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Retro LEGO Comics/Storybooks/Animated Cartoons General Discussion
Alex2000 reacted to Sadie Meowsalot for a topic
Originally this topic was geared towards the discussion of the mid-80s LEGO Publishing Classic Space comic book series, Jim Spaceborn, but it's since expanded from its roots to encompass retro LEGO comics, storybooks, animated cartoons, and the like in general. I'm however retaining the original contents of the OP below to serve as this topic's initial subject of discussion and to maintain the flow of the topic. For the uninitiated, Jim Spaceborn was a Classic Space oriented LEGO comic book series authored and illustrated by Frank Madsen , and developed and produced in collaboration with LEGO's short-lived publishing division, LEGO Publishing from 1983-1987. The series was initiated after the production of an internal prototype Classic Space book titled Trapped in Space in 1983(from which Jim Spaceborn would later draw a good deal of its inspiration and story elements), written by Douglas Hill and illustrated with photographs. However, the book was never published as LEGO later scrapped the children's book concept, and thus gave birth to the Jim Spaceborn comic book series. The series comprised of three 48-page installments and a series of three 24-page mini-comics, the third installment and the series of mini-comics, however, were never published. Development began with a white 12-page test album "Mission Spyspids", after which a second test album with imagery on 31 pages, and the vast majority of the rest of the album's pages being blank merely to give it the feeling of a final album was produced, this one carrying the name "Jan Spaceborn: Galaxens Hemmelighed". Though the name Jan was later changed to Jim subject to being deemed politically explosive. Both the test albums, unlike the final releases, were hardcover books rather than paperback. Finally, Jim Spacborn 1: The Unknown Galaxy was produced, and published in 6 countries. After which development of the series' second installment Jim Spaceborn 2: The Kidnappers From Swamp Planet/Castle of the Darkmen commenced and was published in 5 of the aforementioned six countries excluding Denmark. The unpublished third installment was titled Panic On Board of which I've uploaded layouts provided by Frank Madsen, and the 3 mini-comics titled The Monorail Service, Cleaning Robot, and The Competition. According to Erik Dyhr Thomsen, LEGO Publishing Product/Development Manager 1982-1988 LEGO Publishing was created by Keld Kirk Kristiansen, current owner of LEGO. His idea of LEGO Publishing was that they should use LEGO bricks in various media, such as books and movies. I've been in contact for a good while now with Frank Madsen among a whole host of others on the series' development team and generally people who collaborated on the project. Frank has been instrumental in the discovery of a lot of the aforementioned, having generously provided the images of the entirety of the contents of the 1983 internal prototype book Trapped in Space, the layouts for Jim Spaceborn 3, the entirety of the initial 10-page test album of The Unknown Galaxy, 1984 and 1987 Jim Spaceborn character model sheets, the original pages of The Unknown Galaxy, some covers and layouts from some of the 3 unpublished mini-comics, and much more to come, some of which I've yet to upload and will edit into the original post when they become available. He's also informed me that sometime in 1986 a Jim Spaceborn animated film was planned and produced in a Danish studio led by Jeffrey James Varab (a former Disney animator) and Jakob Stegelmen. Though development only reached the extent of a storyboard of the initial 10 minutes of the film. Soon after I contacted Jeffrey, and he told me that not only was a feature film based on the comics planned, but as well a series and video game. And if you have anything more to share with regard to Jim Spaceborn or any other retro LEGO comic or the like that hasn't been outlined or shared already please do so. Retro LEGO Comics/Storybooks/Animated Cartoons List Animated Cartoons: Comics: Storybooks:1 point