From: lkseitz@vespucci.iquest.com (Lee Seitz)
Date: 1995/11/05
reply-to: lkseitz@iquest.com
Copyright 1995 Lee K. Seitz
KEY
The five Atari Force mini-comics (AF1) were included free with Defender, Berzerk, Star Raiders, Phoenix, and Galaxian cartridges for the Atari 2600, respectively.
Each issue of the full-sized Atari Force series (AF2) had 32 pages (including
ads) and a cover price of $0.75. They all list Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas,
and Jose Garcia-Lopez as the creators of Atari Force.
The Atari Force Special (AF3) had 48 pages (no ads) and a cover price of $2.00.
It did not list anyone as creator of Atari Force.
The Star Raiders graphic novel (SR) had 62 pages. It was DC's first graphic
novel.
Subject: 7. ANNOTATIONS
AFM#1, AFM#2: Champion says the lunar colony was attacked on 18 October 1998 and
the war broke out a few days later, but O'Rourke says the war actually began on
that date.
AFM#1, p. 43: So, is ATARI related to Atari, Inc.? They're both in Sunnyvale,
CA.
AFM#2, pp. 2-5: If O'Rourke can't hear the director until she puts her bug on
the dome, why is she thinking in response to his opening statement?
AFM#2, p. 15: Champion claims to have spent six years in Marine training. If he
joined when he was 18 (1992), he would not get out until 1998. This would not
leave him time to win three gold medals in the 1996 Olympics, fly four lunar
missions for NASA, and get degrees from four different colleges and acadamies.
Actually, he could have gotten the degrees if he were a child prodigy, but that
doesn't fit his profile. Okay, it's possible a) (some of) the degrees are
honorary or b) he earned them after the war, except he supposedly flew a Mars
mission then (see AFM#3, p. 48). The gold medals and lunar missions are a
problem, regardless.
AFM#2, p. 27: Take away a zero, and you have the Atari 800 computer, which was
released by Atari in the 80's.
AFM#2, p. 30: An approximation of an American flag appears on the shoulder of
O'Rourke's uniform and then disappears again for the rest of the flashback.
Furthermore, it's a U.N. taskforce and O'Rourke is not an American!
AFM#2, p. 40: This looks like a possible tie-in with the SwordQuest series. We
certainly have earth, fire, and water present.
AFM#2: The Atari 8000 speaks as if it's sentient and makes a lengthy speech. It
is given a very few lines in the next few issues of the mini-comics and never
speaks in the series. According to AF#14's letter column, the voice was
transmitted through the mainframe on Old Earth.
AFM#3: There are lots of contradictions between this comic and the _Star
Raiders_ graphic novel. See the SR annotations for details.
AFM#3, p. 40: For this page only, the aliens are called "Krylons" instead of "Zylons."
I believe that in the Atari 8-bit versions of
Star Raiders, the aliens *are* Krylons instead of Zylons. Why they changed it
for the 2600 version, I don't know, but the change was apparently made after
this issue was completed.
AFM#3, p. 48: The "fact file" for Martin Champion says the lunar colony rescue
was in 1999, not 1998.
AFM#3, p. 48: The fact file also says Champion flew a Mars Mission. This is
never mentioned anywhere else and is probably best ignored.
AFM#4: Although it's very nice for Atari Force to want to do something about the
Malaglon, don't they have more pressing problems? True, the Malaglon are making
their way to Earth, but was that before or after they were attacked?
AFM#5, p. 12: Leaving the void between universes is called "breakout," which was
also the title of a popular Atari video game.
AFM#5, p. 47: According to this issue, six months passed between the discovery
of New Earth and the launch of _Exodus One_, but according to Martin Champion's
fact file in AF#2, New Earth was discovered in June 2006 and he and Lydia Perez
were married in August 2005. They were obviously not yet married in AFM#5, so
which is right? [Note: For the purposes of the timeline, I've used the
information in the fact file in AF#2.]
AF#1: In AF#1, the freighter whose captain kidnaps Babe is called the _Kilos_.
In all later issues, it's the _Kylos_. I guess it depends on how you translate
it.
