A World Less Groovy

You've likely already heard that we lost another comics star - David Cassidy.

Granted, you might not think of him as a comics star. But lest we forget...

...and not just any comic - the GROOVIEST!

Okay. Maybe you don't count The Partridge Family comic books, saying they were merely a tv product tie-in and not true "comics". (I'd disagree with you, but you might say that)
But he also had his own title...

...and not just in the USA...

How's your Dutch? They gave David & the family about 100 pages - lots to read!

But, that is still with The Partridge Family, so maybe doubts linger. Very well, then. Let's skip over to Britain and an old title of which i'm rather fond, we've gone there before and we'll go there again - Look-In. In late 1972, David popped up with his own ongoing strip, and took the cover while doing so:

As mentioned previously, these comics were generally short installments, only two pages per chapter. Here's the first 3 issues worth:

You might be wondering what happens next. As am i. My collection is spotty, at best, and i'm missing the first few issues of 1973. However, we do have a complete short tale here from the Look-In 1973 Holiday Special for you, that you might find a little closure of sorts:

It's also worth noting that when David Cassidy gets together with the boys, he drives-

There you have it - bona fide comic star.
And yet, in the internet age, there are always those doubters in the back of the digital room. So let's drive a stake through the heart of that, shall we?

David Cassidy also played one of the classic Rogue's Gallery villains on The Flash - Sam Scudder, the Mirror Master:

David Cassidy - Comics Star, any way you want to look at him.

Sadly, he did.

He'll be missed by a lot of fans of other media, but comic book fans should remember him, too.
So long, David. I'll always be a fan...

images from indicated titles, top image from David Cassidy en de Partridge Familie, bottom image from Look-In 1973 Holiday Special

...This Funny Thing Called Spock

Before we proceed to our Tale of Trek, let's pause to take a look at Star Trek comics in the USA at that time. The year was 1973. Star Trek had been cancelled for 4 years, but the audience was continuing to grow around the syndicated show. The first movie was a half decade away, an animated series was in production from Filmation, and everybody was ramping up to sing Money!*
At Gold Key, we were getting new Star Trek adventures, but something seemed just a bit off about them...

You might notice that Captain Kirk looks rather un-Kirk-like. This is no fault of the artist, as he had never seen the show and the reference photos sent to him were of Jeffery Hunter - Captain Pike from the first pilot. This was a problem that undercut the book on a routine basis, even when playing with concepts like this which would not come into play until The Next Generation aired over a decade later.

Meanwhile, over in the UK...

Yeah, that Enterprise might spark more than a bit of concern. Inside, however, we find Eisner Award winner Jim Baikie is on, as far as i can determine, one of his first professional gigs. And he has clearly seen the show and knows the actors.
Even if the colourist is unaware of certain little things, like the meaning of tunic colours and the curse of the Red Shirt...

...but not even a red shirt can stop Captain Kirk. (Though Spock is doing all the heavy lifting)

Meanwhile, 10 years later, back at StarFleet...

Yeah...    This is gonna get confusing.

What Is This Thing Called Spock? by Jim Baikie for TV21 (1973), Star Fleet by Mike Noble for Look-In (1983)

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