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posted
These were published by Topps Comics in the early 1990s (each issue came bagged with a trading card). I believe I have all of the individual regular-comic format issues, but they were also reprinted in trade paperback format as the Ray Bradbury Chronicles (not sure of the publisher, but it wasn't Topps). How many volumes of the trade paperbacks were issued? There were also limited-edition hardcovers of these books, which I believe ran even longer than the trade paperback volumes. How many hardcover volumes were there? I assume there must have been new stories not included in the original run of the comic-format series, so which volumes had previously-unpublished stories? Some of the stories were reprinted from the earlier EC Comics adaptations, but were any of the EC Bradbury stories not collected in these volumes? I have the two mass-market paperbacks of EC Bradbury reprints issued by Ballantine Books in the 1960s. Any help is appreciated.
 
Posts: 29 | Registered: 12 March 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Better 5 years later than never, I have an answer regarding the Topps Comics/Chronicles Series. The Topps Bradbury Comics included Volumes #s 1-5, The Illustrated Man, The Martian Chronicles, and Tales Of Terror. Tales of Terror originally was scheduled as Bradbury Comics Volume 6, according to the trading card issued with Volume 5. The Bradbury Chronicle 7 Volume set that came later repeats those eight comics in Volumes 4-7. Volumes 1-3 contain stories that did not appear in the Topps Comics. Listed below is the complete 7 Volume Chronicle Stories, with reference to the Topps Comics. I hope this information helps. Additionally, can anyone let us know how many hardback editions were printed? I know there was a Best Of, and Graphic Novel, with different covers.

Volume 1

Dark They Were and Golden Eyed - Kent Williams & J. Van Fleet
Golden Apples of the Sun - P Craig Russell
Marionettes, Inc.-Ralph Reese
The Toynbee Convector.-Ray Zone & Chuck Roblin
The Dragon.-Segrelles
I, Rocket.- Al Williamson (EC Classic)

Volume 2


Come Into My Cellar- Dave Gibbons
Rocket Summer & The Locusts - James Sherman
Night Meeting - Daniel Torres
Punishment Without Crime - Ralph Reese
A Piece Of Wood - Mark Chiarello
The Flying Machine - Bernard Krigstein (EC Classic)

Volume 3


The Aqueduct - Bruce Jensen
The Veldt - Timothy Truman
Gotcha - Ray Zone
Homecoming - Steve Leialoha
There will Come Soft Rains - Lebbeus Woods
There will Come Soft Rains - Wally Wood (EC Classic)

Volume 4


***2 It Burns Me Up - Harvey Kurtzman & Matt Wanger
***2 Touched By Fire - Sean Phillips
***2 The Black Ferris ( EC Classic) - Jack Davis
***1 A Sound Of Thunder - Richard Corbin
***1 Tyrannosaurus Rex_ Garces
***1 A Sound Of Thunder - Al Williamson

Volume 5


***4 The City - Mike Mignola
***4 Usher II - Ron Wilbur
***3 The Fog Horn - Wayne D. Barlowe
***3 Besides A Dinosaur, What Do Ya Wantta Be When You Grow Up? - Mike Kucharski

Volume 6


***5 The April Witch - Jan J. Muth
***5 Trapdoor - Ross MacDonald
***5 Picasso Summer - John Van Fleet
***IM The Illustrated Man - Guy Davis
***IM The Visitor - P. Craig Russell
***IM Zero Hour ( EC Classic ) - Jack Kamen

Volume 7


***TT Skeleton - John Carnell, Anthony Williams & Steve Baskerville
***TT Uncle Einar - Lars Hokanson
***TT Home To Stay - Wally Wood
***MC Off Season - Del Barras
***MC Kaleidoscope - Howard Simpson ( EC Classic )



Key to Topps Comics reference; Issues 1 to 5, ***1,etc., ***IM Illustrated Man, ***MC Martian Chronicles, and ***TT Tales of Terror.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: greenray,
 
Posts: 189 | Registered: 10 February 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Are you asking how many volumes were printed in hardcover, or how many copies of each volume were printed?

Either way, the same 7 volumes were printed in hardcover. I'm not at home to check right now, but if my memory serves me correctly I believe there were 1200 of the first few volumes, 1000 of the next few & 750 of the last few...I think.

I lucked out & found someone who was selling all 7 books, brand new, signed/limited/numbered for around $450.

These books are one of my most treasured Bradbury collectibles.
 
Posts: 54 | Registered: 23 June 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I just double-checked the books. 1 through 3 were limited to 1200 & 4 through 7 were limited to 1000. All volumes are signed by Ray & most of the writers/artists that adapted the stories.
 
Posts: 54 | Registered: 23 June 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for the updates Andrew. I Books, a publisher, came out with The Best of Ray Bradbury: The Graphic Novel, a few years ago. I believe all of those stories were taken from the 7 Volumes listed above. What I like about this set, the 7 volumes, is that included are some of the classic EC Bradbury Stories. Wouldn't it be nice if they came out with a Bradbury EC Collection some day? Maybe they would include some of the stories they borrowed from Ray.
 
Posts: 189 | Registered: 10 February 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Unless I'm misunderstanding something here, the EC stories have already appeared in book form:
The Autumn People and Tomorrow Midnight.

It would be nice to see these re-issued.


