Steranko's 'Outland'

from the June 1981 issue of Heavy Metal

Released in May 1981, Outland is described as an outer space version of the Western classic 'High Noon'. It's been a while since I last saw it, but I do remember it being a decent film , if not particularly inspired or imaginative. 

Warner Bros. was hoping the film would be a box-office, multi-marketing juggernaut, like Fox's 'Alien' had been two years previously, and they adopted much the same marketing approach.  

Heavy Metal magazine was happy to oblige,  serializing a graphic novel, ably illustrated by Jim Steranko, in several issues (July through October 1981, and January 1982). 

Outland was also available as a novelization in paperback, by Alan Dean Foster, and a 'movie novel' paperback authored by Richard Anobile.

Unfortunately, 'Outland' never became the marketing phenomenon that Warner was anticipating, but Steranko certainly did a good job on the graphic novel. Here's the Preview of the graphic novel; I'll scan and present its serial sections in forthcoming posts here at the PorPor Books Blog.

Heavy Metal magazine September 1981

'Heavy Metal' magazine September 1981

The front cover of the September 1981 issue of 'Heavy Metal' is by Chris Achilleos. Titled 'Taarna'; it's also the poster for the movie, which was released in early August. The back cover is by Angus McKie, and is titled 'So Beautiful and So Dangerous'.

This issue is heavy on series installments. Richard Corben kicks off another series, 'Den II', and there are installments in the ongoing 'The Immortal's Fete' by Bilal, 'Cody Starbuck' by Chaykin, 'Tex Arcana' by Findley, and 'Outland' by Steranko.

'The Eye of the Goddess Isliah' by Brocol Remohi, and Juan Gimenez's 'Infantrymen ! Infantrymen !' stand out as the best of the one-shot pieces.

The various text columns that previously were given primacy by former editor Ted White have been shortened to two pages, retitled  'Dossier',  and relegated to the back pages of the magazine. I've posted the Dossier below. 

Needless to say, Lou Stathis continues to write pretentious 'Rok' criticism, this time fawning over David Eno and Robert Fripp (those two artists were the objects of veneration for every early 80s rock critic). 

But even Stathis's writing stands out as readable and coherent, compared to the two brief columns appearing alongside his.

A review of the novels of Robert Anton Wilson by Philip Jose Farmer, and a 'Quick Takes' review of 'The Raiders of the Lost Ark' by one Daphne Davis (?), both engage in such slavish imitation of William Burroughs's prose style that they unintentionally sink into parody.....

Posted below is the latest episode in Steranko's 'Outland'.

Heavy Metal magazine October 1981

'Heavy Metal' magazine October 1981

The October 1981 issue of Heavy Metal featured a front cover by Thomas Warkentin titled 'Guess Who ?' and a back cover by Enki Bilal titled 'Nikopol'.

New installments of Sternako's 'Outland', Bilal's 'The Immortal's Fete', and Corben's 'Den II' are present. A new serial by Segrelles, 'The Mercenary', starts with this issue. There is a new strip from Caza, 'Overground', a black and white strip from Gary Davis titled 'Nil-Gish', and a portfolio of paintings by Philippe Duillet. I'll be posting some of these entries as the month unfolds.

Posted below is Sternako's 'Outland'. 

Heavy Metal July 1981

'Heavy Metal' magazine July 1981

 

The July 1981 issue of 'Heavy Metal' features a wraparound cover by Chris Moore titled 'Exhausted !'.

This is a pretty good issue, with the second installment of an interview with Richard Corben; the finale of Corben's 'Bloodstar'; another segment of Findlay's 'Texarcana'; an illustrated short story by Stephen King titled 'The Blue Air Compressor'; 'Whoodoo the Voodoo' by Caza; and the first installment of the 'Outland' graphic novel by Jim Steranko, which I've posted below:

Heavy Metal August 1981

'Heavy Metal' magazine August 1981

The August 1981 issue of 'Heavy Metal' not unsurprisingly devotes 16 pages to promoting the upcoming animated film, hoping to energize attendance by revealing titillating graphics of  female characters ('The Legend of Taarna') in leather bikinis.

There is some good stuff in this issue: the final installment of an interview with Richard Corben; 'Paradise Lost' by Mora and Gimenez; 'Pigs on the Wing' by Yeates and Feduniewicz; and another great strip from Caza titled 'Homo Detritus'.

Some articles devoted to music, comics, books, and film remain from the Ted White era, albeit in much truncated fashion in a two-page 'Dossier' section, scanned below. 

Even with a more limited Word Count at his disposal, music critic Lou Stathis continues to be as pretentious as always, this time lavishing praise on John Cale, who along with Tom Waits (and probably John Prine), were every 70s rock critic's One True Loves. 

Ralph T. Castle uses his small piece to slam the 1981 Hugo nominees, with some merit to his remarks (although I still think 'Lord Valentine's Castle' is much superior to any and all of Silverberg's novels of the 70s).

This issue of HM also contains another installment of Sternako's outstanding illustrations for the 'Outland' graphic novel, posted below in 300 dpi res: