Title: Extreme Edition re-print of...
Post by: LARF on 09 February, 2006, 10:05:59 PM
Post by: LARF on 09 February, 2006, 10:05:59 PM
...Stainless Steel Rat.
For the life of me I cannot remember this and therefore would like a re-print so I can reread. Is this because it was:
a. shite?
b. a long time ago when I was small and my brain was not very big and therefore it was dumped into the etherous cache of misforgetfulness?
c. I never read it in the first place and was out chasing Gina Pau down the playing field with the other boys to look at her penny in return for a Refresher and a black jack?
d. it was sheer genius and I suffered a thrill power overload and had to be lobotomised and transported to Earth where i've been living for the past 25 years in the shell of a human when in fact I'm Refloxxian by descent. Therefore I should not have been reading 2000ad as it affects my central nervous system, Refloxxians being a soft and maliable plant based lifeform found living in a swamplike area 300 Km's from the pole of the planet Refloxx in the Targ system. Discovered by cirilious Barg-alfonicas Neirs the infamous drooge explorer and trophy hunter I misread his prog whilst being interned in a cage on the flight deck of his Huntmaster. Feeling sorry for me, even though he's a complete bar steward, Barg transfered my conciousness into the body of a captured human child he'd kept in his lunchbox for later and deposited me on to Earth, where I grew up ferral before being found and reared by a family of wild chimps?
:-?
For the life of me I cannot remember this and therefore would like a re-print so I can reread. Is this because it was:
a. shite?
b. a long time ago when I was small and my brain was not very big and therefore it was dumped into the etherous cache of misforgetfulness?
c. I never read it in the first place and was out chasing Gina Pau down the playing field with the other boys to look at her penny in return for a Refresher and a black jack?
d. it was sheer genius and I suffered a thrill power overload and had to be lobotomised and transported to Earth where i've been living for the past 25 years in the shell of a human when in fact I'm Refloxxian by descent. Therefore I should not have been reading 2000ad as it affects my central nervous system, Refloxxians being a soft and maliable plant based lifeform found living in a swamplike area 300 Km's from the pole of the planet Refloxx in the Targ system. Discovered by cirilious Barg-alfonicas Neirs the infamous drooge explorer and trophy hunter I misread his prog whilst being interned in a cage on the flight deck of his Huntmaster. Feeling sorry for me, even though he's a complete bar steward, Barg transfered my conciousness into the body of a captured human child he'd kept in his lunchbox for later and deposited me on to Earth, where I grew up ferral before being found and reared by a family of wild chimps?
:-?
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Mudcrab on 09 February, 2006, 11:30:11 PM
Post by: Mudcrab on 09 February, 2006, 11:30:11 PM
Somewhere between b) and d)
And I don't mean c)
It definitely wasn't a) that's for sure. The Rat was excellent. Ezquerra art, solid 'based-on-the-books' scripting IIRC, I may be completly wrong on that count.
And I don't mean c)
It definitely wasn't a) that's for sure. The Rat was excellent. Ezquerra art, solid 'based-on-the-books' scripting IIRC, I may be completly wrong on that count.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: +rufus+ on 10 February, 2006, 12:00:56 AM
Post by: +rufus+ on 10 February, 2006, 12:00:56 AM
Copyright owned by errr..Ray Bradbury.
This may be the stumbling block.
:-) rufus
This may be the stumbling block.
:-) rufus
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: I, Cosh on 10 February, 2006, 12:14:39 AM
Post by: I, Cosh on 10 February, 2006, 12:14:39 AM
How did Ray Bradbury come to hold copyright on Harry Harrison's characters?
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Richmond Clements on 10 February, 2006, 12:16:49 AM
Post by: Richmond Clements on 10 February, 2006, 12:16:49 AM
Mike C is a friend of Harry, so he could probably give you a better answer.
But I do know that Harry liked the adaption, but did think it was too faithful to his original story.
And yeah, I'd buy that EE.
But I do know that Harry liked the adaption, but did think it was too faithful to his original story.
And yeah, I'd buy that EE.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Rex Banner on 10 February, 2006, 12:21:57 AM
Post by: Rex Banner on 10 February, 2006, 12:21:57 AM
That's just freaky. I was thinking the very same thing driving home today.
I've been sorting through my old Eagle reprints & Ebaying some of them. One I'm not Ebaying is Stainless Steel Rat. Looked at it & thought that would be perfect for a tpb or EE & was going to suggest it.
I've been sorting through my old Eagle reprints & Ebaying some of them. One I'm not Ebaying is Stainless Steel Rat. Looked at it & thought that would be perfect for a tpb or EE & was going to suggest it.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: [YT-2] on 10 February, 2006, 12:49:51 AM
Post by: [YT-2] on 10 February, 2006, 12:49:51 AM
Used to love the Eagle reprints, especially the covers and the SSR ones are no exception. Just a pity that the Quality covers that were so crap.
I'd like an EE reprint just to see Angelina again.
