Space: 1999 #1 - Charlton

Charlton isn't really known for its b/w line, but it definitely had some fun titles. They consisted of licensed properties, like Space: 1999, Emergency!, and the Six-Million-Dollar Man, which were also regular-sized four-color titles.

The cover painting and first story were drawn by the master, Gray Morrow(who, according to Nick Cuti in Comic Book Artist magazine, was both Charlton and the studio's first choice). After the initial text piece about the show, "How Space: 1999 Was Born!" we have the first story, written by Cuti, titled "The Last Moonrise."

"Moonrise" tells the opening story of the series, where we see Commander John Koenig(played by Martin Landau) take command of Moonbase Alpha, and the events that lead up to the storyline of the series. As always, Morrow is a master at likenessess, so it looks like you're watching an episode of the show.

Next is "Seeds of Doubt", written by Joe Gill and uncredited art. Our three main chracters visit a planet that's inhabited by murderous vegetation, and where their very thoughts seem to be able to come true!

I mentioned the art is uncredited, and that may be because this job was the result of many hands. Indeed, there seem to be several different art styles in the fifteen pages this story runs:
...a little bit of everything!

Next is another text piece about the show, called "Finding a Home!", and then next is "Cornucopia", written by Cuti and another uncredited artist. A light-hearted tale, the crew of Moonbase Alpha encounter a charming alien being who seemed to have magical powers, but who would use them only for a price.

There's then another text piece, called "Visiting the Stars" where we get brief bios of the three main actors, Landau, Barbara Bain, and Barry Morse. (Even though this was twenty years in the future, I can't look at Martin Landau and not think of his hilariously foul-mouthed, Oscar-winning performance as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood.)

Last is another tale written by Cuti, and drawn by Morrow, "Endgame", which reads like one of the best unproduced Star Trek episodes you never saw.

Cuti obviously realized you do more expansive stories in the comics than with the show's limited budget, so here our heroes meet a beautiful survivor of a war-ravaged planet who is determined to stop all war, and is willing to kill to do it. As you can see here, the world the Space: 1999 comic inhabited was much more classic Trek than the show ever was, with its robot armies and scantily-dressed alien women:
All in all, a lot of fun and it makes me want to track down more issues. Cuti and Morrow made these stories a lot of fun, and managed to transcend the source material.