“Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.”

story, Harlan Ellison; illustrations, Gahan Wilson

About

Includes full page painted illustration by Gahan Wilson. Also includes a new “ten-years-later” introduction by Harlan Ellison.

writer, Tony Caputo; special essay, Jim Steranko

“With the Eyes of a Demon: Seeing the Fantastic as a Video Image”

writer, Harlan Ellison

About

Non-fiction book concerning visual storytelling, focusing on comics and film. As an introductio, a revised version of Harlan Ellison’s 1976 essay “With the Eyes of a Demon”.

November 1987, Comico ($11.95)

editor, Maggie Brenner; cover, Ken Steacy

Reprints, updates, and expands on stories, adaptations of Ellison’s Earth-Kyba War story cycle, that originally appeared in Epic Illustrated #4, 6, & 11.

[Untitled Introduction]

story, Harlan Ellison; illustrations, Ken Steacy

“Run For The Stars”

story, Harlan Ellison; adaption and art, Ken Steacy

“Life Hutch”

story, Harlan Ellison; adaption and art, Ken Steacy

“Untouchable Adolescents”

adaption and art, Ken Steacy

“Trojan Hearse”

text, Harlan Ellison; art, Ken Steacy

“Sleeping Dogs”

adaption and art, Ken Steacy

essay, Harlan Ellison, “Whispers From The Telling Box”

About

Collects Ken Steacy’s adaptations of the short stories Harlan Ellison has written about the war between Earth and Kyba, with revised and updated art and new adaptations to complete the cycle.

A two-page Introduction starts the book, telling the background of the Earth-Kyba war and leading into the first story. This is presented as an illustrated story, with text accompanied by two Ken Steacy illustrations.

“Run For The Stars” originally appeared in Epic Illustrated #11. It runs here with no major revisions.

“Life Hutch”originally appeared in black-&-white in Epic Illustrated #6. For this edition Ken Steacy has updated much of the art, missing newly colored pieces with black-&-white pieces from the original.

“Untouchable Adolescents” is a new adaptation for this collection. It is followed by a two page illustrated text version of the story “Trojan Hearse,” featuring a new illustration by Steacy.

“Sleeping Dogs” originally appeared in Epic Illustrated #4. It appears here featuring updated, newly colored cart for the whole story.

The essay “Whispers From The Telling Box” that concludes the book features Ellison discussing his hatred of “sequels” and the nature of shared universe stories such as the “Vic and Blood” stories that make up the novel-in-progress Blood’s A Rover and these Earth-Kyba War tales (and related Kyba stories like Demon With A Glass Hand).

Original Stories

• “Run For The Stars” included in the collections A Touch of Infinity, 1960; The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, 1969; Run for the Stars, 1991; and Edgeworks 4, 1997
• “Life Hutch” included in the collections A Touch of Infinity, 1960; From the Land of Fear, 1967; Alone Against Tomorrow, 1971; The Time of the Eye, 1974; The Essential Ellison, 1987
• “Untouchable Adolescents” first appeared in Super-Science Fiction, February 1957 under the pseudonym Ellis Hart
• “Trojan Hearse” first appeared in Infinity, August 1956
• “Sleeping Dogs” included in the collections Paingod and Other Delusions, 1965; and The Fantasies of Harlan Ellison, 1979

Other Editions

Signed/Numbered Hardcover, November 1987, Graphitti Designs

The Graphitti Designs edition contains the same content as the Comico graphic novel in plus a new short story by Harlan Ellison with illustrations by Ken Steacy, in a hardcover edition signed by both Harlan Ellison and Ken Steacy. Contents, beyond those in the regular edition, include:

• Signature page, featuring Harlan Ellison & Ken Steacy’s signatures and new piece of art, as well the number of the copy within the edition of 1500
• A chapter divider featuring the art from the signature page, as well as a short introduction by Ellison concerning the new story.
• “The Few The Proud”, a new Earth-Kyba war story appearing for the first time in this volume. Ken Steacy creates one new full page illustration, which was actually done before Ellison wrote the story.
• “War Artist”, a new afterword by Ken Steacy.

