(Click on images to enlarge.)
Back in 1973, magazines devoted to Star Trek were non-existent. So when the occasional article came out, I was on it like a famished glommer on a fat tribble. The fantastically-fun newspaper-format publication "The Monster Times" was on my regular "must-buy" list, and whenever I found an issue it was a great day. I was 14 in '73, and my Trek-fever was burning hot. So, when one summer afternoon at my Grandma's house, I turned the page of the latest TMT (as it was known to fans) and saw the ad for their two Trek Specials, I immediately put my dollar bills in an envelope, and mailed in the order... giving my Grandma's address for it to be delivered to. I always had my mail order items mailed there for protection from my step-dad, and my Grandma helped me out.
A few weeks later when I went over for the weekend again, lo and behold, the envelope with my issues had arrived! Whoopee! With real excitement I tore into it and spent the evening soaking in the two Trek-devoted magazines. WHOLE ISSUES devoted to my favorite subject; it was an embarrassment of riches! One was in the usual newspaper format, but the other was in a small magazine format, with psuedo-color mini-posters inside. TMT was limited to only two ink colors per magazine, so everything in a particular issue was printed in the two colors and anything that mixing them could achieve. This was before I had ever come across a color photo of Star Trek in any magazine, so even these colorized pictures were welcome. Hard to imagine now, huh?
It's this issue that I feature this time, and although the magazine has articles on other sci-fi TV shows, the majority was on Trek. I've scanned in the first article below...
Below is another page that reprints one of the show's early publicity flyers...
And next, two of the colorized pinups.
I would feature material from the other Trek-oriented special, but since it's the usual newspaper-format, it's very difficult to scan. I have to scan it in sections, then Photoshop them back together, and it puts the fragile over-30-year-old paper through a lot of wear-and-tear. For that reason, there's not as much in my blogs from TMT as I'd like. But more are coming, so access all of them by using the "Monster Times" tag on the right sidebar.
Update: Here are two more entries from the same issue: Convention Report and Trek Special Continued.
"Leonard Nimoy..an actor of only limited range.."???? What does he think went into the creation of Spock? Does he think he was watching Nimoy when he watched Spock? I am gobsmacked! And to talk of Shatner's broad range and thespian contribution in the same breath - perlease! Apart from all that,more good posts; thank you so much for all this wonderful stuff
ReplyDeleteI liked the page about the early crew, I always wondered why Andrea Dromm (Yoeman Smith)(YUM!) wasn't on any more episodes.
ReplyDeleteJackie,
ReplyDeleteIt's true that sometimes people took Spock's reserve as a lack of acting ability on Nimoy's part, and Shatner's over-acting in many cases as evidence of real acting ability. It was easy to look at it on the surface and confuse emotional display with acting breadth. But it's takes more to display subtlety than most realise.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! I liked Dromm as well, but that character description was so 60's sexist as to be unreal! Wow, a coffee-serving secretary for the men to ogle. Trek back then was not as advanced as it appeared on the tube, huh? :)
A friend of mine always raved about The Monster Times, but I never had the opportunity to read it back in the day. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteFellow Trek fans, if you'd like to see some funny TOS fumetti in the spirit of MST3K, please chk out my blog: http://badnewsfromouterspace.blogspot.com/
The Mad Magazine lampoon on ST-TMP, Spock's comment on the last panel was very prophetic...with special effects being more interesting than anything else in movies.
ReplyDeleteI also snapped up every issue of TMT for their Star Trek coverage and was ecstatic over their special magazine-format Star Trek issue. I even had a letter printed in one issue of TMT complimenting them on their Trek stories.
ReplyDeleteP.P.,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. A printed letter, how cool! TMT is part of the fabric of my wonderful youthful memories, glad to hear of others appreciating it!