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
 
Posts: 5029 | Location: UK | Registered: 07 April 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Phil, as your listings show, only 16 EC Titles were contained in The Autumn People and Tomorrow Midnight. There were a total of 25 EC Ray Bradbury Titles, as listed by Chapter 31 in an earlier post. The other 9 can be easily obtained through the Topps Comics, or EC Reprints available from Gemstone. Also, the Topps Bradbury Comics and EC Reprints are in color, while Autumn People and Tomorrow Midnight stories are in black and white.
 
Posts: 189 | Registered: 10 February 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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greenray, thanks for the clairification. I must add this information to my website sometime.


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
 
Posts: 5029 | Location: UK | Registered: 07 April 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by greenray:
Better 5 years later than never, I have an answer regarding the Topps Comics/Chronicles Series. The Topps Bradbury Comics included Volumes #s 1-5, The Illustrated Man, The Martian Chronicles, and Tales Of Terror. Tales of Terror originally was scheduled as Bradbury Comics Volume 6, according to the trading card issued with Volume 5. The Bradbury Chronicle 7 Volume set that came later repeats those eight comics in Volumes 4-7. Volumes 1-3 contain stories that did not appear in the Topps Comics. Listed below is the complete 7 Volume Chronicle Stories, with reference to the Topps Comics. I hope this information helps. Additionally, can anyone let us know how many hardback editions were printed? I know there was a Best Of, and Graphic Novel, with different covers.

Volume 1

Dark They Were and Golden Eyed - Kent Williams & J. Van Fleet
Golden Apples of the Sun - P Craig Russell
Marionettes, Inc.-Ralph Reese
The Toynbee Convector.-Ray Zone & Chuck Roblin
The Dragon.-Segrelles
I, Rocket.- Al Williamson (EC Classic)

Volume 2


Come Into My Cellar- Dave Gibbons
Rocket Summer & The Locusts - James Sherman
Night Meeting - Daniel Torres
Punishment Without Crime - Ralph Reese
A Piece Of Wood - Mark Chiarello
The Flying Machine - Bernard Krigstein (EC Classic)

Volume 3


The Aqueduct - Bruce Jensen
The Veldt - Timothy Truman
Gotcha - Ray Zone
Homecoming - Steve Leialoha
There will Come Soft Rains - Lebbeus Woods
There will Come Soft Rains - Wally Wood (EC Classic)

Volume 4


***2 It Burns Me Up - Harvey Kurtzman & Matt Wanger
***2 Touched By Fire - Sean Phillips
***2 The Black Ferris ( EC Classic) - Jack Davis
***1 A Sound Of Thunder - Richard Corbin
***1 Tyrannosaurus Rex_ Garces
***1 A Sound Of Thunder - Al Williamson

Volume 5


***4 The City - Mike Mignola
***4 Usher II - Ron Wilbur
***3 The Fog Horn - Wayne D. Barlowe
***3 Besides A Dinosaur, What Do Ya Wantta Be When You Grow Up? - Mike Kucharski

Volume 6


***5 The April Witch - Jan J. Muth
***5 Trapdoor - Ross MacDonald
***5 Picasso Summer - John Van Fleet
***IM The Illustrated Man - Guy Davis
***IM The Visitor - P. Craig Russell
***IM Zero Hour ( EC Classic ) - Jack Kamen

Volume 7


***TT Skeleton - John Carnell, Anthony Williams & Steve Baskerville
***TT Uncle Einar - Lars Hokanson
***TT Home To Stay - Wally Wood (EC Classic)
***MC Off Season - Del Barras
***MC Kaleidoscope - Howard Simpson



Key to Topps Comics reference; Issues 1 to 5, ***1,etc., ***IM Illustrated Man, ***MC Martian Chronicles, and ***TT Tales of Terror.
 
Posts: 189 | Registered: 10 February 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I have never heard of those. I found the painterly "Civil War" cards very interesting circa 1960, partly because I had read "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh".
 
Posts: 30 | Location: Toronto, Canada | Registered: 31 March 2019Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Well, 15 years later my wish will be answered with the publication of “Home To Stay,” which includes those EC Comics all in one place.
 
Posts: 189 | Registered: 10 February 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Or, greenray, to paraphrase what you wrote back in March of 2007, "better 15 years later than never"!
 
Posts: 2447 | Registered: 26 January 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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As previously posted on this Forum, HOME TO STAY, a book containing all of the EC Comics adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories back in the 1950's, is set to be published in October of 2022. For those folks who would like to read about the very first tear-filled meeting between EC editor and artist Al Feldstein and Ray Bradbury, which occurred at the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con, just click on the link below. It's a wonderful story!

https://www.newsfromme.com/201...dstein-story-part-4/
 
Posts: 2447 | Registered: 26 January 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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April of 1952. Ray Bradbury has discovered that EC Comics has adapted, without authorization and payment for the rights, two of his short stories, "The Rocket Man" and "Kaleidoscope", retitled them "Home to Stay", and printed the comic adaptation in one of their wonderful science fiction comics. Ray debated how to handle the matter. Should he threaten to sue? Ray instead decided to "turn the other cheek". He wrote a very polite letter to EC, explaining that his check for the story rights must have been inadvertently overlooked, and suggesting that EC adapt a number of his stories in future issues of their comics (with appropriate compensation, of course). The rest, as they say, is history, as a creative partnership developed which resulted in some of the finest stories for comics ever drawn and written, all of which have been reprinted in the book HOME TO STAY. To read Ray's letter to EC which set the ball in motion, click on the link below:

ImageIMG_0005.jpg (22 Kb, 7 downloads)
 
Posts: 2447 | Registered: 26 January 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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