1982	Joe Chiodo Joe Chiodo Joe Chiodo is an artist and colorist who has worked in the comics industry. He has been recognized for his work with a nomination for the Comics Buyer's Guide Favorite Colorist Award in 1997 , and in 1998 under his own name.-Biography:Chiodo was born on January 22, 1958, the youngest of four boys...	The Few and the Far	Al Williamson Al Williamson Alfonso "Al" Williamson was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western and science-fiction/fantasy...	During an intergalactic war, two creatures on an uncharted planet keep their true forms hidden from the other via “Hypno-Screen”
			Domain	Val Mayerik Val Mayerik Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...	Survivors of a disabled rocket on an alien world are forced to regress to prehistoric civilization under the orders of their crazed leader
			Head of the Class	Nestor Redondo Nestor Redondo Nestor Redondo was a comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other American publishers in the 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life and career:...	Robot students plot vengeance against their oppressive teacher
			Talk to Tedi	Tim Conrad	Super-intelligent robotic teddy bear follows its owner home after being inadvertently left behind on a planet millions of miles from Earth
2	May 1983	Dave Stevens Dave Stevens Dave Stevens was an American illustrator and comics artist. He is most famous for creating The Rocketeer comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, especially of model Bettie Page...	Aurora	Dave Stevens	Adventures of an intergalactic female freedom fighter
			Vicious Circle	Ken Steacy Ken Steacy Ken “Value Added” Steacy is a Canadian comics artist and writer best known for his work on the NOW Comics comic book series of Astro Boy and of the Comico comic series of Jonny Quest, as well as his graphic novel collaborations with Harlan Ellison and Dean Motter...	Eerie goings-on in a deep space bound space vessel
			A Mind of Her Own	Bruce Jones	Three children are marooned on an alien planet and one of them has the unwanted ability to bring her horrific thoughts alive
3	July 1983	William Stout William Stout William Stout is an American fantasy artist and illustrator with a specialization in paleontological art. His paintings have been shown in over seventy exhibitions, including twelve one-man shows. He has worked on over thirty feature films, doing everything from storyboard art to production design...	The Inheritors	Scott Hampton Scott Hampton Scott Hampton is an American comic book artist well known for his painted artwork. He is the brother of fellow-comics-creator Bo Hampton.-Biography:Scott Hampton was born in 1959 in High Point, North Carolina....	Dolphin-like aliens from another world come to Earth to save the planet
			Pi in the Sky	Ken Steacy	Futuristic aerial dogfight Dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane... s
			Dark Passage	Thomas Yeates Thomas Yeates Thomas Yeates is an American comic book and comic strip artist known for his work on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and on other properties such as Conan and the Zorro comic strip.-Selected works:...	Puppy love Puppy love Puppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...  develops between a young boy and his robot “girlfriend”
4	September 1983	Dave Stevens	Princess Pam	Dave Stevens	Robot protects its mistress after they crash-land on an inhospitable planet
			Girl of my Schemes	Bo Hampton Bo Hampton Bo Hampton is a noted comic book and cartoon artist.He graduated from the School of Visual Arts, New York City. He drew, wrote and painted comics and graphic novels for 15 years, always with a bent toward realism that was fairly uncommon in the medium...	Futuristic, exotic travel agency sets the stage for a comedic love story
			One Day in Ohio	Ken Steacy	A robot and a monkey are the only survivors of an apocalyptic nuclear war
			Deep Secrets	Bruce Jones	On the dark side of Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus... , a man gets revenge on his unfaithful lover
			Land of the Fhre	Al Williamson	Humanity’s triumph against alien invaders turns out to be the dreams of a brain dead survivor of the attack
5	December 1983	John Bolton	Lip Service	John Bolton	Federation bureaucrat assigned to a six-week assignment on a leper-colony planetoid discovers to his horror the natives’ praying mantis styled mating rituals.
