LOST IN SPACE VOLUME 1 VHS

From the VHS era: LOST IN SPACE is on its way back to TV... so here is the first UK sell-through VHS cover.  The first (of - I think - only three tapes) included the first two (black & white) episodes from the show's first season.

Fox released two more tapes with the following four episodes but - had they planned to continue releases ala STAR TREK - soon abandoned the project.

The show was familiar to UK audiences of the era thanks to a regular booking on Channel Four's Sunday morning schedules.

LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 7 (INNOVATION)

From June 1992: Cast member Mark Goddard (Major Don West) contributes to Innovation's ongoing LOST IN SPACE comic book.

1992: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 6 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From May 1992: Innovation's LOST IN SPACE issue 6.

1992: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 5 (INNOVATION)

From March 1992: LOST IN SPACE issue 5, published in the States by Innovation.

If I recall correctly, this issue explained away some of the more bonkers bits of the TV show by saying they were Penny's accounts of far more dramatic moments in the life of the J2 crew.

1992: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 4 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From February 1992: the Robinson's get menaced again in the 4th issue of Innovation's LOST IN SPACE comic.

Anyone familiar with the 1960s CBS series (this title was published before any of the periodic screen revivals) will know that this sort of thing just didn't gappen on the altogether more wholesome show. Blame the Nineties.

1991: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 3 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From December 1991: the third issue of Innovation's LOST IN SPACE TV tie-in comic book.

1991: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 2 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From 1991: the second issue of Innovation's LOST IN SPACE ongoing series.

1991: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 1 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From August 1991: the first issue of Innovation's ongoing (at least until the publisher went bust) LOST IN SPACE comic book.

This series attracted some (not undeserved) early criticism for sexing up the shenanigans and making the Robinson gals (pretty much paragons of virtue in the family-friendly CBS crowd pleaser) into cheesecake victims of lusty alien life forms. That didn't sit well with fans who probably wanted something a bit more mature than The Great Vegetable Rebellion... but not THAT mature.

Things settled down after Innovation took the feedback on board and the title, along with its other TV tie-ins (notably the 1990s DARK SHADOWS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and QUANTUM LEAP), became solid reads. Unfortunately Innovation fell foul of the industry contraction of 1993 and went out of business.

LiS returned to comics in 2016... but good luck finding copies as many UK stores didnt seem to keen to stock it. The hardback compilation hit shelves this week.

1991: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 1 (Innovation Comics)

From August 1991: the first issue of Innovation's new ongoing LOST IN SPACE comic book.

This first cover (art by Mike Okamoto) perfectly sums up the principle problem with the series: although it was officially licensed, and latterly penned by no less than Bill Mumy itself, it initially sexualized the female members of the Jupiter II in a series of cheesecake scenarios the wholesome-but-dumb-after-season-one would never have dared. Fans were hoping for a more mature take... But not like that. The cover of the fourth issue looked more like a Michael Winner SF movie than a continuation of the TV show. An odd strategy for an indy which largely acquired the rights to media properties with strong female appeal. 

The main book ran eighteen issues. The first year was a mixture of done-in-one and multi-part stories. Year two kicked-off (with obligatory silver foil cover) the twelve part Voyage to the bottom of the Soul (a riff on another Irwin Allen show) arc. Unfortunately Innovation (also publishing DARK SHADOWS, QUANTUM LEAP and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST amongst others) floundered and the title closed before the storyline could be resolved. The whole arc was later reprinted in a hard to find (and when I did find a copy, the optimistic dealer wanted £50. I passed) trade paperback. 

The main book also spun off an Annual, a Special Edition (a reprint of the sold out first issue with additional feature pages) and Project: Robinson, a two-issue series which was cut short after only the first edition hit stores. 

Innovation closed on 31 December 1993 when an investor hastily called in a loan as the comics market faltered. Other casualties that holiday season included Marvel UK's Genesis line of UKverse titles.