Hi there!
Does anyone know much about The Stainless Steel Rat strip which ran in the Eighties?
Are there any other 2000AD strips which have been adapted directly from books?
Adapted by Kelvin Gosnell, and drawn by Carlos Ezquerra.
The Stainless Steel Rat
The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World
The Stainless Steel Rat for President were all adapted, and there's a collection available.
I don't recall any other novels being adapted officially - Scarlet Traces/War of the Worlds got bought by Rebellion, but that was after it was drawn/released.
Can't remember the details but I think the editor at the time was a mate of Harry Harrison so they knocked up the adaptations over a few pints and got Carlos to draw the hell out of it.
Quote from: McGurk76 on 23 January, 2018, 09:06:28 AM
Are there any other 2000AD strips which have been adapted directly from books?
Well, I think that depends if you mean official or unofficial.
Didn't the prog run an adaptation of 'A Life Less Ordinary'? Yeowell art if I didn't dream it...
Quote from: hippynumber1 on 23 January, 2018, 10:54:46 AM
Didn't the prog run an adaptation of 'A Life Less Ordinary'? Yeowell art if I didn't dream it...
Yep, Progs 1063 to 1070.
Also did a one-off Shaun of the Dead tie-in story in prog 1384.
At the risk of pedantry, as I understand it, the adaptation of A Life Less Ordinary was based on the film, not the book.
Quote from: Magnetica on 23 January, 2018, 12:01:04 PM
At the risk of pedantry, as I understand it, the adaptation of A Life Less Ordinary was based on the film, not the book.
I immediately thought of Life Less Ordinary but hadn't realised it was a book first! There was also the adaptation from a computer game...
"Well, I think that depends if you mean official or unofficial."
Officially, really! I know Robohunter was a bit like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The VCs owed a lot to the novel of Starship Troopers. But just official adaptations, yes.
Thanks everyone!
Does anyone recall if they were very fateful to the novels?
Gosnell (who adapted it) was the editor at the time. Perhaps he was friends with Harry Harrison?
One of 2000AD's stories "Judge Dredd" is based on a Sylvester Stallone film of the same name.
Quote from: McGurk76 on 23 January, 2018, 01:44:47 PM
"Well, I think that depends if you mean official or unofficial."
Officially, really! I know Robohunter was a bit like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The VCs owed a lot to the novel of Starship Troopers. But just official adaptations, yes.
Thanks everyone!
Does anyone recall if they were very fateful to the novels?
Gosnell (who adapted it) was the editor at the time. Perhaps he was friends with Harry Harrison?
It's been 30 years + since I read the novels and then I think I only read SSR and SSR saves the world (and SSR gets drafted, but that was never adapted), but from what I remember pretty faithful.
Yes. Quite a memory test for most people, I appreciate! Thanks.
Quote from: sheridan on 23 January, 2018, 01:06:39 PM
Quote from: Magnetica on 23 January, 2018, 12:01:04 PM
At the risk of pedantry, as I understand it, the adaptation of A Life Less Ordinary was based on the film, not the book.
I immediately thought of Life Less Ordinary but hadn't realised it was a book first!
I'm not sure it was. As far as I understand it the film came first and the book was based on the film.
My point was that the 2000AD adaptation was also based on the film and not the book of the film.
It's be a while for me too, but I think they're pretty faithfully adapted, if very abridged. The first book is about 200 pages and it's only 12 progs long. Harry Harrison wrote comics back in the day as well, I believe several Rick Random stories that 2000AD republished in early Specials and Annuals were written by Harrison.
I ready all of the Stainless Steel Ray books back in the day and remember enjoying them all. What I couldn't get my head around was that the pictures of Slippery Jim and Angelina on the covers (and possibly their descriptions in the text, but I can't actually remember that level of detail) looked absolutely nothing like Carlos' version e.g Jim had black hair on the covers.
It was a shame 2000AD didn't adapt the remaining books, as it was one of my favourite strips at the time.
The next episode of the book club podcast is about the Stainless Steel Rat.
Due out Sunday 4th February.
http://britishcomics.wikia.com/wiki/Urban_Strike
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUUlYWZo6DQ/WE_raWJQphI/AAAAAAAAGoI/s-oRo-rqsV4aHhaW7HE9ecjPMvWsDGKSACK4B/s1600/Plucked.JPG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=non_ng53vyI
What in earth is the matter with these people?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00RWPR8CE/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
I guess it only needs one desperate nutter and you're quids in.
I found a first edition of Stainless Steel Rat in a second hand bookshop y'know. Sold it on eBay for about £50.
Quote from: Magnetica on 23 January, 2018, 04:35:09 PM
I ready all of the Stainless Steel Ray books back in the day and remember enjoying them all. What I couldn't get my head around was that the pictures of Slippery Jim and Angelina on the covers (and possibly their descriptions in the text, but I can't actually remember that level of detail) looked absolutely nothing like Carlos' version e.g Jim had black hair on the covers.
It was a shame 2000AD didn't adapt the remaining books, as it was one of my favourite strips at the time.
I have to agree, I can't image him as anyone other than James Coburn as drawn by Ezquerra!
Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 23 January, 2018, 05:26:42 PM
The next episode of the book club podcast is about the Stainless Steel Rat.
Due out Sunday 4th February.