			Game Wars	Ken Steacy	Foes in a futuristic battle put aside their weapons to play card games
			Plastic	Adolpho Buylla	Soldiers trapped on a planet in a meaningless war meet horrific fates as they discover who the true enemy is.
			Wasteland	Thomas Yeates	Man stuck in a hospital bed watches a beacon from the future on the room’s television set
6	February 1984	Frank Brunner Frank Brunner Frank Brunner is an American comic book artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.-Comics:...	Planet Perfict	Jim Sullivan and Arthur Suydam Arthur Suydam Arthur Suydam is an American comic book artist and musician. He has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.-Illustration:Suydam has...	Adventurer exploring an alien world finds a beautiful, not quite perfect woman
			The Test	Roy Krenkel and Val Mayerik	Man and woman on a boating trip find hideous undersea monsters plotting to take over the Earth
			Pride of the Fleet	Frank Brunner and Mike Mignola Mike Mignola Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...	Adventures of a female warrior
7	April 1984	Joe Chiodo	The Small World of Lewis Stillman	Richard Corben Richard Corben Richard Corben is an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine...	Last two adult survivors of a planet-wide alien attack come out of hiding and attempt to communicate with the savage, depraved remnants of humanity that remain...all children
			Small Change	Brent Anderson Brent Anderson Brent Anderson is an American comic book artist known for his work on X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and the comic book series Astro City.- Early life :...	Tiny alien piloting a Frisbee-like flying disc helps a young boy earn some cash
			It All Fits	Gray Morrow Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...	Flesh-eating creatures attack scientists in a compound on an icy planet
			Ride the Blue Bus	George Pérez George Pérez George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...	After a devastating war, a specially designed bus provides cross country tours to chosen survivors to instill in them the need to rebuild civilization
8	November 1984	John Pound	…And Miles To Go Before I Sleep	Al Williamson	As a final wish, dying space explorer has robot-replacement created to visit his elderly parents on faraway Earth
			Soft Boiled	Paul Rivoche	Film noir Film noir Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s... -ish detective discovers his very existence is a sham created by robots
			Collector’s Item	Ken Steacy	A Mars Attacks Mars Attacks Mars Attacks is a science fiction trading card series released in 1962. The cards feature artwork by science-fiction artist Wallace Wood and tell the story of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians. The cards depicted futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture... -styled trading card Trading card A trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...  set reveals the mechanics of an imminent alien invasion to a young boy
			Stoney End	Rand Holmes Rand Holmes Randolph Holton Holmes was a Canadian artist and illustrator probably best known for his work in underground comix....	Doomed astronauts who have crash landed on a planet attempt to temporarily “escape” the horror of their impending deaths by reading science fiction comic books
9	January 1985	John Bolton	10 Devils	Bo Hampton	Soldiers fight a horde of intelligent, advanced weapon-carrying gigantic ants
			The Reading	Frank Brunner	Somewhere between time and space, an eerie tarot Tarot The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...  card reading reveals that the Earth no longer exists
			Small Game	Mike Hoffman	Miniaturized hunters kill insects for sport
			The Maiden and the Dragon	Bo Hampton	Clever young woman slays a hideous sea serpent
NA	May 1988	Dave Stevens	Phony Express	Thom Enriquez	Newly hired postal rider on an alien outpost finds a letter in his pouch revealing his wife's adulterous ways
			Looking For Louie	Ralph Reese	Wacky adventures of human-sized cockroach space travelers
			Boots and Jackets	Eric Shanower	Old tracker gets one last chance for adventure in the jungles of a distant planet
			In The Meadow	Mike Drigenberg	While swimming in a pond a young teenaged girl and her dog encounter an alien hunting for trophies
			Jupiter Rising	Bill Wray Bill Wray William York Wray is an American cartoonist and landscape painter, notable for his Urban Landscape series of paintings, his many pages for Mad and his contributions to The Ren & Stimpy Show...	One morning a man and his house-cat repeatedly stumble backwards into prehistoric time
			Worlds Apart	Bob Fingerman	Advanced frog-like alien becomes stranded on Earth