___ ___ ___ __ __ ___ ___ ___ / / / / /__/ /\ / / / / / // / / /__ /__/ /__/ /__X /__/ / / / \/ / /__/ / / /__ /___ / / / ___ ___ __ __ ___ ___ _ ___ / / / / // / / / / _ / / / / \ /__ /___ /__/ / / / /___ /__/ /__/ / /__/ /___ Compiled and maintained by Phil Zeman 2ei5zemanp@vms.csd.mu.edu zeman@cordmc.dnet.etn.com zeman%cordmc@x400gw.etn.com Questions, comments, criticisms are welcome... Last Update: January 19, 1995 *********** _Quantum Leap_, besides being one of the finest television shows on the air, is also a comic book based on the same series. It is supposed to ship on a roughly bimonthly basis by Innovation Comics, but only occasionally reaches that frequency. The stories are of roughly the same quality as the television series, but sometimes have trouble dealing with the limited space -- each story runs 24 pages in length and can be read (at an enjoyable pace) in about fifteen minutes (some issues have two complete stories). Were each episode to be done as a television episode, the quality would undoubtedly increase, but most of the stories are still good nonetheless. (The preceding was written as the majority opinion of the original author Jim Berninger [berninge@cs.purdue.edu].) After taking over from Jim the summer of 1993, I looked over the last paragraph, and saw nothing wrong with it. But I thought there should be one addition. It is my belief that these _Quantum Leap_ stories could take place in an alternate universe. For those of you not up with your comic book lingo, an alternate universe is one that is similar to our own, but there could be as few as one minor or major difference, and that could cause things to happen differently than in our own universe (such as the case with "Lee Harvey Oswald", where JFK AND Jackie died in the 1963 tragedy). So, _Quantum Leap_ could take place in an universe outside our own, and _Quantum Leap: The Comic Book_ could take place in a universe outside the other alternate universe. I, like Gooshie, probably read too many comic books. =) *********** Synopses and comments for issues #1-11 are the same as Jim wrote them. Why mess with a good thing? =) *********** Cover art by: C. Winston Taylor Editor: George Broderick, Jr. *********** v1 #1. Sep 1991 "First There Was A Mountain, Then There Was No Mountain, Then There Was" Written by George Broderick, Jr. Illustrated by Mark Jones 25 Mar 1968 -- As Karen Connors, a 24-year old high school teacher specializing in remedial education, Sam would like to save the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but learns that the education of his (mostly black) class comes first, for they are the leaders of tomorrow... *********** v1 #2. Dec 1991 "Freedom of the Press" Written by Robert M. Ingersoll Pencils by Rob Davis Finished art by Scott Rockwell 11 Jun 1962 -- Sam leaps into Willie Jackson, sentenced to death in the electric chair, just as the switch is thrown. The difficulty arises when he learns that a murder will be committed outside the prison as that he needs to prevent it. *********** v1 #3. Mar 1992 "He Knows If You've Been Bad or Good" Written by John Holland Illustrated by Andy Price 20 Dec 1963 -- Ziggy hasn't a clue who Sam leapt into, except that his name is Nick. Nick apparently works part time for a department store (as Santa, of all things), and must teach some close friends of his that there really are such things as miracles... "The Infinite Corridor" Written by Link Yaco Illustrated by Andy Price 2 Apr 1968 -- As a student of particle physics at MIT, Sam must patch a relationship with a coworker and make sure that she watch her computer simulations of subatomic particles to catch the one in a million that moves backwards through time. *********** v1 #4. Apr 1992 "The $50,000 Quest" Written by Steven Dorfman Illustrated by Mark Jones & Andy Price 15 Aug 1958 -- Unaware that he is about to be caught in the game show scandals of the era, Sam must discover which of the contestants is to be the winner. According to Ziggy, the winner anonymously donates $25,000 to MIT for a scholarship, which is eventually awarded to the student who later invents a chip integral to the Quantum Leap Project. *********** v1 #5. May 1992 "Seeing is Believing" Written by Terry Collins Illustrated by Rob Davis 14 Nov 1957 -- Sam is a mild mannered reporter, who must help a local schoolgirl cope with her abusive father, especially since she thinks she saw a spaceship on the outskirts of town, and her dream of joining NASA may never come to be. *********** v1 #6. Sep 1992 "A Tale of Two Cindys" Written by George Broderick, Jr. & Becky Broderick Illustrated by Andy Price 12 Feb 1959 -- Sandy Anderson has an identical twin