2000 AD Online Forum

Nearly everyone would like to see this comic adaptation back in print. The reasons we've been given for it not coming out are logical: 2000ad does not own the rights to the character and the royalties it could pay the author would be small potatoes. Rather than gripe, I would like to be constructive, and offer first reasons why I think Harrison would be agreeable to a reprint and secondly how Tharg could sweeten the deal without cash rewards.

Reasons why Harrison would be agreeable to the reprint:
1)He liked the adaptation. The site I visited about Stainless Steel Rat not only mentioned the comic but quoted Harrison's effusive praise. He's got good taste.
2)Harrison has a history with comics. He wrote for Flash Gordon for some time, as well as EC comics, and had friends who were comic artists.
3)Harrison's sales are probably not what they once were and he would probably like to see them rise.
4)Robert E howard's book sales have dramatically increased since Dark Horse took over the Conan franchise. I'm not sure about this, but I would guess so did O'Donnell's with titan's reprints of Modesty Blaise. All the comic book readers in my life, of my generation, read regularly the written word as well. Something that cannot always be claimed of movie geeks.

What, besides money, can be offered Harrison:
1)Advertise the Stainless Steel Rat's present publisher in the back of the reprint.
2)If the character has not already been optioned by a studio, agree to mail copies of the reprint to various film companies. A man geting on in years could use a franchise, even just the hope of a franchise.

So anyway that's my suggestion, offer Harrison exposure, and the rest of us can enjoy some choice Ezquerra artwork. It's not much but I thought I'd at least try to help.

It'd be great to see these reprinted.
I'm not actually sure if there's any reason, from Harry's side, that they can't be. Mike C is a good friend of the great man- maybe he'll be along and expand on things further shortly.

I think the problem lies with the publishing rights holders of the books rather than Harrison - there were some vague mutterings about them not wanting two 'rival' versions of the books out at the same time.

Seems daft to me, as it was the comics that got me to read the books in the first place, but there you go...

Actually, wasn't Harrison also an artist at one point?  I can recall seeing some of his caricatures of his contemporary writers from the 50's...

If its just the publishing rights holder's then send them a chart tracing Conan book sales cross referenced with the comic's emergence onto the market. Still, if they're that thick, there's probably no hope.

If its just the publishing rights holder's then send them a chart tracing Conan book sales cross referenced with the comic's emergence onto the market. Still, if they're that thick, there's probably no hope.

> I think the problem lies with the publishing rights holders of the books rather than Harrison - there were some vague mutterings about them not wanting two 'rival' versions of the books out at the same time.

As far as I know, this was indeed one of the problems. Back in the 80s Titan Books were scheduled to publish reprints of the 2000 AD adaptations (and I'm pretty sure they even advertised them), but they didn't happen because in the UK Sphere books had the rights.

About eighteen months ago I had the idea of trying to track down the rights and reprint them myself. I know I can get Harry's approval - he is still very fond of the adaptations - but all my enquiries to Rebellion went unanswered.

My plan was for a pretty chunky GN:
The Stainless Steel Rat: 73 pages
SSR Saves the World: 60 pages
SSR for President: 62 pages
Cover gallery: 11 pages
Star scans: 2 pages

That's 208 pages, plus an introduction or two, author and artist profiles, etc., which would bring it up to about 220 pages.

I scanned in and cleaned up 125 of the comic pages, but never got around to the rest of them. If Rebellion aren't interested in a Stainless Steel Rat GN (or even an Extreme Edition), Maybe I'll restart the project again someday...

And yes, Harry was indeed a comic artist (and writer, editor, publisher...)! Check out the "Harry Harrison - Comics" chapter on the website.

Cheers,
Mike

Link: Official Harry Harrison website!

Bloody hell!

I'd buy that!

- Trout

For what it's worth, here's my (unfinished) front cover for the book...

