US Books

Books

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All ten issues of the original American Battle of the Planets comic. Art and cover for all the issues was by Winslow Mortimer. Below the tenth issue is a three comic bargain pack, featuring the first three issues. 1979 - 1980, by Western Publishing Company, Inc.

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Additional issues of the comics were planned through number thirteen. Art survives for issue eleven, its cover is shown above.

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The Battle of the Planets US coloring book. Art for the cover and interior was by regular comic book series artist, Winslow Mortimer. 1979, by Western Publishing Company, Inc. For a look at the original painting for the cover, click here

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A stock catalogue for Henry Gordy's inexpensive toys which were found at grocery stores and drugstores. The line included various toys and a simple game. The company had been offering their Battle of the Planets line since 1979. This catalogue was for 1981, by Henry Gordy, Inc.

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Battle of the Planets - Classic Issues Volume 1. This black and white trade paperback reprinted the full ten issue run of Western Publishing's Battle of the Planets comics series. Shown above is the standard cover by artist Omar Dogan, a limited edition cover by Alex Ross (shown on mouseover) was also available exclusively to those who ordered the book through Previews Magazine. 2003, by Dynamic Forces.

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A few previews were done to promote the Battle of the Planets comic series before it debuted. Pictured above are issue 7 of Universe, which included a multi-page Battle of the Planets sketchbook, the Wizard World East Convention Exclusive, which was to have included Battle of the Planets content, but it wasn't completed on time. So the only representation for the series is the inclusion of the characters on the cover. The content meant for this issue was eventually published in the 1/2 special. Finally is the Battle of the Planets sketchbook, a free convention giveaway that featured various sketches from Alex Ross and a cover by Brian Lansang. The Sketchbook Preview was also sold as part of a multi-partner gift pack. 2002, by Top Cow Productions.

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This Battle of the Planets 1/2 issue was a Top Cow/Wizard co-publication. It featured a prequel story to issue one and was initially offered for sale in different editions through Wizard Magazine. The cover at the top left by Alex Ross was sold both with and without Certificates of Authenticity from Wizard. A special edition from Dynamic Forces featured their own logo in gold foil in the lower left hand corner. The cover at the top right by Wilson Tortosa was a Wizard Special Edition, sold both with and without Certificates of Authenticity. Both versions featured a gold foil Wizard logo in the lower left corner. It too was issued as a special edition from Dynamic Forces with a blue foil logo in the lower left hand corner. The final edition on the bottom by Joe Benitez was issued by Top Cow for general retail sale. 2002, by Top Cow Productions and Top Cow Productions/Wizard.

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There are only twelve issues in the basic run of Top Cow's Battle of the Planets comic, but many limited editions and variants. Since there are so many differences, each row below will have a brief description of the issues.

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Issue 1 covers 1A (Alex Ross) and cover 1B (Michael Turner)

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Issue 1 covers 1C (J. Scott Campbell) and cover 1D (Marc Silvestri)

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Issue 1 covers 1E, holofoil and 1F, Black and White Classics. Both by Alex Ross

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Issue 1 comic 1G comic convention exclusive (Pat Lee) and cover 1H Wizard World Chicago and San Diego Convention Exclusive, limited to 5,000 copies (Wilson Tortosa)

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Issue 1, covers 1I/J a Dynamic Forces exclusive with blue foil, limited to 2,000 copies and the gold foil edition (on mouseover), limited to 1,978 copies. The gold foil version was sold in a sealed bag with a certificate of authenticity. There were also limited editions issued of the blue foil version featuring 499 copies signed by Alex Ross and 99 copies signed and remarked by Wing Lee. On the right are covers 1K/L, the standard red logo edition with signed limited edition (on mouseover) with Alex Ross' autograph, limited to 1,978 copies (cover art on all by Alex Ross).

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Issue 2 covers 2A (Alex Ross) and cover 2B 2002 San Diego Convention Sketch Cover Exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies.

