"The Heat Monster"

[Preston]

Although I don't like stories of the sea,there was one episode I enjoyed from the TV-series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Why that exception? Well,because the monster came from outer space and because it had an innovative "anatomy." By that, I mean its WHOLE BODY is composed of FIRE. The alien was first contacted by a Norwegian Arctic station which had projected a laser beam into outer space in hopes of alien communication. This same beam was then used by the alien to travel to Earth. This reminds me of the Adam Strange series from the 1960s DC-comic MYSTERY IN SPACE where an alien communications beam is converted inadvertently into a teleportational beam. But it even more closely resembles the OUTER LIMITS episode "The Galaxy Being" in that the Outer Limits scientist tried to contact aliens, and the communication was converted into a transporter. The big difference with the Heat-Monster is that it is an EVIL being. In fact, this was the flaw of the Seaview series in that virtually 99% of the aliens that the submarine encounters are evil. That's how the Seaview series got so predictably dull and cliche after a while. Here in the case of "The Heat Monster,"that same cliche of evil alien rears its ugly head again but is redeemed at least by the innovativeness of its biology,that is,its flame-body. We can also make an interesting comparison between the alien and the Marvel superhero the Human Torch. I remember a debate in the lettercol of the FANTASTIC FOUR as to whether the Human Torch is totally composed of fire or that the fire comes from ONLY the surface of his body. The general consensus was that the fire comes from only his body surface. But in the case of the alien, I would say it's the Whole body because it does Not have any facial features or even any humanoid-type shape as opposed to Johnny Storm. In fact,the alien is totally formless, consisting of a fiery blaze which constantly fluctuates. Besides,the alien was able to travel to Earth inside a laser beam.

[Xenorama ™]

It's time Voyage was released to DVD- the series, I mean.

[Preston]

I sort of Disagree with you because of all of Irwin Allen's 4 series (i.e.,Voyage&Lost In Space&Time Tunnel&Land Of The Giants), it's Only LOST IN SPACE that has been released on dvd so far. As I said earlier,the glaring weakness of VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA is that 99% of the aliens and creatures that the submarine enounters are shown as evil beings, so the series became too predictably cliche. But Not so with LOST IN SPACE. Besides, when it comes to science-fiction,it appears that most viewers prefer outer space rather than undersea. Of course,Irwin Allen's other series LAND OF THE GIANTS takes place on another planet too, but there it was confined to just a single planet as opposed to LOST IN SPACE. So of the 4, it can be confidently said that LOST IN SPACE remains Mr. Allen's best effort.