Searching for an obscure 80's comic book.

August 20, 2007 2:44 PM

Searching for an obscure 80's comic book.

When I was a kid, one of my friends showed me a comic book that seemed really scary at the time. It wasn't a major character (Batman, Superman), so I have no idea what comic it was. I was kind of a snob back then and thought comics were beneath me. I've finally wised up and started reading comics as an adult. Now I'm curious to see what I missed out on when I was 12.

I can't remember the names of any characters. What I do remember of the plot is this: A group is exploring a strange, jungle like planet. One of the group, a woman, is replaced by a mimic - body snatcher type creature. The mimic leaves the planet with the group, while the woman is left behind. I think the mimic looks something like a long-limbed horse in its native form.

Any ideas?

posted by Eddie Mars to media & arts (5 answers total)

The only thing that rang a bell for me was the mention of a "long-limbed horse" - this made me think of the Power Pack. The character that granted the kids their powers was horselike. He was apparently a Kymellian. There's some mention on the Wikipedia Power Pack entry of some plot involving doppelgangers and the Kymellians.
posted by Slothrop at 5:18 PM on August 20, 2007

Indeed, it sounds like Power Pack. From Wikipedia:

End of the series

During the final issues of the series, when the creative team was changed[5]; several new storylines were introduced. Among them were Alex's transformation into a Kymellian, Margaret Power losing her mind and the rest of the characters were thrown into similar disarray.[6] The Power family sought help for Margaret and Alex in various places, beginning with Reed Richards' lab. However, these efforts were disrupted by the interference of the Red Ghost and his super apes. At the conclusion of the series, the family decided to abandon New York and fly with Friday to New Kymellia to seek help for Alex and his mother.

However, during the Holiday Special that followed the original series, it was revealed that both Alex and his parents had been replaced by psuedoplasm doubles through the efforts of a renegade Kymellian Technocrat and his ally, the exiled Maraud (called Meraud). The real Alex and Power parents were being held captive in the Technocrat's hidden satellite orbiting New Kymellia. Eventually, the remaining Power siblings learned the truth and rescued their family; barely escaping from the satellite before it was destroyed by Maraud. While in the satellite they switched powers several times as needed.

After recovering on New Kymellia, the Power family returned to New York with Friday. Each of the children was back in possession of his or her original power; and of course, the parents were unaware of them, or of Power Pack's existence.[7]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:45 PM on August 20, 2007

Anything else stick out in your mind? Was it color, or B&W? What was the tone or genre -- were superheroes involved? You said it was scary, did it strike you as a "horror" tale? Did it have a polished, "mainstream" feel like you would expect from Marvel or DC, or was it more of a small press, indy comic type of gig?
posted by samh23 at 6:28 PM on August 20, 2007

It was in color. I think it was a sci-fi setting, and I don't remember any super powers. It seemed to be pretty high-quality, but I'm working off memories of a single comic book I read 20 years ago, so who knows. The picture of the Kymellian Slothrop linked to doesn't look quite right. I remember the creature standing on all fours, and the legs were impossibly long, like 10 feet. Think giraffe legs.
posted by Eddie Mars at 6:39 AM on August 21, 2007

Was it a short story in an anthology? It sounds like something out of one of the "alien worlds" anthology comics, like...err... Alien Worlds.
posted by edjusted at 6:57 PM on August 21, 2007