I'd like an EE reprint just to see Angelina again.
Link: Eagle: SSR
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Grant Goggans on 10 February, 2006, 12:56:10 AM
Post by: Grant Goggans on 10 February, 2006, 12:56:10 AM
36 episodes plus all those nice Ezquerra pin-ups and covers would make for a much nicer trade paperback collection than an Extreme Edition.
MEMO TO JON O: STAINLESS STEEL RAT IN 2007.
RIGHT BEHIND AL'S BABY.
MEMO TO JON O: STAINLESS STEEL RAT IN 2007.
RIGHT BEHIND AL'S BABY.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: paulvonscott on 10 February, 2006, 01:22:04 AM
Post by: paulvonscott on 10 February, 2006, 01:22:04 AM
Presumably there are more Stainless Steel Rat fans out there than 2000AD fans. I'd have thought this would be a good move to contact Mr Harrison and see what the deal would be. Plus get those covers in there as well.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Bico on 10 February, 2006, 03:48:17 AM
Post by: Bico on 10 February, 2006, 03:48:17 AM
After they reprint A Life Less Ordinary and Urban Strike, I presume?
Forgotten classics. Don't lie to yourselves.
Forgotten classics. Don't lie to yourselves.
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Mike Carroll on 10 February, 2006, 10:11:02 AM
Post by: Mike Carroll on 10 February, 2006, 10:11:02 AM
Yep, Harry does indeed like the adaptations!
If there was a collection (preferably a trade paperback) I'd rather it was the original 2000 AD pages and not the horrible resized and bowdlerised Eagle Comics version.
Ideally, said trade paperback would contain all 195 original pages, all eight 2000 AD covers (three of which were wrap-around), both starscans, the six Eagle covers, and Harry's introduction from prog 140. I make that 215 pages. To that could be added a new introduction from Harry, and lots of handy data about the SSR novels!
I reckon the book would sell very well: the adaptations have never been reprinted outside of the Eagle versions. Harry gets an awful lot of fan mail about them! Apparently, at one time Titan books were going to reprint them, but the then publisher of Harry's Stainless Steel Rat novels objected, saying that they had the sole rights to print paperback versions of the tales. I'm not entirely sure that this is 100% true! Must remember to ask Harry about it...
Check out the Comics page on Harry's website for more info on the adaptation!
Mike C
If there was a collection (preferably a trade paperback) I'd rather it was the original 2000 AD pages and not the horrible resized and bowdlerised Eagle Comics version.
Ideally, said trade paperback would contain all 195 original pages, all eight 2000 AD covers (three of which were wrap-around), both starscans, the six Eagle covers, and Harry's introduction from prog 140. I make that 215 pages. To that could be added a new introduction from Harry, and lots of handy data about the SSR novels!
I reckon the book would sell very well: the adaptations have never been reprinted outside of the Eagle versions. Harry gets an awful lot of fan mail about them! Apparently, at one time Titan books were going to reprint them, but the then publisher of Harry's Stainless Steel Rat novels objected, saying that they had the sole rights to print paperback versions of the tales. I'm not entirely sure that this is 100% true! Must remember to ask Harry about it...
Check out the Comics page on Harry's website for more info on the adaptation!
Mike C
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: +rufus+ on 10 February, 2006, 04:48:14 PM
Post by: +rufus+ on 10 February, 2006, 04:48:14 PM
Sorry t'was Harry Harrison....
Brain very small....
Writers...bah...
;-) rufu-whatsisname
Brain very small....
Writers...bah...
;-) rufu-whatsisname
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Grant Goggans on 10 February, 2006, 06:22:14 PM
Post by: Grant Goggans on 10 February, 2006, 06:22:14 PM
Fantastic idea, Mike, and great job breaking down the page count! I'm not sure, however, that Rebellion has the rights to the six Eagle covers. I remember it being mentioned when the DC/Rebellion line started that the ABC Warriors book, for example, couldn't reprint the bookend pages from the original Titan collections.
Wherever else they might have failed, the DC line of trades did point the way forward to nice, big, thick trades with everything in them. 36 episodes plus supplements shouldn't be a problem, and would make a nice, Bad Company-sized volume for shelves.
--Grant
Wherever else they might have failed, the DC line of trades did point the way forward to nice, big, thick trades with everything in them. 36 episodes plus supplements shouldn't be a problem, and would make a nice, Bad Company-sized volume for shelves.
--Grant
Title: Re: Extreme Edition re-print of......
Post by: Bico on 10 February, 2006, 07:26:02 PM
Post by: Bico on 10 February, 2006, 07:26:02 PM
Since Harrison retains the rights to the source material, there's a strong case for renegotiating the spin-off rights, as a great many writers have done much the same thing coughGrantMorrisoncough since the rise of the collected tpb (and merchandising-led marketing in general) has led to a re-evaluation of stuff produced under work for hire practices.
Depends on who wants it more, I suppose.
Depends on who wants it more, I suppose.