AF#2, #6: Nothing but Chris and his special suit can survive his
multi-dimensional fields, right (AF#2, p. 7, panel 2)? Wrong; they changed it so
that other objects can survive as long as they are in contact with him (AF#6,
AF#9 letter column). Notice, however, that this means his suit doesn't have to
be special. Nice try, Andy Helfer.
AF#3, AFS1: According to her fact file, Dart attacked a group of kids that
taunted her about her illegitimacy (which her date of birth bears out) but in
AFS1, they're taunting her about her mutant genes.
AF#3-6, #8-10: It's rather ironic that Atari Force would have ads for the
Intellivision on the back. (The Intellivision was the Atari 2600's biggest rival
at the time.) All right, so Atari does usually have ads on one of the inside
covers; it's still ironic.
AF#4: According to the interview in Comics Interview #12, this was originally
planned to be the first issue. This explains why a) Blackjak had to be killed,
b) the original Atari Force (except Martin Champion) don't appear until this
issue, and c) Morphea was drawn so ominously on page 8.
AF#5: Doesn't the nav-chip seem fragile for something so important? All Martin
did to smash it was drop it on the deck. On the plus side, they're still calling
it "break-out" when they reenter a universe.
AF#6, p. 23, panel 1: The writing on the wall says "Do not disturb," "Watch out
for the beast," "Torture chamber," and . . . "Zorturas"?
AF#7: Psyklops was actually designed by Ernie Colon to use against the original
Atari Force. (AF#11, letters column)
AF#7, p. 10, panel 5: Note the aliens say "Holy Moley!" and "Yoiks!"
AF#8, p. 8, panel 1: Taz says, "Gibber ish hah!"
AF#8, p. 14, panel 4: The first enemy alien says something about "new
gibberish." The other says, "Oh my god!!"
AF#8, p. 18, panel 3: Does charging into battle with a corpse over one shoulder
sound like a good idea to you?
AF#8, p. 20: Taz uses the word "bad," but the only time Babe has been shown to
use it was p. 19, panel 1, just a few moments before. It's pretty interesting
that he was able to pick up that one word from a single use moments ago. On the
other hand, Babe certainly used the word "hurt" a lot during this issue.
AF#10, p. 5: Tempest's sling disappeared. Guess his arm magically healed on his
last jump through the multiverse.
AF#10, p. 17: How did Blackjak get aboard _Scanner One_ without tripping off
their sensors?
AF#10, p. 18: The captions say Dr. Lucas has never proven their mothers'
exposure to the multiverse gave Dart and Tempest their powers. Apparently a plot
element that was lost.
AF#10, p. 23: If they're arresting Tempest, how come everyone but Hunter has
their guns on Dr. Orion? And he isn't pointing his gun at Tempest, but is
holding it pointed at the ceiling.
AF#11:, p. 7, panel 7: Someone must have reminded Gerry Conway about Rident, who
hasn't been seen or mentioned since AF#7.
AF#11, pp. 9-10: Everyone else is in full surgery gowns, masks, etc., but Martin
Champion is only wearing a mask. Don't they usually make the father put a gown
on over his clothes? I guess that uniform just looks too nice to cover up. 8)
AF#11, p. 11: Note the Dark Destroyer mask shape across the panels of this page.
AF#11, letters column: Throughout the third letter and its reply, Psyklops is
misspelled, "Psyclops." Geez, what's an editor for if even *he* can't get it
right? 8)
AF#12, letter column: It states that Jose Garcia-Lopez is leaving to do the _New
Teen Titans_ for five months. He "promise[d]" to return with #18, but he did
not, although he continued to work on the covers for several months.
AFb#12: This story would appear to take place during AF#8. When else would both
Hukka and Babe be on an alien, life-sustaining planet together?
AF#13, p. 5: Not only did the Destroyer rapidly age himself, but he's kept
himself from aging since. If he hadn't, he would now look exactly like Martin
instead of a younger version. And don't forget, this means that the Destroyer's
body and Tempest are almost exactly the same age.
AF#13, pp. 7-13: The Destroyer easily dispatched Tempest, even with his phasing
powers, yet he only manages to get in one punch against Martin. Even keeping in
mind Martin's marine training, he's still fighting "himself" at about half his
age. Helfer responds to this in AF#17's letter column by saying Tempest is
young, inexperienced, and was scared while Martin has been waiting 20 years for
this.