See Also

• Epic Illustrated 4 – featuring “Sleeping Dogs”
• Epic Illustrated 6 – featuring “Life Hutch”
• Epic Illustrated 11 – featuring “Run For The Stars”

Click Here to visit the Night And The Enemy Art Gallery

Issue 1, 1991, Prestige Edition, NOW Comics ($4.95)

editor, Joan M. Weis; art direction, Patrick Williams; cover painting, Neal Adams

“Crazy As A Soup Sandwich”

story, Harlan Ellison; art, Neal Adams;
color, Cory; letterer, Patrick Williams

introduction, Harlan Ellison, “Riding The Daymare”
original story, Harlan Ellison, “Darkness Upon The Face Of The Deep”

About

In the early-’90s publisher Now Comics licensed The Twilight Zone and launched an anthology title based on the classic television series. The series sent through several series, annuals, and specials. The premier issue featured an adaptation of “Crazy As A Soup Sandwich” by Harlan Ellison.

“Crazy” was an original teleplay from the 1980s CBS revival of The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone ran for a two seasons (1985-87) before being canceled. CBS than commissioned a third season of half-hour episodes so that the show could be run in syndication. “Crazy” was part of that third season of episodes, and was one of the last episodes aired, originally appearing April 1, 1989. It is the story of a loan shark named Arky Lochner who makes a deal with a demon and the deals he has to make to get out of that deal.

According to a 1998 interview with Ellison in Comic Book Profiles (Issue 3, Summer 1998) Ellison and Adam’s working relationship was contentious as they butted heads about many items including a hat on the main character Arky’s head that Adams refused to add. However, Ellison gives an overall positive opinion of Adams and even says he would work with him again “except,” he says, “I would have to take an awful lot of Valium.”

Other Editions

Twilight Zone #1, 1990, Regular Edition, NOW Comics
cover, Bill Sienkiewicz

• Includes the story “Crazy As A Soup Sandwich” and the introduction “Riding the Daymare” from the Prestige edition
• An additional, non-Ellison story “Wishing Book” by Don Glut, Eddy Newell & John Stangeland
• A new cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
• As well as ads and NOW Comics promo pages, which don’t appear in the ad-free Prestige Edition.

Twilight Zone, October 1991, Premiere Edition, NOW Comics
cover, Neal Adams

• Printed a year after other editions, as a way of promoting the start of Twilight Zone, Volume Two [Volume One consisted solely of Twilight Zone #1 (Regular Edition) before changes in NOW Comics ownership put the series on hold.]
• Includes the story “Crazy As A Soup Sandwich” and the introduction “Riding the Daymare” from the other editions
• A letters page, “Enter… The Twilight Zone”, featuring letters in response to the original publication of Twilight Zone #1, as well as information on what happened to the unpublished Twilight Zone #2.
• The same Neal Adams cover as the Prestige Edition, but front cover only.
• A NOW Comics promo page (“Newsflash NOW”) with information on the Twilight Zone series, as well as a photo of NOW publisher Tony Caputo and Harlan & Susan Ellison at the 1991 San Diego Comi-Con.
• Other NOW Comics ads and promo pages.

Twilight Zone #1, 1991, Gold Edition, NOW Comics

• Includes the story “Crazy As A Soup Sandwich,” the introduction “Riding the Daymare,” and the story “Darkness Upon The Face Of The Deep” from the Prestige edition, along with an interview with Ellison by Susan Ellison. The Gold Edition came polybagged, sealed, and autographed on printed label on bag.

Click Here to visit the Twilight Zone #1 Art Gallery

introduction, Harlan Ellison

story, Peter David; art, David Lopez & Fernando Blanco; cover, Brian Stelfreeze

Conan The Barbarian #2

Issue 2, December 1970, Marvel Comics

DC Special Series #2

Issue 2, DC Comics

Issue reprints Swamp Thing Volume 1 No 1 and 2 and includes HE’s letter from Issue 2

