Gold Key comics

Gold Key published sixty-one Star Trek comic books between July 1967 and March 1979. (Note that four of the sixty-one were actually reprints of early issues, so really there were only fifty-seven unique comics from Gold Key). I picked up a few issues at a convention in the mid 80s. They won't win a Pulitzer, but they sure are a lot of fun to look at!

Below I've included shots of the cover, the first page, and a representative sample page from each.

Issue #29 dated March 1975. This is actually the first of Gold Key's reprint issues, and in fact this is a reprint of issue #1! This issue marks the only appearance by Janice Rand. Each book has plenty of action panels.

Issue #32 dated August 1975. Some of the character work is actually pretty good, for example the Spock in this issue.


Issue #41 dated November 1976. Scotty gets a bit of action in this book. Couldn't resist including a shot of the back cover. Awesome! I picked up this issue on either July 15th or 16th 1983 at the Maplecon 5 convention in Ottawa.

Issue #53 dated July 1978. More monsters! More action!


On 23 December 1983 I opened up my first wave of Christmas presents (we would usually open up a few at home before making the trek to relatives in Lindsay and Barrie) and was happily surprised to find two of the Gold Key comic omnibus editions. These were published back in 1977 so I'm not quite sure where my Mom picked them up.


Collection #3 includes issues 18 through 26 inclusive, plus a few pages of original material, a "psycho-file" for Spock.

Collection #4 includes issues 27 through 38 inclusive, but omits issues 29, 35 and 37 which were reprints of early issues already collected in earlier collections. (Did that make sense?) Again there is a bit of new material, this time a history of interstellar travel.

Captured below are a few representative panels from the two collections.


Curt Danhauser's Guide to Gold Key comics is an invaluable online resource.

Alan Dean Foster's TAS Adaptations

Also popular in the 1970s were the set of adaptations of Star Trek animated series episodes written by Alan Dean Foster and published by Ballantine Books. I didn't follow the animated series as closely as I did the original, and I suspect that all of these adaptations were purchased second-hand during the mid-to-late 1980s. Truth be told, I don't think I've even read any of these books yet. (The even sadder truth is that I don't think I've seen all the TAS episodes either, though I did buy the DVD set a little while ago and am slowly working through it.)

Star Trek Log 1 - First published June 1974 . My copy is from the 16th printing, and was purchased during the Fall of 1988.

Star Trek Log 2 - First published August 1974 . My copy is from the 9th printing, and was purchased on 12 July 1986.

Star Trek Log 3 - First published December 1974 . My copy is from the 3rd printing, and was purchased on 12 July 1986.

Star Trek Log 4 - First published February 1975 . My copy is from the 3rd printing, and was purchased on 22 November 1986.

Star Trek Log 5 - First published July 1975 . My copy is from the first printing, and was purchased on 10 January 1987.

Star Trek Log 6 - First published February 1976 . My copy is from the 4th printing, and was purchased on 4 February 1989.

Star Trek Log 7 - First published June 1976 . My copy is from the first printing, and was purchased on 10 January 1987.

Star Trek Log 8 - First published July 1976 . My copy is from the first printing, and was purchased during January 1987.


It seems that I'm missing the last two books in the series -- numbers 9 and 10. Guess it's time to start scouring the used bookstores again!

James Blish's TOS Adaptations

Another must-have for any Star Trek collection is the set of James Blish TOS episode adaptations put out by Bantam Books. In total there were 12 numbered collections plus a thirteenth book containing adaptations of the two Harry Mudd episodes along with a new Mudd story. I read library copies of these books in the 1970s and filled out my own collection during the 1980s.

Star Trek (1) - First published January 1967. My copy is from the 20th printing.

Star Trek 2 - First published February 1968. My copy is from the first printing, and I purchased it on 20 July 1985.

Star Trek 3 - First published April 1969. My copy is from the first printing, and I purchased it on 22 November, 1986.

Star Trek 4 - First published July 1971. My copy is from the 9th printing. I found a note in my diary indicating that I finished reading Star Trek 4 on 18 January 1979, but I believe that was a library loaner and that I purchased this copy later.

Star Trek 5 - First published February 1972. My copy is from the 6th printing. Again it looks like I also borrowed a copy of this from a library and read it during January 1979.

Star Trek 6 - First published April 1972. My copy is from the 6th printing.

Star Trek 7 - First published July 1972. My copy is from the 6th printing, and was purchased on 2 July 1988.

Star Trek 8 - First published November 1972. My copy is from the 8th printing, and was purchased on 20 July 1985.

Star Trek 9 - First published August 1973. My copy is from the 5th printing, and was purchased on 20 July 1985.

Star Trek 10 - First published February 1974. My copy is from the 8th printing.

Star Trek 11 - First published April 1975. My copy is from the 5th printing.

Star Trek 12 - First published November 1977. My copy is from the first printing.

Mudd's Angels contains adaptations of Mudd's Women and I, Mudd as well as a new Mudd story. First published May 1978. My copy is from the 2nd printing, and was purchased on 8 January 1985.

I would often come across these books while perusing various used book stores. I typically purchased a second copy of the book if it was from an older printing than the copy I already owned. Therefore I have a few extras of these adaptations, as seen in the photo above. Details on these copies:
Star Trek 1 - 21st printing, purchased 27 July 1982
Star Trek 3 - Book Club edition, 16th printing, purchased 2 February 1985
Star Trek 6 - 10th printing, purchased 5 July 1983