The Lost Skywald: Science Fiction Odyssey #1
- PS Artbooks
- Aug 29
- 3 min read
In the early 1970s, horror ruled the black-and-white comic magazine racks. Skywald Publishing—founded by Sol Brodsky (“Sky”) and Israel Waldman (“Wald”)—was carving out a space alongside Warren with Psycho, Nightmare, and Scream. But in 1971, Skywald briefly dreamed of something different: a science-fiction anthology that would have been the first adult-oriented SF comic magazine since EC’s Incredible Science Fiction in the 1950s.
That magazine was Science Fiction Odyssey #1.
A Magazine That Never Was
Planned for September 1971 as a 68-page, 60¢ launch, Science Fiction Odyssey was assembled with care. The editor at the time, Al Hewetson, lined up respected writers and rising young artists, and even commissioned a cover from the brilliant Jeff Jones. The project was fully completed—film prepared, stories lettered, artwork ready—before being abruptly canceled just before going to press.
The reasons were never announced officially, but Skywald’s financial struggles, combined with a widespread belief that science fiction didn’t sell, likely sealed its fate. Horror magazines were profitable; experimental science fiction was a gamble. In the end, the plug was pulled.
The Lost Contents
Thanks to archival digging and the paper trail left by the artists and writers, we can piece together what Science Fiction Odyssey #1 would have contained:
Cover – Painted by Jeff Jones (later reused on Psycho #12).
“From Fanaticism or for Reward” (by Harry Harrison, adapted by Rich Buckler/Chic Stone) – eventually published as “The Mechanical Cannibals” in Scream #8 (1974).
“All the Myriad Ways” (by Larry Niven, art Jeff Jones) – printed as “All the Ways and Means to Die” in Psycho #9 (1972).
“The Swordsman of Sarn” (by Gardner Fox, art Jack Katz/Vince Colletta) – appeared in Psycho #12.
“City of Yesterday” (by Terry Carr, art Michael Wm. Kaluta) – reworked into “The Horror Within and Without” in Psycho #13.
“The Weapon Within Us” (art Jack Katz/Jack Abel) – published as “The Gloomb Bomb” in Psycho #21.
“Starchild” (by Bruce Jones) – saw print in Nightmare #14.
“The New Science” (essay by Don Thompson, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson) – Wrightson’s spot illos were later scattered across Nightmare #9–10.
“Author’s Space” – a feature profiling Carr, Fox, Harrison, Niven, and Thompson.
In other words, the entire magazine survived—but fragmented across Skywald’s horror line.
Why It Matters
For decades, Science Fiction Odyssey remained one of comics’ great “lost issues.” Unlike projects abandoned midway, this one was ready to print. Its fate illustrates the precarious economics of small publishers and the narrow market for non-horror, non-superhero magazines in the early ’70s.
It also serves as a showcase of future legends at formative stages: Jeff Jones refining his visionary fantasy style, Michael Kaluta bringing elegance to Terry Carr’s tale, Bruce Jones taking early steps in a career that would span writing and art, and Bernie Wrightson providing eerie flourishes even in a non-horror context.
Reconstructed at Last
Although Skywald never published Science Fiction Odyssey, fans and historians have gradually pieced it back together from its scattered parts. Modern reconstructions attempt to restore the magazine as it was meant to be seen—a time capsule of an alternate 1971 where Skywald expanded into science fiction alongside its horror output.
Now, over fifty years later, PS Artbooks has recreated the long-lost issue in its entirety, drawing together the original stories, artwork, and design into the magazine that never was. For collectors and historians alike, it’s a rare chance to finally experience Science Fiction Odyssey #1 as it might have appeared on the stands in 1971.
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