AFb#13: This story most likely took place during AF#8, too. Hukka came from a
desert planet with little life (lots of Hukkas and Zeke), not a grassy world
full of all kinds of life.
AF#14: What a coincidence that Pakrat and Rident would crash-land on the same
world in the same universe. At least there's one good thing about a new writer:
he wraps up some earlier threads. We last saw Rident in AF#7 and he was last
mentioned in AF#11.
AF#14, p. 16: Rident must have been using more than a typical science fiction
tractor beam for it to pull him through the multiverse.
AF#14, letter column: In the response to Joe Walker's letter, Andy Helfer calls
it the Atari 26000 computer instead of the Atari 8000. The response to Dave
Kapple's letter reveals Martin Champion has kept _Scanner One_ stocked with
dehydrated rations. The jives with AF#5 where Orion notes that Martin is
probably responsible for _Scanner One_ still having energy.
AFb#14: How did Babe learn to talk?
AF#14-15: Not as ironic as Intellivision, but now Activision is advertising on
the back of Atari Force.
AF#15, p. 8, panels 6 and 8: Where is the spot on Blackjak's glasses that his
replacement eye attaches to?
AFb#15, p. 4, panel 1: Note J'onn J'Jonzz (the Martian Manhunter) on the right.
AFb#15, p. 5: The alien that says "No more Draconian loose juice?" looks like
E.T.
AFb#15, letter column: According to the answer to the final letter, there were
some tales of the original Atari Force sitting on their shelves. They were never
published. He also promised more Klaus Janson Babe stories, and a work from
Mindy Newell that never materialized.
AFb#16, p. 6: The newscaster is a Sontaran from Doctor Who.
AF#16, letter column: Although the credits say Carl Gafford colored this issue,
Andy Helfer still thanks Tom Ziuko instead.
AF#17, cover: Ed Hannigan misspelled his own last name?!?!
AFb#17, p. 2: Rident says he is "an ATARI security man," but according to the
early issues he is a customs agent with NO extradition treaties with New Earth.
This mistake is perpetuated throughout the story. Shame on you, Andy.
AFb#17, p. 4: Rident and Pakrat's flight is number 666. Not only is this the
sign of the beast, it was DC's street number at the time. (666 Fifth Ave.)
AFb#17, pp. 5-7. Mike and Fred (see their badges on p. 3) seem to disappear
after p. 5, panel 1. You think they'd help Rident sort things out and prevent
Pakrat from leaving. It also might have made more sense to send a guard through
before Pakrat and Ferra.
AF#17, letter column: In the final letter response, it says Andy Helfer and Bill
Willingham are working on Dart's origin. Bill Willingham was not one of the
artists of AFS1.
AF#18, p. 4: Professor Venture threatens to bring charges against Hunter for an
illegal search. She has holos as proof. This is never followed up on.
AF#18, p. 8: "Giant ants"? Perhaps the same ones as from AF#15?
AFb#18, p. 2: Apparently the Big Wheel is still around in 2018 (panel 2). Also,
they've brought back the Super Powers collection (DC's toy line of the time,
based on the Super Powers Saturday morning cartoon (a replacement for the Super
Friends); panels 2 and 5).
AFb#18, p. 3, panel 1: Note Robby the Robot and a pair of toys that suggest
C-3PO and R2-D2.
AFb#18, p. 8, panels 3 and 5: Note the back of Daffy Duck's head.
AF#19, p. 14: Prof. Venture says ATARI is trying to develop a phase weapon, for
which they'll need Tempest and her notes. Atari Force is not shown doing
anything about this (other than Tempest leaving).
AFb#19: This story takes place immediately before AF#8. Anyone wishing to
translate all the dialog is welcome. I will include the translations here.
AF#20, cover: Intended to be a juxtaposition of the first issue's cover. That
issue had Atari Force in the foreground ready for action with Martin Champion
bringing up the rear. Now Champion is in the foreground, head bent while Atari
Force looks on in the background.
AF#20: Although this issue is titled "Trial . . . and Verdict," we never get a
verdict.
