[TomVDJ]

Hello comic specialists. I'm new here, and I need the advice of the comic experts on this board. I'm looking for the comic in which this page can be found:



The outside of the comic is the fake "tales from space" cover, created for the movie Back to the Future. But the inside is an actual comic. I want to make a replica of this movie prop, so it would be nice if I can use the same inside. If someone knows which comic we're talking about, please let me know! Thanks in advance!

[JVJ]

Any chance we can get a larger scan, Tom? One where we can read the text and see the characters' faces and costumes? Help us help you.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[TomVDJ]

No sorry. This is the only picture I got from it. Indeed it would be a lot more helpful if the text was readable, but I don't have any other pictures. I think the bottom picture is the biggest "clue". It's not much, but if someone has the actual comic, he or she might recognize it.

[Roygbiv666]

I can't ID it, but the magic of Google helps:

Here's the fake cover:
http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Tales_From_Space
http://probertdesigns.com/Folder_ILLUSTRATION/On_CamBTTF.html
http://bttfstuff.com/misc.html
http://www.jhallman.com/bttfprops/part_1_comic.htm

Looks like Probert has a website (above), maybe he remembers?

There's a thread here that says the guts were "Weird Science":
http://www.back-to-the-future.com/forums/topic.php?tp=23045-pretty+cool+flea+market+find.....+(probert+related)

If the image shown here:
http://www.yourprops.com/Tales-From-Space-Comic-Book-other-replicas-movie-props-Back-To-The-Future--1985--prop-52611.html

is to be believed, the a search of Comics.Org turns up:

http://www.comics.org/issue/9368/

Ta-da!(?)

[JVJ]

The interior is NOT an EC comic, Roy,
It's something from the 1970s at the EARLIEST, just based on the style. My copy of Back to the Future is in Paris so I can't do a better screen-capture, but perhaps someone here who owns the film can get something larger so that we can read the dialogue.

The character in the orange shirt looks a bit like Aquaman or Aqualad and the "feel" of the art is DC-ish, to me. But it's been decades since I looked at those kinds of books.

[Roygbiv666]

I guess that's another question:
Is the picture shown the actual prop or is it a "replica" of the original prop, and therefore not necessarily using the same interior as the links I provided?

Again, Probert has a website, he might be able to say.

I just checked the DVD, and the comic is not opened on screen.

I didn't really look at the image in the original post, it's obviously not from EC, you're right JVJ. The last panel with the guy hitting the man in the suit reminds be of someone's work. Dick Dillin? Gil Kane? Anybody?

The interior is NOT an EC comic, Roy,
It's something from the 1970s at the EARLIEST, just based on the style. My copy of Back to the Future is in Paris so I can't do a better screen-capture, but perhaps someone here who owns the film can get something larger so that we can read the dialogue.

The character in the orange shirt looks a bit like Aquaman or Aqualad and the "feel" of the art is DC-ish, to me. But it's been decades since I looked at those kinds of books.

[josemas]

It certainly looks like a comic from the later 70s or early 80s to me..  From what I can make out of the inking it reminds me of some of the work being done by the Philippino artists who were doing a lot of work in American comics at the time.

Best

Joe

[TomVDJ]

Maybe some extra info about this prop:
1. Probert only made the cover art. He didn't create the complete prop. So he can't help me there.
2. The picture I posted is the actual prop, not a replica. There are tons of replica's out there, and they all use a weird science or weird fantasy comic, just to have "a comic" inside. So many pictures of replica's show wrong inner pages.
3. The inside of the comic is not seen in the movie itself, as far as I know. If I remember correctly the Tales from Space comic was never opened in the movie.

I appreciate the help guys! You clearly have a much better view on comic styles etc, than I do...

[Roygbiv666]

Where did the image of the comic you provided come from? A website?

Maybe some extra info about this prop:
1. Probert only made the cover art. He didn't create the complete prop. So he can't help me there.
2. The picture I posted is the actual prop, not a replica. There are tons of replica's out there, and they all use a weird science or weird fantasy comic, just to have "a comic" inside. So many pictures of replica's show wrong inner pages.
3. The inside of the comic is not seen in the movie itself, as far as I know. If I remember correctly the Tales from Space comic was never opened in the movie.

