Starlord
Encyclopedia
Starlord was a short-lived weekly British
science fiction
comic
published by IPC
in 1978
as a sister title to 2000 AD, which had been launched the previous year in anticipation of a science fiction boom surrounding Star Wars
.
Starlord was planned as a fortnightly title for older readers, with longer stories and higher production values than 2000 AD and the rest of the IPC boys' comics stable, but this proved too ambitious. Episodes were shortened, the number of colour pages was reduced, although the better quality paper and printing were retained, and Starlord was published weekly at a higher cover price than 2000 AD.
Like 2000 AD, Tornado
and Scream!
it had a fictional editor, also called Starlord, and each issue was supposed to be a primer for survival in the galaxy.
, which still features today. Timequake also briefly featured.
into trade paperbacks
:
Issues: 1-10
Episodes: 10
Pages: 49
Script: R. E. Wright
Art: Lalia 1; Pena 2, 5, 6, 8, 10; Azpiri 3, 4, 7, 9
Cover dates: 13/5/78 to 15/7/78
Timequake
First story
Issues: 1-3
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ian Kennedy 1, 3; John Cooper 2
Dated: 13/5/78 to 27/5/78
Second story
Issues: 4-9
Episodes: 6
Pages: 36
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 3/6/78 to 8/7/78
Third story
Issues: 10-13
Episodes: 4
Pages: 28
Script: Ian Mennell
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 15/7/78 to 5/8/78
Strontium Dog
Max Quirxx
Issues: 1-2
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 13/5/78 to 20/5/78
Papa Por-ka
Issues: 3-5
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 27/5/78 to 10/6/78
No Cure For Kansyr
Issues: 6-7
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 17/6/78 to 24/6/78
Planet Of The Dead
Issues: 8-10
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 1/7/78 to 15/7/78
Two-Faced Terror!
Issues: 12-15
Episodes: 4
Pages: 23
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 29/7/78 to 19/8/78
Demon Maker
Issues: 17-19
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Brendan McCarthy 1; Ian Gibson 2-3
Dated: 2/9/78 to 16/9/78
The Ultimate Weapon
Issues: 21-22
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 30/9/78 to 7/10/78
Ro-Busters
First story
Issue: 1
Episodes: 1
Pages: 11
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 13/5/78
Second story
Issues: 2-4
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 20/5/78 to 3/6/78
Third story
Issues: 5-6
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: Bill Henry
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 10/6/78 to 17/6/78
Fourth story
Issues: 7-12
Episodes: 6
Pages: 38
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 24/6/78 to 29/7/78
Fifth story
Issues: 13-14
Episodes: 2
Pages: 14
Script: V. Gross
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 5/8/78 to 12/8/78
Sixth story
Issues: 15-19
Episodes: 5
Pages: 34
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Carlos Pino 1, 3, 5; Ferrer 2, 4
Dated: 19/8/78 to 16/9/78
Seventh story
Issues: 20-22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 23
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ferrer 1, 3; Carlos Pino 2
Dated: 23/9/78 to 7/10/78
Mind Wars
Issues: 2-22
Episodes: 21
Pages: 123
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Jesus Redondo
Dated: 20/5/78 to 7/10/78
Good Morning, Sheldon, I Love You!
Issue: 11
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 22/7/78
Holocaust
Issues: 14-22
Episodes: 9
Pages: 69
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Lalia 1-4; unknown artist 5, 8-9;
Madigllianes 6; Luis 7
Dated: 12/8/78 to 7/10/78
Earn Big Money While You Sleep!
Issue: 16
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: Alan Grant and John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 26/8/78
The Snatch
Issue: 17
Episodes: 1
Pages: 3
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 2/9/78
Skirmish!
Issue: 20
Episodes: 1
Pages: 5
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 23/9/78
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comic
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 IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
in 1978
1978 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1978.- Year overall :* DC suffers the DC Implosion, the abrupt cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned titles, with the vast majority of the books leaving uncompleted storylines .* Archie Goodwin resigns as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief,...
as a sister title to 2000 AD, which had been launched the previous year in anticipation of a science fiction boom surrounding Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
.
Starlord was planned as a fortnightly title for older readers, with longer stories and higher production values than 2000 AD and the rest of the IPC boys' comics stable, but this proved too ambitious. Episodes were shortened, the number of colour pages was reduced, although the better quality paper and printing were retained, and Starlord was published weekly at a higher cover price than 2000 AD.
Like 2000 AD, Tornado
Tornado (comic)
Tornado was a short-lived weekly British comic published for 22 issues by IPC Magazines between March 1979 and August 1979. After the cancellations of the Starlord and Action titles IPC launched Tornado as a way to use up stories already commissioned for the other titles. Like Action it was a mixed...
and Scream!
Scream!
Scream! was a British weekly comic anthology with a horror theme, running from March 24, 1984 until 30 June 1984, published by IPC Magazines....
it had a fictional editor, also called Starlord, and each issue was supposed to be a primer for survival in the galaxy.
Stories
Stories included:- Strontium DogStrontium DogStrontium Dog is a long-running comics series featuring in the British science fiction weekly 2000 AD, starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter with an array of imaginative gadgets and weapons....
, a series about a mutant bounty hunter created by writer John WagnerJohn WagnerJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
and artist Carlos EzquerraCarlos EzquerraCarlos Sanchez Ezquerra , who has also worked under the alias L. John Silver, is a Spanish comics artist who works mainly in British comics and currently lives in Andorra...