Harry used to be part of a team with Wally Wood after they studied in Berny Hogarth's class together (Harrison usually on pencils, Wood on inks, though sometimes the other way round). They got a gig drawing romance books for EC before they were moved on to horror, and I believe Harrison was instrumental in pointing Bill Gaines towards SF (at this point he was also writing the Harrison/Wood strips under a pseudonym as well). After the partnership split up, Harrison partnered up with Jules Pfeiffer, before Gaines fired them (Harry and Al Feldstein didn't exactly 'get along', so I understand it). If memory serves, Harrison also later wrote some of Sydney Jordan's Jeff Hawke in the Daily Express.

"If its just the publishing rights holder's then send them a chart tracing Conan book sales cross referenced with the comic's emergence onto the market."

There's not really a comparison to be made, to be honest - for one thing, Howard and Harrison write very different types of story. For another, the comics reach entirely different markets; the Conan books also play on the popularity of Marvel's b&w seventies anthology, which was terrifically popular, and Dark Horse has a pretty damn good hit rate in terms of distribution on both sides of the Atlantic. In comparison, EE's struggle to make it over to the US (where distribution of Rebellion books are patchy at best), and they mostly sell to an audience of current or lapsed readers, not to new fans. Not that I want to pour cold water on your idea, just that I don't thing a Stainless Steel Rat EE would really massively increase sales of the novels. And it should be a proper collection anyway.

Speaking fo which...Mike, you have *got* to get that reprint book together! That sounds too bloody good to leave to chance - any help you want in getting it together, just let me know. Shit, I'll even pay for a copy, if I have to!

Yes please.  At the risk of getting the Mongo hat, Rebellion, get yer finger out.  Failing that, Mike - I'll take two!  Reading the 2000AD adaptations as a nipper made me hunt down all the Harry Harrison books I could lay my hands on.  Great stuff!

I'd buy it. I reckon it'd be worth it for Rebellion to get Carlos to do a new cover as well.

Harrison reminisced about his time 'in comics' in the intro he did for FQ04. Now out of print you can download the comic from the FQ website.

Bolt-01

I'd love to have that on my shelf, Mike.  It would have the beauty of appealing to the 2000AD crowd and a potentially larger SF audience.

Heck, if they wanted to adapt some more of the books I'd read that in the prog as well.

Now there's an idea...

I'd buy it.  The original strip made me hunt out not only The Stainless Steel Rat novels as a kid, but also the rest of Harry Harrison's work.  I don't own many progs before 400, so am unable to read most of the adaptations and I remember really enjoying them when they ran.  I even geeked out completely and converted the 'Saves The World' storyline into a scenario for the Judge Dredd RPG, which worked very well indeed.

Plus, I always remember Carlos' Angelina was hot.

I've read afew of the books since, but only have a dim memory of the 2000ad version. Have to say, not one of my favourite stories at the time.

Somebody needs to pay Mike so he can finish getting the Rat out to the fans in a nice big book.

I'm another one who sought out the books because I remembered them from the comic.

I haven't read the comic adaptation for years, although some back progs I picked up a few months ago reminded me just how good it was.

You have to love that Ezquerra art.

- Trout

being completely dumb can some one help me out with this, Whats it about(obviously a future war story, but a few more details would help me) and who is this Harry Harison am I likely to of read anything else of his?

CU Radbacker

"...who is this Harry Harison am I likely to of read anything else of his? "

I love seeing things like this - it makes me envious of you, Radbacker!  Books and books of fresh fun ahead!

There are folk better qualified than me to answer your question in full, but the SSR is far from a future war story (the eponymous Slippery Jim diGriz is a master criminal), and much of the rest of Harrison's huge bibliography is well worth tracking down (although a few bits are probably only for the hardcore fan).  A great writer with a fine wit.  A quirky personal favourite of mine is his novel Captive Universe.

Not future war at all, Mr Backer.

"Slippery" Jim DiGriz is a master criminal extrodinaire, the 'rat' in the supposed perfect workings of the far future (hence, Stainless Steel Rat).

No con is too big, no heist is too small, for this man... until he gets caught.