AF#20, p 4: Dr. Orion says this is the first time he and Prof. Venture have been
allowed to visit Champion. He should have said "I've" instead of "we've" because
Prof. Venture visited Martin in AF#19, p. 15.
AF#20, p. 14: Blackjak is shown handcuffed, but has not been shown since AF#19,
p. 16. It would be interesting to know why he is incarcerated when he was
presumed dead at the time _Scanner One_ was taken.
AF#20, p. 17: Champion sets course for Old Earth. It must be in the "other"
direction from New Earth from the universe the Dark Destroyer obliterated.
Otherwise they'd never make it through without a ship with thrusters.
AF#20: One interesting question that I've had in mind since AFM#5: Are there any
humans left on Old Earth? Did only those that were "loyal" to or paid ATARI go,
or were members of the Co-Op (see the last question of section 2.1) allowed,
too? They speak mainly of a drought causing starvation, meaning that if enough
people left, it should be possible for the rest to sustain themselves.
AFb#20: This is quite possibly the funniest backup of them all.
AF#20, letter column: No letters, just Andy Helfer saying they knew from the
beginning the series would end eventually. Is this the truth? Who can say.
AFS3: It may be a fill in story they had in stock, but who knows. The only time
it could take place is between AF#8 and AF#9 because a) Taz is present and b)
Blackjack is not. (Note that Taz seems to appear and disappear, though.) If this
is the case, Tempest's arm should still be in a sling from his fight with the
Dark Destroyer. He should also have weakened phasing abilities.
AFS3, p. 1: Note the Klavian crown jewels on the first page. Also a notebook
labeled "Plan 9" (as in the cult movie _Plan 9 from Outer Space_). The man's
face on the wall may be one of the creators.
SR: For the entire graphic novel, even though they're referred to has Hukkas,
not once does one of them say "Hukka."
SR, p. 1: The on-screen graphics on this page and others are actually adapted
from the Star Raiders video game.
SR, p. 7, panel 5: Atari Force is "a group of mythical time travelers"? That's
pretty good considering their encounter with the Zylons was their first mission.
Also, they're dimension hoppers, not time travelers. (Yeah, yeah. Time and space
are one and the same. Blah, blah, blah.)
SR, p. 7: This Zylon could never fit in the empty spacesuit Dr. Orion found in
AFM#3. It has four arms. The spacesuit had two. And why was it empty, anyway?
SR, pp. 11, 20-23: Apparently the mind-jewel Atari Force found was totally
off-base on a lot of things when comparing what it told them to what Zeke tells
Jed and Tommy. First, it claims the Zylons appeared 15 billion years ago, while
Zeke says they attacked just 600 to 800 years ago. Second, it shows the
inhabitants as green humanoids, not seemingly normal humans like Zeke. Third, it
says the inhabitants never got a chance to launch the Star Raider cruiser, but
Zeke has footage of it in action. Finally, it seems to claim the Dark Destroyer
created or sent the Zylons. Here, the queen says the Dark Destroyer usurped her
control over them. I'm much more inclined to believe the graphic novel. Perhaps
the mind-jewel was planted by someone or something to warn the original Atari
Force. (Don't believe everything you read, and only half of what alien
mind-jewels tell you. 8)
SR, p. 19, panel 5: The scene and the first word balloon are adapted from the
movie, _Casablanca_.
SR, p. 23: The way Zeke dodges the question of who the pilot was, coupled with
his comments on how well he remembers it, implies that he might have been the
pilot or at least closely involved.
SR, pp. 27-28: The Atari symbol and lettering can't possibly be the same ATARI
from Atari Force. The closest it might be is a parallel universe version.
SR: It's possible DC was trying to leave the door open for an on-going Star
Raiders series. Here is a list of possible dangling
plotlines:
1. Why did the (assumedly) radiation make Zeke immortal?
2. Who was the original pilot of the Star Raider cruiser?
3. What is the story of each of the recruits? Except for Skrimsh, they're hardly
important to the story.
[END PART 3 OF 4]
--
Lee K. Seitz (lkseitz@iquest.com) (http://iquest.com/~lkseitz/)
Dare to be stupid. Do the Donkey Kong. Don't panic! Fnord.
Live long and prosper. May the Force be with you. Up, up, and away!