photo: (unknown)

SPACE CASES (1997-1998) Nickelodeon Cable Television Peter David and Billy Mumy approached George Pérez to do some designs for this television show. Here are two of the rough sketches that George produced (printed in PEREZ OBSCURA #1). Space Cases Character Designs Cover scan and information from Space Cases TV. Related Television

PACESETTER #1	SECRET CITY SAGA #4
CAPTAIN AWARENESS #1	ULTRAFORCE #1

Although the title is PACESETTER: THE GEORGEPEREZ MAGAZINE #1, it really is THE GEORGE PEREZ NEWSLETTER #4. The new title fits the magazine better than "newsletter" but personally, I wouldn't mind it if it just continued the numbering, sort of like VECTOR #14).

What's cool about this issue is that it's exclusively just independent comic works! Since most of us usually stick with Marvel or DC Comics, you can learn and see a lot of stuff that you normally don't see in this issue.

As usual, there is an exclusive interview with George Pérez, mostly focusing on his independent works:

PACESETTER: of all the indy publishers that you've worked for, which one did you enjoy working the most? Why?
GPz: I guess that it would have to be Topps because of the opportunity it gave me to work with Gil Kane, Editor Jim Salicrup, whom I've known since I started in the business, was great to work with and he even let me ink a Steve Ditko cover for JACK KIRBY'S SECRET CITY. Kane and Ditko I was in fanboy heaven. If you count the "Heavy Hitters" imprint as an indy, I loved working with Peter David on SACH AND VIOLENS immensely, even though I had trouble keeping the schedule after the first two issues. The subject matter really excited me on that one.

My favorite article is actually how the cover to BREAKNECK BLVD #1 was born. To be honest, I've never seen or heard of this comic book, but it has a George Pérez and Dick Giordano cover.

Other great articles include an interview with CAPTAIN AWARENESS's Danny DeAngelo and how he came to work with George Pérez.

The interview with Gerard Jones mostly deal with Ultraforce, but I was surprised to learn that he's doing work for VIZ Comics in translating Japanese to English for American audiences. For those who doesn't know, VIZ published the US version of SHONEN JUMP, which is quite popular with the Yu-Gi-Oh/Dragonball Z crowd.

One of the cool thing that I noticed at the Pérez art gallery, is that it has some other designs for SPACE CASES, which I just mentioned on this website not too long ago.

Anyway, there's a lot more stuff, which I can't really cover, but check it out yourself next Wednesday at your local comic store, if you haven't already bought your copy directly from Tony himself.

WHAT THE--?
Speaking With... Peter David
Sunday, February 23
By Marv Wolfman

(excerpt)

INCREDIBLE HULK: FUTURE IMPERFECT TP

MW: What do you consider your most successful works, and why?
PD: Comics? Well, artistically successful, I’d put The Atlantis Chronicles up there. And Future Imperfect with George Perez, and The Last Titan with Dale Keown, which was the last Hulk story. Supergirl 1-50, I was very pleased with artistically. I really wanted to reach with that series, to do something probing theology and faith and religion and the power of purity of the heart. Unfortunately too many readers just shrugged it off, but the people who really opened themselves up to it seemed to “get” it and embrace it. Financially? Beyond question, Spider-Man 2099 #1. The only book I’ve written to sell over a million copies.

...

MW: When you are in charge and other writers write your characters (novelizations, tv shows, comics), what are you looking for as the editor as well as the creator?
PD: I had to do that a good deal when Bill Mumy and I were doing Space Cases for Nickelodeon. In that case, you find yourself doing something that’s equally creative and damage control. You have to deal with writers who are trying to grasp not only character nuances, but the realities of the world you’ve created. So in that case, when a writer submitted a script that had our ship, the Christa, shooting at someone, we had to completely rework the story because the ship is established as not having weapons.

MW: How do you define your relationship up front with your editor / story-editor / producer / the writers who work under you?
PD: That it’s my job to make them, and the show, look as good as possible. During Space Cases there were scripts that required my doing such massive rewrites that technically I could have put my name on them. I never did.

SPACE CASES TV

Currently, Space Cases is not being shown in the United States (last airing date: March 15, 1998). The rights to air the show are still in the hands of Nickelodeon. However, the show still airs in Canada on a regular basis on their Family Channel. See the Canadian Family Channel's Space Cases website for a schedule.

Space Cases is a science fiction show about a collection of five space cadets that snuck aboard an alien space ship. A busted-in-rank commander and the Staracademy vice-principal chased after them onto the ship, and the ship almost immediately got lost in space by traveling through a spacial rip. It will take all seven of them working together to get home... that, and about seven years of space travel.

Along the way, they learn more about one another, and more about this alien space ship called the Christa. Thelma ("Techno Human EmuLating MAchine"), an android that was found deactivated on the Christa, was reactived by Harlan Band, one of the crew. Unfortunately, her main operating chip was accidentaly damaged when Harlan walked on it in the very first episode. Because of this, from time to time, Thelma seems to act... strangely.

Season 1 Episode Details We Gotta Get Out Of This Place Who Goes Where? A Day In The Life Spung At Heart Forever Young Nowhere Man Desperately Seeking Suzee It's My Birthday, Too (Yeah!) Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Court Prisoner Of Luff The Impossible Dram Break On Through To The Other Side On The Road To Find Out

Season 2 Episode Details New Places, New Faces The Sporting Kind Long Distance Calls King Of The Hil Truth Hurts Homeward Bound All You Can Eaty Both Sides Now Mother Knows Best A Star Is Boring Runaway The Trouble With Doubles A Friend In Need

Peter David and Billy Mumy approached George Pérez to do some designs for this television show. Here are two of the rough sketches that George produced (printed in PEREZ OBSCURA #1). Space Cases Character Designs