sister, Cindy. At least she *looks* like an identical twin sister, that is, until Sam leaps into Cindy, to prevent Sandy from being raped by one of the most popular boys in school. Sandy can't figure out why Cindy occasionally looks like a strange man... *********** v1 #7. Oct 1992 "Lives on the Fringe" Written by Charles Marshall Illustrated by Dan & Dave Day 1974 -- Sam becomes surprised that his making a fifty foot putt in a professional match may cause "the mob" to come after him and his family. "Sarah's Got a Gun" Written by Ted Slampyak Illustrated by Howard Cobb 19 May 1953 -- As a Queens, NY bus driver, Sam discovers that one of "his" kids has been physically abused -- the same child who is to shoot him the next morning... *********** v1 #8. Dec 1992 "Getaway" Written by Bill Spangler Illustrated by Mike Deodato, Sr. 1958 -- Sam is one of a two-man bank-robbing team, but Ziggy doesn't know why Sam is there. In 1999, Al tries to communicate with Vic (the leapee) to learn more about the situation. Interestingly enough, Vic is very calm about the situation (which he doesn't understand) to the point that Al and Vic take a pleasant walk around the project while they talk... *********** v1 #9. Feb 1993 "Up Against A Stonewall" Written by Andy Mangels Illustrated by Mike Deodato, Sr. 22 Jun 1969 -- In a direct follow-up to "Good Night, Dear Heart", Sam leaps into Stephanie Haywood, a lesbian who killed her lover who left her for a man. Stephanie has just been released on parole after twelve years in prison, and many of her friends are arrested or beaten because of their homosexuality. Note: This issue also contains an editorial by the author, detailing the history of the gay rights movement and general feelings about "Good Night, Dear Heart". The story also mentions "One Strobe over the Line" and "Running For Honor". *********** v1 #10. Apr 1993 "Too Funny for Words" Written by Peter Quinones Illustrated by John Garcia 13 Jun 1966 -- Sam "is" Manny Todd, a stand-up comic whose routines depend mostly on dirty jokes and "obscene" language. Constantly harassed by the local police and judge, he tries to fight for his civil rights. Trying to help an old silent film star regain his past glory doesn't help matters, either. *********** v1 #11. May 1993 "For the Good of the Nation" Written by Bruce Scalet Illustrated by Mike Deodato, Sr. Jul 1958 -- Feeling comfortable that he has leapt into a medical doctor, Sam realizes that he is Dr. Epstein, a German doctor who is to study of the effects of LSD on human subjects. As an added bonus, Sam meets his mysterious Uncle Roger. Why did his mother never talk about him much? *********** v1 #12. June 1993 "Waiting..." Written by Scott Rockwell Illustrated by Mike Deodato, Sr. 24 Apr 1958 -- Sam is the lone worker at "Lucky's Last Chance" gas station, and has plenty of time to talk with Al about science, life, philosophy, the whole works, before the purpose of the leap is revealed. Note: The date is never given in the storyline. However, based on the cover art, and with the help of some handy calculations, it can be determined what year it is. *********** v1 #13. August 1993 Also called TIME AND SPACE SPECIAL One-Shot Special, v1 #1 "One Giant Leap" Written by Christine Elaine Hantzopulos Pencilled by Luke Ross Inked by Mike Deodato, Sr. 5 Jun 1963 -- Sam has been leaping around for years, but never into someone - or something - quite like this! Sam is occupying an alien named "Jifunt" on board an orbiting space craft. Soon he learns he's not the only non-extraterrestrial on board. It seems he's here to let a captive human couple go free, but he's going to have to play it safe. The aliens are telepaths; what would they do if they found out he's not Jifunt? Note: The ending for #12 is not the leap-in for this issue. The "heart attack" story will come later this year (hopefully) in the QL Annual. Leap-in for the next issue: Sam leaps into a baby at the zoo! Stay tuned for "Two Dweebs and a Little Monster" by Christina Mavroudis and Mike Deodato, Sr. *********** Unfortunately for all of Leap fandom, Innovation folded before any more QL issues were produced. Plans for "Two Dweebs", the QL Annual, and other projects were shelved, with little chance of ever being brought out. However, the story and script versions of "Two Dweebs" are at the FTP site at ftp.cisco.com. Also, there was a Quantum Leap Special Edition #1 which was merely a reprint of QL #1, with added QL Con photos. For the purist, this issue "takes place" between issue #6 and #7. In addition, #7 was to lead into Special Edition #2, but that project was shelved, and the Leap-in for #8 was shown later on. -Phil Zeman, 1/19/95