I appreciate the help guys! You clearly have a much better view on comic styles etc, than I do...

[bminor]

I did a screen capture and placed, blew it up and placed it on photobucket.

The guy at the bottom of the page hitting the fella in the suit, his body looks like Curt Swan  That hand  and body posture of the guy being hit at the bottom of the page looks like Gil Kane.

I would have to say layouts by Gil Kane, inks by Curt Swan...

[Roygbiv666]

I see boobies!!! It's a red headed woman punching that mook. Yeah, I'm feeling Kane at work here.

[JVJ]

I have to nix Kane, guys.
I think you're both seeing him distilled through about two generations of "influence". For instance, Kane would be very unlikely to draw a last panel with the woman throwing the punch shown head-on and the guy being hit shows falling to the left. Kane would draw his head coming right at you out of the page.

And how did the guy in the blue suit get BETWEEN redhead and blondie from panel 1 to panel 2? And then jump to BEHIND blondie in panel 3? How does redhead throw a LEFT in panel 5 from her position in panel 4? These are the kind of mistakes that Kane might make ONE of in an entire story. This is not a very experienced penciler.

I would opt more for someone LIKE Rudy Nebres (i.e. in that Filipino style that is leaning towards Manga) with a mediocre inker. This strikes me (ha ha) as mid-eighties third tier DC stuff. Or else it, too, is completely mocked up.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[Geo (R.I.P.)]

I have to agree with Jim on this for the art. Now check this out:

While producing storyboards, late 1984, I was asked to also provide art for an on-screen comic book cover to be seen in the sequence of Marty's arrival in 1955.

So maybe the art comes from a book in late '84 to '85 would be my bet.

Geo

[MarkWarner]

Here is the image and a bit about it http://www.hillvalleycity.com/museum/artifacts_1955/tales_from_space/tales_from_space.html .. there is also a shot of what I think is the back or maybe a further clue

[MarkWarner]

And the above site has the guys email address

[Roygbiv666]

How many comics were published in that era that would look as thick as this prop?

Re. JVJ, I defer to his art spotting. According to GCD, Ruby Nebres worked on these during that period:

http://www.comics.org/penciller/name/Rudy%20Nebres/sort/chrono/?pencils=Rudy+Nebres&method=icontains&target=sequence&page=2

Could it be one of the Archie hero series?

Re. the website, if someone contacts him, it should probably be just one of us, as opposed to the poor guy getting 20 emails from a bunch of comic nuts on the Interwebs.

I have to agree with Jim on this for the art. Now check this out:

While producing storyboards, late 1984, I was asked to also provide art for an on-screen comic book cover to be seen in the sequence of Marty's arrival in 1955.

So maybe the art comes from a book in late '84 to '85 would be my bet.

Geo

[JVJ]

I wasn't trying to imply that was actually Nebres, Roy.
That was just a name that came to me when I thought of that type of style.

Could be Archie, but doesn't have that "feel" for me. I wish we could read the dialogue. That's likely to be the key.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[josemas]

I wouldn't rule out Archie.  They had a revival of their superhero line around 1983-1984 so the timeline is right.  A couple of my Kubert School classmates (Rex Lindsey and Rod Ollerenshaw) worked on the titles so I followed them a bit at the time.  They used a wide variety of artists on the titles (including Nebres, Alex Nino and Ricardo Villagran) and there was no consistent look to the line. 

Jim's certainly correct that the writing would be very helpful in identifying the comic if we could only read it.

As to the thickness it could very well be two (or more) actual comics glued together inside the faux cover.

Still stumped

Joe

[Fazhoul]

I'm not sure that anyone cares about this after three years but the comic inside this fake cover was "Secrets of Sinister House" #9 from DC Comics. The Grand Comic Database has it listed as both titles but they seem unaware that the "Tales from Space" was just a prop cover. The prop comic came up in discussion on a Facebook group that I'm in because today is "Back to the Future" Day.

http://www.comics.org/searchNew/?q=%22Secrets%20of%20Sinister%20House%209%22&search_object=issue&sort=alpha