Dark Horse Presents #2

Issue 2, 1986, Dark Horse Comics

Death Rattle #15

Issue 15, March 1988, Kitchen Sink Press

Detective Comics #380

Issue 380, October 1968, DC Comics

Fish Police #5

Issue 5, October 1986, Fishwrap

Forever People #3

Volume 1, Issue 3, June/July 1971, DC Comics

Nexus #4

Volume 2, Issue 4, November 1983, Capital Comics

New Gods

DC Comics, issue and date unknown

Real Fact Comics #6

Issue 6, 1947, DC Comics

Savage Sword of Conan

Marvel Comics, issue and date unknown

Steve Canyon Magazine #1

Issue 1, January 1983, Kitchen Sink Press

Swamp Thing #2

Volume 1, Issue 2, October 1973, DC Comics

Wordsmith

Renegade Comics, issue and date unknown

“Exorcising Demons”

writers, Harlan Ellison and Peter David; art, Paul Ryan; editor, Andy Helfer

A “Superman” story that was to be part of what became a four book series examining DC heroes and their impact on the “Real World.” The book was mentioned by Ellison in several interviews and mentioned in preliminary press announcements of the series. But when the series was finally solicited over several months in 2000 the “Superman” book included was not the Ellison/David/Ryan book.

Background

Update: December 15, 1998, from the Comic Book Continuum, a web service of the Detroit News.

Harlan Ellison will be writing a Superman comic with Peter David, with art by Paul Ryan, to be released at some point in 1999 from DC Comics. It will be part of a potentially three book series of comics placing DC heroes in the “Real World.” The first book in this series will be a Batman book entitled “Harsh Realities” written by Christopher Golden and Tom Sneigowski with art by J.G. Jones. The books will be edited by Andy Helfer.

Update: Summer 1999,
From the unofficial Elseworlds website and the CSNsider site.

Information on the other books in the Realworlds series has appeared in various places. J.M. DeMatties is writing a Justice League book to have art by Glenn Barr (they created the Paradox Press book “Brooklyn Dreams” which has won praise from Ellison). DeMatties describes the book as “a sort of Big Chill story about a bunch of kids who grow up fanatical about the Justice League … and what happens when they reunite, years later, in their 30s.” No further information is given about potential publication dates.

Update: September 1999,
From Wizard Magazine –
Ellison had this to say about the Superman book in his Wizard “Q&A”:

“It’s called Superman: Exorcising Demons. I hate it when someone like Erik Larsen says ‘I’m going to do with Aquaman what has never been done in the history of literature before!’ and it turns out to be two guys fighting. I don’t want to be one of those pinheads who makes that kind of pontificating statement. But as best I can tell from having read comics for 60 years, there has never been a story like this. It’s fantastic, I just love this story! It opens at the Academy Awards and my friend Robin Williams is giving out the Oscar for Best Screenplay. It travels back to Cleveland with Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, it winds up in New York so Julie Schwartz appears in it, ['Babylon 5' creator] Joe Straczynski is in it, they all make passing cameos. It’s a wonderful, real story.

“Who’s working on it with you?

“I’m writing it the way I would write a movie treatment, then it’ll go to Peter David. A lot of the dialogue I’ll have already written and contributed, then it’ll come back to me to fine-tune it. Peter knows the way I speak because we’re such good friends.”

writer, Harlan Ellison; art, Joe Quesada (rumored); editors, Joe Quesada & Jimmy Palmiotti

Rumored Silver Surfer story to be written by Harlan Ellison. The plot had been seemingly adapted to be a Dr. Strange story, said to be illustrated by John Romita, Jr., but unfortunately that project never happened either. Because plot is out-of-date with current Marvel continuity and Romita, Jr. has announced the Dr. Strange project, this is assumed dead.

Background

Update: July 30, 1999, ffrom Mania Magazine: Daily Buzz:

“Ellison a Marvel Knight?
“by Matt Brady

“Harlan Ellison a Marvel Knight? Maybe. While at the Heroes Convention in Charlotte in June, acclaimed science fiction, fantasy, short story and all-to infrequent comic book writer Harlan Ellison told a crowd of fans that he may return to comic writing with Marvel Knights. According to Ellison, he has had a discussion with Joe Quesada about adapting an unproduced script he wrote for Fox Kids’ short-lived Silver Surfer animated series as a Silver Surfer one-shot under the Marvel Knights banner, perhaps penciled by Quesada. While the prospect of an Ellison-penned Surfer story has both Surfer and Ellison fans wiping up pools of drool, don’t look for it anytime soon. Word from the Knights office is that at this stage, it’s still in the ‘wouldn’t it be nice?’ stage, and due to the hectic schedules of both Ellison and the Marvel Knights teams, the project has seen

writer, Harlan Ellison; art, Michael Kaluta

Rumored Shadow graphic novel to be illustrated by classic seventies Shadow artist Michael Kaluta. Never solicited.