He is then indoctrinated into the Special Corps, the FBI of the future. With crime so low, no one has the skills to catch the few criminals out there - apart from other criminals. So, following the doctrine "set a thief to catch a thief", Jim is offered the chance of a lifetime - that is, the chance to have one - join the Corps or be a corpse.

What follows is a series of intergalactic romps, kind of Nikolai Dante meets James Bond. There are about a dozen books. Three of the first four were adapted by 2000ad (the second, The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge was not). The adaptions were:-

The Stainless Steel Rat : In which our hero must foil the machinations of the beguling, but murderous, Angelina.

The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World: A time-travelling caper, where he fights the villainous Him

The Stainless Steel Rat For President: In which Slippery Jim takes on a banana republic planet.

(1) That's from memory. It's pretty accurate I'm sure.

(2) I'd buy the book.

Harry Harrison's most well known work is probably Make Room! Make Room! .

Never heard of it? It was filmed as Soylent Green . And we all know what that is...

Harry Harrison's most well known work is probably Make Room! Make Room! .

Never heard of it? It was filmed as Soylent Green . And we all know what that is...

There are about a dozen books.

Wow! When I read them I'm sure there were only five. HH has obviously been busy since 1983.

I recently read '...Saves The World' and although I enjoyed it I prefered the 2000ad adaptation. The trouble of having read the strip first is that you imagine all the characters and scenes in terms of the comic rather than in your own imagination.

Is the proposed book to be all-colour? The original strips had some colour centre spreads but the 6 issue Eagle reprint was all colour. I too would be in the market for said tome.

If anyone wants to try out the paperback version pipe up and I'll send it on as my good deed for the day.

I would buy this collection the second it came out.  

It was one of my fave strips when I was younger and made me search out the books. I'd probably do the same again.

Ezquerra's art is fantastic - top of his game here.

And Angela was most attractive with that little squiggly nose.

I think the Time Travel one was my favourite but recall it having a slightly rushed ending.

> Three of the first four were adapted by 2000ad (the second, The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge was not).

Close, but not quite! The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You is the fourth book, and The Stainless Steel Rat for President is the fifth.

Find out lots more about Harry and his books at the link below!

Cheers,
Mike

Link: Harry's website!

> Wow! When I read them I'm sure there were only five.

There are ten Stainless Steel Rat novels:

The Stainless Steel Rat (1961)
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970)
The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (1971)
The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You (1978)
The Stainless Steel Rat for President (1982)
A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (1985)
The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted (1987)
The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994)
The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell (1996)
The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus  (1999)

There's also an adventure game book: You can be the Stainless Steel Rat (1985), and three short stories.

The adventure book has some early Dave McKean illos as well.

Bolt-01

Of the 'later' Rat books, may I recommend the 'origin story', A Stainless Steel Rat is Born and its immediate sequel, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted.  Very good fun indeed.  

Of course in celebrating all the fun stuff, it's worth remembering that Harrison is responsible for some of the most important 'serious' stories in SF, including the aforementioned Make Room! Make Room!, and the utterly seminal short 'The Streets of Ashkelon', the story that launched a thousand Future Shock pitches.  Love that guy.

Other Harry Harrison books worth tracking down:

The Technicolour Time Machine; one of my favourite books.

Bill, the Galactic Hero; an excellent antidote to those relentlessly macho milliteristic sci-fi stories like Starship Troopers.

Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers; I loved this as a kid but I'm not sure I'd be able to get through it these days.  It's rather too silly...

Any of his short stories, particularly 'Rescue Operation' and 'An Alien Agony'.

I keep hoping that some Harry Harrison books are going to get released in the Gollancz SF Masterworks line so I can replace those old Sphere books with the falling-out pages and the horrible covers, but he's been conspicious by his absence so far...

Ooh yeah, The Technicolour Time Machine a great book with a great cove!  Also, A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!, a great little steampunk alternative history yoke, and Lifeboat, a grimly tense SF take on the lifeboat survival tale.

Bill, The Galactic Hero is one of my all time favourite series.
Can never find the books to buy these days :(

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