. - Ro-BustersRo-BustersRo-Busters is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of Starlord. Similar in premise to that of the Thunderbirds television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian Kennedy initially, before Starlord's merger with 2000 AD...
, a robot disaster squad created by writer Pat MillsPat MillsPat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
and artist Kevin O'NeillKevin O'Neill (comics)Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
, although it was more usually drawn by Carlos Pino or Dave GibbonsDave GibbonsDave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
. - Mind Wars, a series about two psychic teenagers in the middle of a galactic war, written by Alan Hebden and drawn by Jesus RedondoJesus RedondoJesús Redondo Román is a Spanish comic artist who has been published in many countries, including Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA....
- Timequake, featuring a tramp steamer skipper reluctantly recruited into Time Control, an agency which fought to prevent anyone tampering with time.
- Planet of the Damned, a passenger jet vanishes in the Bermuda TriangleBermuda TriangleThe Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
and the passengers find themselves on a hostile alien world. Written by Pat MillsPat MillsPat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
(as RE Wright). - Holocaust, Carl Hunter, a private detective, discovers a government cover-up of an alien invasion. Written by Alan Hebden.
Publications
As well as 22 regular issues there was one Summer Special, and also three Annuals dated 1980–1982.Merger
IPC found that publishing two weekly science fiction titles split the market, and Starlord, with its higher cover price, was cancelled after 22 issues and merged with 2000 AD in "prog" (issue) 86 of that title. Its last issue was dated 7 October 1978. 2000 ADs line-up was strengthened by the merger: Strontium Dog became one of its most popular and long-running series; and Ro-Busters continued on in 2000 AD for a while and led to an enduring spin-off, ABC WarriorsABC Warriors
ABC Warriors is a long-running 2000 AD comic strip written by Pat Mills, which first appeared in prog 119 in 1979 and continues to run today. Art for the opening episodes was by Kevin O'Neill, Mike McMahon, Brett Ewins, and Brendan McCarthy - who between them designed the original seven members of...
, which still features today. Timequake also briefly featured.
Collected editions
Some of the stories, those that carried on into 2000 AD, have been collected by RebellionRebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
into trade paperbacks
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Strontium Dog Search/Destroy Agency Case Files: File 01 (336 pages, January 2007, ISBN 1-905437-15-3)
- The Complete Ro-Busters (336 pages, November 2008, ISBN 1-905437-82-X)
Story index
Planet Of The DamnedIssues: 1-10
Episodes: 10
Pages: 49
Script: R. E. Wright
Art: Lalia 1; Pena 2, 5, 6, 8, 10; Azpiri 3, 4, 7, 9
Cover dates: 13/5/78 to 15/7/78
Timequake
First story
Issues: 1-3
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ian Kennedy 1, 3; John Cooper 2
Dated: 13/5/78 to 27/5/78
Second story
Issues: 4-9
Episodes: 6
Pages: 36
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 3/6/78 to 8/7/78
Third story
Issues: 10-13
Episodes: 4
Pages: 28
Script: Ian Mennell
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 15/7/78 to 5/8/78
Strontium Dog
Max Quirxx
Issues: 1-2
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 13/5/78 to 20/5/78
Papa Por-ka
Issues: 3-5
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 27/5/78 to 10/6/78
No Cure For Kansyr
Issues: 6-7
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 17/6/78 to 24/6/78
Planet Of The Dead
Issues: 8-10
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 1/7/78 to 15/7/78
Two-Faced Terror!
Issues: 12-15
Episodes: 4
Pages: 23
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 29/7/78 to 19/8/78
Demon Maker
Issues: 17-19
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Brendan McCarthy 1; Ian Gibson 2-3
Dated: 2/9/78 to 16/9/78
The Ultimate Weapon
Issues: 21-22
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 30/9/78 to 7/10/78
Ro-Busters
First story
Issue: 1
Episodes: 1
Pages: 11
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 13/5/78
Second story
Issues: 2-4
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 20/5/78 to 3/6/78
Third story
Issues: 5-6
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: Bill Henry
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 10/6/78 to 17/6/78
Fourth story
Issues: 7-12
Episodes: 6
Pages: 38
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 24/6/78 to 29/7/78
Fifth story
Issues: 13-14
Episodes: 2
Pages: 14
Script: V. Gross
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 5/8/78 to 12/8/78
Sixth story
Issues: 15-19
Episodes: 5
Pages: 34
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Carlos Pino 1, 3, 5; Ferrer 2, 4
Dated: 19/8/78 to 16/9/78
Seventh story
Issues: 20-22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 23
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ferrer 1, 3; Carlos Pino 2
Dated: 23/9/78 to 7/10/78
Mind Wars
Issues: 2-22
Episodes: 21
Pages: 123
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Jesus Redondo
Dated: 20/5/78 to 7/10/78
Good Morning, Sheldon, I Love You!
Issue: 11
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 22/7/78
Holocaust
Issues: 14-22
Episodes: 9
Pages: 69
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Lalia 1-4; unknown artist 5, 8-9;
Madigllianes 6; Luis 7
Dated: 12/8/78 to 7/10/78
Earn Big Money While You Sleep!
Issue: 16
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: Alan Grant and John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 26/8/78
The Snatch
Issue: 17
Episodes: 1
Pages: 3
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 2/9/78
Skirmish!
Issue: 20
Episodes: 1
Pages: 5
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 23/9/78