Star Trek Fotonovels
| Title: | Star Trek Fotonovels |
| Creator: | |
| Date(s): | 1977-1978 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English and other translations |
| External Links: | Fotonovels, at Memory Alpha |
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Star Trek Fotonovels were a series of twelve paperback books. They were produced by Mandala Productions and published by Bantam Books during the years 1977-1978.
Each book is a retelling of a Star Trek: TOS episode using photos from the show and dialogue in overlaid balloons in the style of comic books and graphic novels.
The fotonovels preceded VCRs and were a popular way for fans to "rewatch" some of their favorite episodes.
NOTE: Fotonovels also appeared for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Fan Comments
1978
On first hearing about these Fotonovels, I thought, "Oh, no! It's kiddy-time again. More Gold Key comic books!" But that isn't the case. The books are very professionally put together, and are adherent to the ST universe. These books should not be compared to the Gold Key trash in any way.
Reading these books is as if you were watching the episode on tv. Each different camera shot is reproduced in beautiful color. Dialog and naration [sic] is then "balooned [sic] in" completing the visual with "verbal".
The narration is capably written, and the dialog, when not conforming to the aired dialog exactly (which it usually does) is so close as to make little difference. Special effort is made in the books to preserve the drama and action that we love so well on tv. For example, the closing accident scene in "City on the Edge of Forever" which takes about 30 seconds on tv uses an amazing 21 different photographs in the book — preserving the heart-breaking ending to that beautiful episode.
Not only are we treated to faithfully reproduced color photos, but the pictures used are all superb shots—including special effects, unusual angles, close-ups, groups and so on. With all of these positive factors, there's got to be a few negative factors. If the publishers would have been smarter, they wouldn't have used "baloons" for their dialog, but, instead would have left the photos unimpaired and simply left the bottom inch or so of the image for printed dialog and naration.
Also, the books contain feature articles on the first couple pages (an interview with Harlan Ellison in #1, a letter in #2, and an interview with James Doohan in #3) and the last few pages contain a trivia quiz and a short glossary of terns. These things detract from the rest of the book. A preface containing necessary background information by the author of the original screenplay would be fine, but trivia quizzes are out!
If you can't turn on your tv and watch an episode of ST, then a cassette recording is second best. If you don't have your episodes recorded, then next in line comes the Fotonovels. Best yet would be a combination of your tape and the Fotonovel.
RATING: 6 out 10 - reviewed by George Perkins [1]
The three [most recent] fotonovels are ’Galileo 7,' 'A Piece of the Action,' and ’Devil in the Dark’, (I almost half-hope they don’t get through the other 70 books as I’m going to run out of shelf room!) (But on the other hand....) Again, these are very good quality photos and an excellent addition to any ST fan’s collection, I especially like APOTA - Kirk made a great gangster, and Spock didn’t look too bad either. Unfortunately they left out the piece with the boy saying, ”Hey, who’s your friend with the ears” and that fantastic look on Spock’s face as he says ’’Young man...” Still, I suppose they can’t put every little scene in can they... well, okay, all you out there nodding... maybe they could... but just think of the size of the book (Yeah! Think of the size of the book!). ’Galileo 7' and ’Devil in the Dark’ contain good pictures also. These fotonovels seem to get better as they go along.[2]
1998
Unbelievable! I was idly turning the pages of the Star Trek Fotonovel “All Our Yesterdays” when I came across the pictures of Spock and Zarabeth in the cave together. Zarabeth says “Please…have something to eat.” Spock comments that it looks like animal flesh, she says there isn’t anything else around, he says he’ll try to create a greenhouse using hot springs, and then he picks up a hunk of something and sticks it in his mouth. And the little blurb at the top of the page says: 'For the first time, meat enters the body of the Vulcan.' I died laughing. Somebody, use that line in a story, please! [3]
1999
Heard Gary Lockwood speak [at Shore Leave con]. Not much of a speaker. Although his last story about almost getting killed by a giant wave surfing in Brazil sounded so much like a dumb Academy stunt that I really loved it. <g> If he's still around tomorrow, I'll have him AUTOGRAPH my FOTO-NOVEL of *WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE*!!!!!! (If you've ever seen one of those foto-novels, you'll understand my excessive use of all-caps and asterisks.) [4]
References
- ^ from Star Trek Nuts & Bolts #21/22 (1978)
- ^ from Beyond Antares #23
- ^ from The K/S Press #28 (1998)
- ^ from Shore Leave Con Report; [ https://archive.ph/wip/L6uj3archive link] (July 20, 1999)