Comic Book Cats, number 159: Captain Harlock Christmas Special, drawn & lettered by Tim Eldred, written by Robert W. Gibson and cover colored by Joseph Allen, published by Eternity Comics / Malibu Graphics in December 1991.
It is Christmas Eve, and the famous space pirate and freedom fighter Captain Harlock is seeking new recruits for the crew of his spaceship Arcadia. Harlock encounters Anna, the young granddaughter of his former comrade in arms the Admiral, who is now an old, sick man. As midnight strikes, Harlock pays a visit to Anna and her grandfather, and he gives the Admiral a snow globe which holds a model of the Admiral’s old ship the Deathshadow. The physician on the Arcadia examines the Admiral, providing him with medicine to fight off his illness. In thanks, the Admiral gives Harlock the gift of one of the kittens that Anna’s cat Simone has recently given birth to, telling the swashbuckler “You know it’s bad luck for a ship to sail without a cat on board.” A surprised Harlock accepts the kitten, who immediately takes a liking to the Captain.
Captain Harlock is the creation of Japanese manga and anime artist Leiji Matsumoto. In addition to his work on the Harlock stories, Matsumoto also created the space opera series Queen Emeraldas and Galaxy Express 999.
Tim Eldred drew several issues of the American comic book adaptation of Captain Harlock published in the early 1990s, as well as on several other series released by Malibu, including a lengthy run on Robotech: Invid War. He is the writer & artist of the creator-owned sci-fi comedy series Grease Monkey, which has been released though various publishers and as a web comic.
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