Free Comic Book OSR Resource - Charlton Comics Space 1999 "The Metamorph" by Pellowski and Morrow For Your Old School Campaigns

 

Go Read It Right Over
HERE

When I was a kid my dad's friend was a retired RAF pilot and science fiction nerd both of them are to blame for my science fantasy and fiction leanings. This family friend told me about the 'great sci fi square' of his basically '2001 A Space Odyssey.'1968, the classic British sci fi shows 'UFO.', 'Space 1999' & of course the cultclassic 'War in Space.' from Japan ( because the crew jump suit uniforms are similar to Alpha's) are all connected. Then there are the Marvel comic books series connections with the Kirby ' 2001 A Space Odyssey.' marvel series and the Kirby Fantastic Four run all of which have threads weaving throughout each other and its all  the Watcher's fault.But there's plenty to exploit here as fodder for DYI sci fi games.

   Which brings me to the 'Metamorph', the  final issue of Charlton's Space: 1999 mag (issue 8, cover dated October 1976). There's lots of inter connections threading its way through this issue for Space 1999:

• Psychic computers that use the 'minds and souls' of their victims connected with their masters through a psychic link. 
• A space wizard with high index psychic powers who has the ability to rearrange matter through thought and energy very 'Forbidden Planet' Krell technology stuff going on here. Technologies and such that Arthur C. Clark and other sci fi writers would use as a primer for our connecting with alien intelligences down the line. Mentor is a higher advanced alien life form then we are.
• What about those other poor victims of the plot here seems as though the intergalactic scene in Space 1999 was about as busy as the setting in the 2001 paper back. That there are thousands of intergalactic travelers who run into each other. Not always for the good, Mentor is an almost Morbius figure from Forbidden Planet whose under the control of the very system he has serving him. I'm thinking that perhaps this might be Krell technology that Maya's race stumbled upon. Or they might even be left over Krell experimental material. 
• Some of those space craft even look like ones we'd see in later episodes of Space 1999. Especially the almost but not quite spacecraft Discovery One in the later episode Alpha Child

•  This is another comic book with lots of potential to exploit, the Alphans wreck even more Eagle Transporters which seem to have a habit of showing up all over the place in my games.

• Continuing along the thought process line could the ruins of the world of the Psychons be the result of successful transition into a higher evolutionary state of being ala 2001 and the machinery of the Krell from Forbidden Planet? There are some evidence to support this Myra in the Psychon art of molecular transformation, able to assume the form of any living organism at will and her father demonstrates the ability to transform matter into energy at will and viceversa

Then there's this :

Commander John J. Adams: Monsters from the subconscious. Of course. That's what Doc meant. Morbius. The big machine, 8,000 miles of klystron relays, enough power for a whole population of creative geniuses, operated by remote control. Morbius, operated by the electromagnetic impulses of individual Krell brains.
Dr. Edward Morbius: To what purpose?
Commander John J. Adams: In return, that ultimate machine would instantaneously project solid matter to any point on the planet, In any shape or color they might imagine. For *any* purpose, Morbius! Creation by mere thought.
Dr. Edward Morbius: Why haven't I seen this all along?
Commander John J. Adams: But like you, the Krell forgot one deadly danger - their own subconscious hate and lust for destruction.
Dr. Edward Morbius: The beast. The mindless primitive! Even the Krell must have evolved from that beginning.
Commander John J. Adams: And so those mindless beasts of the subconscious had access to a machine that could never be shut down. The secret devil of every soul on the planet all set free at once to loot and maim. And take revenge, Morbius, and kill!
Dr. Edward Morbius: My poor Krell. After a million years of shining sanity, they could hardly have understood what power was destroying them.

 This is a comic with plenty of DYI science fiction & fantasy potential for the gaming table as fodder. The ideas here are solidly done and the artwork is great!