Nice! I'll mention also that Space Spinner has covered the first two series in episodes 42, 43, 45, 46, 49, 51, and 52! Still a ways a way from the third series, which starts over 200 progs after the first two!
Quote from: Richard on 23 January, 2018, 07:54:20 PM
What in earth is the matter with these people?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00RWPR8CE/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Nobody actually buys at this price.
Basically one big seller puts the decimal point in the wrong place and all the others either copy that price or base theirs on a percentage discount from the maximum.
How I remember the heady days when copies of the last volume of The Losers went like this. I was buying them from Forbidden Planet in Glasgow for a tenner and eBaying them for 40 quid a pop in the time it took to walk to the post office!
https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=36699.msg700615#msg700615 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=36699.msg700615#msg700615)
Even a decimal point in the wrong place wouldn't excuse the cheapest price on that list
I've got this gathering dust on my shelf.Never knew it was scarce.
Great! Thanks everyone. Will certainly check that podcast out.
Angelina DiGriz is one of Carlos Ezquerra's greatest representations. I love the little patch of shadow he always put between her eyes.
I always suspected he based her partially on Jacqueline Pearce's Servalan from Blake's 7.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 23 January, 2018, 09:34:36 PM
Quote from: Richard on 23 January, 2018, 07:54:20 PM
What in earth is the matter with these people?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00RWPR8CE/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Nobody actually buys at this price.
Basically one big seller puts the decimal point in the wrong place and all the others either copy that price or base theirs on a percentage discount from the maximum.
These booksellers are selling tens of thousands of different titles and price based on an algorithm.
https://www.wired.com/2011/04/amazon-flies-24-million/
Annoying when there's a title you want.
I bought Mazeworld last year for £10. Apparently I can now sell it for £600. Any offers?
Quote from: Bad City Blue on 23 January, 2018, 02:26:07 PM
One of 2000AD's stories "Judge Dredd" is based on a Sylvester Stallone film of the same name.
Judge Dredd actually was based on a film featuring Sylvester Stallone, but not the one you're thinking of (unless you're thinking of this one):
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Deathrace2000poster.jpg)
Quote from: SpaceSpinner2000 on 23 January, 2018, 04:13:13 PM
It's be a while for me too, but I think they're pretty faithfully adapted, if very abridged. The first book is about 200 pages and it's only 12 progs long. Harry Harrison wrote comics back in the day as well, I believe several Rick Random stories that 2000AD republished in early Specials and Annuals were written by Harrison.
On top of which, he was also a comic artist:
(https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?set=path%5B1%2F1%2F5%2F8%2F5%2F11585391%5D%2Csizedata%5B850x600%5D&call=url%5Bfile%3Aproduct.chain%5D)
I gather the following story was also referenced by the infamous Wertham:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95tPrDQltlw/UCwIqGooMzI/AAAAAAAAWC8/Qe8uz8nvUF0/s0/08-20.jpg)
A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born, a prequel, is one of the first novels I read as a kid. Really cool stuff!
My brother got all the SSR novels as they came out. I can remember us both cracking up with laughter reading about young Jim's attempt to steal "Get Stuffed" bars in "...Is Born".
I love the SSR novels, and the adaptations, real sad they never found room to do any more - I guess Carlos was just too busy drawing Strontium Dog and Judge Dredd to squeeze any in!
Slaine isn't adapted from any specific book as such, but it's more or less explicitly derived from various Irish and Celtic myths, isn't it? Some episodes more directly than others. And A.H.A.B. was very explicitly Moby Dick in SPACE. Does that count? I bet there are other literary things like that going on.
I remember that the Rat novels were the first sci-fi series I read when I was a kid. Loved the humour and the action. It was funny how Carlos drew Jim in much the same way I had envisaged him in the stories - a Coburn-esque rogue.
Carroll/Wllsher/Flint for the rest? At least the book they skipped for "risque" content (which I think amounted to the faact the leads had kids, maybe out of wedlock shock horror?
In other not happening news, a film would be fantastic - it is all there to go
A feature on this in the latest copy of Infinity. Out now.
Quote from: Leigh S on 29 January, 2018, 04:40:44 PM
In other not happening news, a film would be fantastic - it is all there to go
A Netflix series instead, shirley? Better Call Jim.
Quote from: SpaceSpinner2000 on 23 January, 2018, 08:36:24 PM
Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 23 January, 2018, 05:26:42 PM
The next episode of the book club podcast is about the Stainless Steel Rat.
Due out Sunday 4th February.
Nice! I'll mention also that Space Spinner has covered the first two series in episodes 42, 43, 45, 46, 49, 51, and 52! Still a ways a way from the third series, which starts over 200 progs after the first two!
Space Spinner must be coming up to ...President by now (if not actually already recorded)...
Quote from: sheridan on 31 July, 2018, 02:04:10 PM
Space Spinner must be coming up to ...President by now (if not actually already recorded)...
We're about 7 weeks away from it now, we'll start coverage in episode 122, mid-September!
Prog 140 has a short article (half a page) titled "Where The Stainless Steel Rat Began"
Prog 173 has this:
(http://www.2000ad.org/covers/scans/hires/173.jpg)
Prog 405 has this:
(https://i.imgur.com/n6sSKJ4.jpg)
If Jim di Griz is James Coburn (well, no if about it) then Angelina has to be Servelan (though with the di Griz widow's peak).