Alien Worlds

From Hey Kids Comics

Alien Worlds
Alien Worlds Vol 1 6.jpg
The cover of Alien Worlds #6, art by Frank Brunner
Publication information
Publisher Pacific Comics and Eclipse Comics
Schedule Bimonthly
Format Anthology
Publication date December 1982 - January 1985
Number of issues 10
Creative team
Creator(s) Bruce Jones


Alien Worlds was a science fiction anthology comic book published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.

Publication history[edit | edit source]

Alien Worlds was published on a bi-monthly schedule by Pacific Comics from December 1982 to April 1984 (eight issues, including an offshoot Three Dimensional Alien Worlds published in July 1984). After Pacific went bankrupt, two final issues were published by Eclipse Comics in November 1984 and January 1985. In 1986, Blackthorne Publishing published their own one-shot Alien Worlds, with reprints of stories taken from earlier issues. In May 1988, Eclipse issued a standalone, unnumbered edition of the title as part of its Graphic Album Series, featuring all new stories and art.

Nearly all of the stories in Alien Worlds were written by Jones, with only a few exceptions (notably Jan Strnad's "Stoney End" in Issue # 8 and Frank Brunner's "The Reading!" in Issue # 9). Jones had developed a skill for the short genre tale, often with a twist ending, during his years with Warren Publishing while writing for their Creepy and Eerie titles. He was heavily influenced by the horror and science fiction movies of the 1950s, adding graphic violence and sexuality to the mix, complete with copious female nudity; several issues sported a “Recommended For Mature Readers” warning on the cover. However, for the most part Alien Worlds avoided the more intensely gruesome subject matter of Jones' other Pacific comic, Twisted Tales, which was being published at the same time.

Front covers for the comic were by, among others, John Bolton, Dave Stevens, Frank Brunner, and Joe Chiodo. Contributing interior artists included Bolton, Stevens, Al Williamson, Richard Corben, Roy Krenkel, Val Mayerik, and Rand Holmes, as well as two stories written and illustrated by editor Jones himself.

In 1985, soon after the cancellation of Alien Worlds, Eclipse began publishing a similar science-fiction themed anthology, Alien Encounters. The title ceased publication in 1987 after fourteen issues.

Issue guide[edit | edit source]

# Date Cover Artist Story Story Artist Plot
1 December 1982 Joe Chiodo The Few and the Far Al Williamson During an intergalactic war, two creatures on an uncharted planet keep their true forms hidden from the other via “Hypno-Screen”
Domain Val Mayerik Survivors of a disabled rocket on an alien world are forced to regress to prehistoric civilization under the orders of their crazed leader
Head of the Class Nestor Redondo Robot students plot vengeance against their oppressive teacher
Talk to Tedi Tim Conrad Super-intelligent robotic teddy bear follows its owner home after being inadvertently left behind on a planet millions of miles from Earth
2 May 1983 Dave Stevens Aurora Dave Stevens Adventures of an intergalactic female freedom fighter
Vicious Circle Ken Steacy Eerie goings-on in a deep space bound space vessel
A Mind of Her Own Bruce Jones Three children are marooned on an alien planet and one of them has the unwanted ability to bring her horrific thoughts alive
3 July 1983 William Stout The Inheritors Scott Hampton Dolphin-like aliens from another world come to Earth to save the planet
Pi in the Sky Ken Steacy Futuristic aerial dogfights
Dark Passage Thomas Yeates Puppy love develops between a young boy and his robot “girlfriend”
4 September 1983 Dave Stevens Princess Pam Dave Stevens Robot protects its mistress after they crash-land on an inhospitable planet
Girl of my Schemes Bo Hampton Futuristic, exotic travel agency sets the stage for a comedic love story
One Day in Ohio Ken Steacy A robot and a monkey are the only survivors of an apocalyptic nuclear war
Deep Secrets Bruce Jones On the dark side of Alpha Centauri, a man gets revenge on his unfaithful lover
Land of the Fhre Al Williamson Humanity’s triumph against alien invaders turns out to be the dreams of a brain dead survivor of the attack
5 December 1983 John Bolton Lip Service John Bolton Federation bureaucrat assigned to a six-week assignment on a leper-colony planetoid discovers to his horror the natives’ praying mantis styled mating rituals.
Game Wars Ken Steacy Foes in a futuristic battle put aside their weapons to play card games
Plastic Adolpho Buylla Soldiers trapped on a planet in a meaningless war meet horrific fates as they discover who the true enemy is.
Wasteland Thomas Yeates Man stuck in a hospital bed watches a beacon from the future on the room’s television set
6 February 1984 Frank Brunner Planet Perfict Jim Sullivan and Arthur Suydam Adventurer exploring an alien world finds a beautiful, not quite perfect woman
The Test Roy Krenkel and Val Mayerik Man and woman on a boating trip find hideous undersea monsters plotting to take over the Earth
Pride of the Fleet Frank Brunner and Mike Mignola Adventures of a female warrior
7 April 1984 Joe Chiodo The Small World of Lewis Stillman Richard Corben Last two adult survivors of a planet-wide alien attack come out of hiding and attempt to communicate with the savage, depraved remnants of humanity that remain...all children
Small Change Brent Anderson Tiny alien piloting a Frisbee-like flying disc helps a young boy earn some cash
It All Fits Gray Morrow Flesh-eating creatures attack scientists in a compound on an icy planet
Ride the Blue Bus George Pérez After a devastating war, a specially designed bus provides cross country tours to chosen survivors to instill in them the need to rebuild civilization
8 November 1984 John Pound …And Miles To Go Before I Sleep Al Williamson As a final wish, dying space explorer has robot-replacement created to visit his elderly parents on faraway Earth
Soft Boiled Paul Rivoche Film noir-ish detective discovers his very existence is a sham created by robots
Collector’s Item Ken Steacy A Mars Attacks-styled trading card set reveals the mechanics of an imminent alien invasion to a young boy
Stoney End Rand Holmes Doomed astronauts who have crash landed on a planet attempt to temporarily “escape” the horror of their impending deaths by reading science fiction comic books
9 January 1985 John Bolton 10 Devils Bo Hampton Soldiers fight a horde of intelligent, advanced weapon-carrying gigantic ants
The Reading Frank Brunner Somewhere between time and space, an eerie tarot card reading reveals that the Earth no longer exists
Small Game Mike Hoffman Miniaturized hunters kill insects for sport
The Maiden and the Dragon Bo Hampton Clever young woman slays a hideous sea serpent
NA May 1988 Dave Stevens Phony Express Thom Enriquez Newly hired postal rider on an alien outpost finds a letter in his pouch revealing his wife's adulterous ways
Looking For Louie Ralph Reese Wacky adventures of human-sized cockroach space travelers
Boots and Jackets Eric Shanower Old tracker gets one last chance for adventure in the jungles of a distant planet
In The Meadow Mike Drigenberg While swimming in a pond a young teenaged girl and her dog encounter an alien hunting for trophies
Jupiter Rising Bill Wray One morning a man and his house-cat repeatedly stumble backwards into prehistoric time
Worlds Apart Bob Fingerman Advanced frog-like alien becomes stranded on Earth