Way back when I was a little boy, and I was part of a happy two parent,
2.5 child, a pair of cats, and a mortgage family, we used to get the newspaper every
day. This was very exciting to young Nathaniel, because every day in the comics
section was the next installment of a Star Wars serial! I look back on them (which I can do
with ease because Dark Horse was nice enough to collect, color, and reprint them) as
my favorite Archie Goodwin work, and my favorite non-movie Star Wars fiction.
Of course, back then it was just Star Wars, and I loved it.
Based on the reprints, I think the Times Herald carried it right up until
the end. Time passed, and the family fell apart a bit, and the Times Herald picked up
a new ongoing serial that caught my fancy. Like so many others, I was an
afterschool TV zombie, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was one of my favorites.
Imagine my delight when I was informed of a He-Man comic strip! I followed it as
loyally as I could until the local paper dropped it, at the end of the Ninjor saga.
Next came Spider-Man. I never really followed that one too loyally,
because Spider-Man has never been a very engaging concept to me.
Jump way ahead, to my High School days. Riding the frenzy of the first in
a series of Batman movies, a Batman comic strip was born. I did the best I could to
follow all six sagas (I remember them all...Catwoman, Penguin, Mad Hatter, Riddler,
Two-Face, and The Red Hood), but we weren't subscribing, and I was occupied with
coming into my own as a loser High School artsie geek. I remember that the Two-Face saga
was my favorite.
Jump way ahead again, to earlier this very year! It had been a long times
since I had done more than just glance at the comics page, for Dilbert, Foxtrot, or
Mary Worth (just kidding). Some nice folks on Usenet (I blame Usenet for
everything) pointed me towards a great site that hosts an exciting daily action serial
comic strip. Astounding Space Thrills is an Action Science Fiction Fantasy strip,
in the tradition of the great Action Science Fiction Fantasy movies from days of
old. I can't help but think back to those wonderful times of my youth as I follow
the adventures of Argosy Smith.
I'd like to invite everyone out there with a minute to spare to take a
look at this wonderful universe that Steve Conley is weaving for us. It's free, fun,
and easy to obtain, leaving me no choice but to give it my highest recommendation.
Please take a look, if you feel so inclined. I personally recommend starting with The
Shift, but I have enjoyed all three thus far. Every strip is available at
What do you think of Astounding Space Thrills? Do you have any memories
of the strips I've listed above, or of others that I never had the opportunity to
experience? If so, I'd like you to feel free to drop me an E-mail. I'd love
to read and discuss anything you have to say on the subject.