For more information see The Comics Journal #54, 57, 61, and 82.

Dr. Fate story, Harlan Ellison; art, never announced

JSA All Stars was a mini-series featuring the modern-day incarnation of the Justice Society of America. Each issue featured a main story featuring one of the “legacy” characters, modern characters like Mr. Terrific who shared a name and theme with a classic, golden age character. Each issue also featured a back-up story, by a variety of writers and artists, featuring the golden age version of the character. As originally announced, Harlan Ellison would write the back-up story featuring Dr. Fate. Unfortunately, schedules did not work out and the story was assigned elsewhere.

Background

Update: October 1, 2002 — All DC Comics books, cover dated 2002, featured a news/hype page called “DC In Demand.” A rumor/future project hype column on that entiled “What’s This, You Say?”, and credited to “Your Mole at 1700″, contained the following tidbit:

I mean, I’m not supposed to talk, but… …[hints of new Elric comic series by Michael Morcock and Walter Simonson and a Dr. Fate mini-series] … Or that the JSA will heat up further in another series with contributions by Harlan Ellison, Kevin J. Anderson, Michael Chabon, and other big names?

No Further info was given at that time.

Update: October 3, 2002 — Wow. That was quick. A few days after December cover dated DC Books went on the stand with the hint of an Ellison JSA story, the project was officially announced, without Ellison’s participation. The project, entitled JSA All-Stars, is an eight-issue mini-series concerning the modern day Justice Society of America. Issues 2 through five will feature a lead story starring one of the current JSA members, along with a back-up story about that heroes golden age equivalent. These back-up stories were to feature the all-star writer line-up mentioned previously. However, Ellison was no longer able to included among that line-up. According to the internet comic book news web-site Newsarama:

And while DC and writer Harlan Ellison were ultimately unable to work scheduling on a back-up story (as mentioned this month in the publisher’s new ‘DC on Demand’ information page), DC has still lined up an impression group of writers, including as promised a Pulitzer-prize winning author making this comic book debut…

In fact, the Pulitzer-prize winning author mentioned, Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay), was the only one of the three names mentioned in the DC In Demand article that was still attached to the project. For completists sake, and because it should still be a well written and drawn mini-series if you don’t mind the modern Justice Society team, here is the announced line-up of creators [lead story creators first; then back-up creators]:

• #1 – JSA: Geoff Johns/David Goyer (w), Sal Velluto/Bob Almond (p/i)
• #2 – Mr. Terrific: Johns/Goyer, Dave Ross; Michael Chabon, Michael Lark
• #3 – Dr. Fate: Johns/Goyer, Barry Kitson; Darwyn Cooke (w/a)
• #4 – Stargirl: Johns/Goyer, Mike McKone; James Robinson, Tony Harris
• #5 – Hourman: Johns/Goyer, Adam DeCrocker; Howard Chaykin (w/a)
• #6 – Hawkgirl: Johns/Goyer, Phil Winslade; Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale
• #7 – Dr. Midnight: Johns/Goyer, Steve Sadowski; Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Rizzo
• #8 – JSA: Johns/Goyer (w), Sal Velluto, Bob Almond

No release date other than “next year” [2003] was mentioned.

Update: March 2004 — In an interview with Jon B. Cooke for Comic Book Artist #23 (Dec. 2002, TwoMorrows Publishing) HE mentioned some of his potential future comics work:

CBA: So you will occasionally continue to write comics?

Harlan: Oh, absolutely. I’m doing some right now. If I had not gotten involved in terrible, terrible, deadlines, I would have already finished a Doctor Fate I’m doing for [DC Comics editor] Peter Tomasi, that takes place back in 1940. In fact, it’s a story that takes place immediately after the banquet story in JSA Secret Files. But I was late with it, and he had to reassign it to someone else, so we have decided that we’re going to do… I can’t tell you exactly, but it will be a one-shot, killer project. A kind of dream of mine come true.

It appears that this was the story originally planned for the JSA All-Stars mini-series. No official announcements or further news has appeared since the interview.