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Issue 2 cover 2C Animation Edition, limited to 5,000 copies and cover 3 (Alex Ross)

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Issue 4 covers 4A (Alex Ross) and cover 4B metallic foil card stock cover (Roberto Ferrari)

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Issue 4C Museum Edition, limited to 25 copies and issue 5 (Alex Ross)

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Issue 6 and issue 7A (Alex Ross)

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Issue 7 covers 7B Convention Exclusive and cover 7C Wizard World Chicago 2003 Exclusive, limited to 5,000 copies (Francis Manapul)

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Issue 8 and issue 9 (Alex Ross)

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Issue 10 and issue 11A (Alex Ross)

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Issue 11B Anime Edition (Pop Mhan) and issue 12 (Alex Ross)

Issues featured art by Wilson Tortosa and stories by Munier Sharrieff. The comic series was also issued in Spain, France and Italy. 2002 - 2003, by Top Cow Productions.

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Two one-shot issues released during the run of the regular Battle of the Planets comic line. Covers were by Alex Ross. Interior art was by regular series artist Wilson Tortosa. The story was written by Munier Sharrieff. 2003, by Top Cow Productions.

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The official Battle of the Planets Guidebook. It featured a history of the entire series, starting with its roots as Gatchaman. Other sections included worldwide merchandise, an art gallery, episode guide and interviews with cast members. A second edition featured an updated final chapter focusing on current and future projects for the property. Its cover was by Alex Ross. It was written by Jason Hofius and George Khoury. 2002 and 2003 by TwoMorrows Publishing.

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The one-shot Battle of the Planets / Witchblade crossover. The cover was by Alex Ross. Interior art was by Christina Chen. The story was written by Munier Sharrieff. It was a standalone story with no continuity to the main Battle of the Planets comic series. 2002, by Top Cow Productions.

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The first issue of the Battle of the Planets / Thundercats crossover. Interior art was by Alvin Lee and Rob Ross. The story was by regular series writer, Munier Sharrieff. Cover A was by Alex Ross, cover B (on mouseover) was by J. Scott Campbell. 2003, by Top Cow Productions/WildStorm.

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The second issue of the Thundercats / Battle of the Planets crossover. Interior art and story was by Kaare Andrews. Cover A was by Alex Ross, cover B (on mouseover) was by J. Scott Campbell. 2003, by Wildstorm/Top Cow Productions.

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The one-shot Battle of the Planets - Battle Book. This issue featured background information on the updated comic book series presented in file form, as well as an art gallery that featured new and reprinted artwork. The cover was by Jo Chen, with interior art by various artists. The content was written by Jason Hofius. 2003, by Top Cow Productions.

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Dynamic Forces released a glossy, high-quality collection of various artists' work in a special Battle of the Planets pin up book. A limited edition with the title in blue foil (on mouseover) was also released. Only 500 copies of the limited edition were printed. 2003.

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These three trade paperbacks collected the main Battle of the Planets comic run and three one-shot specials. Issues 1-3 were in the first book, issues 4-9 were in the second and 10-12 along with the Mark, Jason and Battle of the Planets/Witchblade one-shots were in the third. 2003, by Top Cow Productions.

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This three issue miniseries was a standalone story illustrated in a style similar to Japanese manga. It did not share continuity with the regular Battle of the Planets series. Covers were by Edwin David and interiors featured black and white art by Edwin David. The story was by David Wohl. 2003 - 2004, by Top Cow Productions.

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These two digest-sized Battle of the Planets collections reprinted many of the comics in black and white. Issues 1-9 and the Mark one-shot were in the first volume. Issues 10-12, the Jason one-shot and the three-issue Battle of the Planets Manga series were in the second volume. 2004, by Top Cow Productions.

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The Alex Ross - Battle of the Planets Artbook was a high-quality magazine-sized release that collected the majority of the artist's pieces done for the property. Most were presented on a single page with a few double page spreads. 2004, by Top Cow Productions.

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The final Battle of the Planets comic project was this six issue Princess miniseries. Issue 1 featured a new cover by Alex Ross, issues 2 - 4 had covers by Wilson Tortosa, and issues 5-6 had covers by Eric Basulda. interiors featured black and white art by Wilson Tortosa. The story was by David Wohl. 2005, by Top Cow Productions.

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