Here for your perusal is the original version of episode 1 as it appeared in Apocrypha 9:

The origins of Frogs in Space are convoluted and varied but below I will illuminate the main points  (and I promise the rest of the Andrew's Annotations will not be this long (unless it really needs it)).

So, if you're sitting comfortably . . .

I grew up on a diet of British comics including, but not exclusive to, the Beano,  Dandy,  Whizzer & Chips, Krazy Comic and it's successor  - Cheeky Weekly. In 1978 I bought the Spiderman Winter Special, and from that moment it was 'Make Mine Marvel'. From the British reprints in the often title changing Spiderman Weekly and the many other compilations Marvel UK championed at that time, I was introduced to a world of super heroes that was, at that time, only 15 years old. I bought the occasional American title, but that was in the days before I'd heard of specialist shops and the newsagents in Southampton only got one random delivery a month, if at all.

Fast forward a few years and in the Spider-strip Frog-Man makes his debut. Eugene Patilio attempts to redeem his father's criminal past by using the Leapfrog costume as a force for good. Getting by with enthusiasm and a lot of luck, Frog-Man later teamed up with Spider-Kid and the Toad to form the Misfits. There was something about this group that piqued my interest. I'd always written and it was at this time that I thought I'd try my hand at comic book script writing. I plotted, planned a series of equipment changes and so made drawings. The main sketch turned out to be Frog-Man's mask. Eugene looked out through the mouth and I was going to add lights into the eyes, seal the mask for diving etc., etc.

Of course, I never sent the ideas into Marvel. However, having always been a doodler, I found myself drawing the face more and more, even during my 'O' Level exams. Gradually it took over. I started adding it to my signature on birthday cards, with speech balloons. Then Sue Lewis asked if I had anything for the Norwich Science Fiction Group Clubzine, I said I would do something.

We were both at the University of East Anglia at the time. Sue was working and I was supposed to be doing a Chemistry Degree, but was spending a lot of time at NEXUS, the student television station. It was there that the first episode of Frogs in Space was drawn (over the course of one lunchtime). Of course there are a lot of other influences. In fact the strip is almost exclusively made up from influences - which is one of the reasons for these annotations.

The title is derived from both Lost in Space and Pigs in Space (and yes, I have always been a Kermit fan). I decided early on that all the names would be punny (if not always funny) based on swampy/froggy ideas. Heinz von Frog is based on Heinz Wolfe (of Great Egg Race Fame) and as the first frog on the moon, there was only one choice for Neil Legstrong. Due to my limited artistic skills I also decided that to distinguish the different characters, I would have to give then distinctive looks. This is the main reason for HvF's Bow tie and Neil's helmet, but the story possibilities were already forming . . .

Although I am a Marvel fan, it was the time that DC was re-inventing itself. The Frog Cave gets more Bat like in the Director's Cut (although HvF has never been a super hero - honest!!). The main background of the planet Swamp's destruction is that of Krypton, something that would be alluded to more in the next episode.

The Spacehopper was always the only choice for the ship's name. I had had an original spacehopper as a child and it is good to see that such a strange mode of transport is making a comeback. (For anyone who doesn't know, a spacehopper is an inflated rubber egg shaped ball with a face drawn on the front and two rubber 'ears' sticking straight up from the top. The object was to sit in it, hold on to the ears and bounce around (or pick it up by the ears and use it in a pillow fight) and was famous enough to make it into BBC2's recent series about the '70s)

Frog Facts began as a space filler inspired by the fact files Marvel use to sometimes have instead of the Letters' Pages. I have no idea why I picked the number 100, except that I am an eternal optimist. My Marvel heritage is re-inforced with the final statement to the True Believers. The fact that I did do some planning on the stories is evident by the fact that I actually knew what the next episode was going to be (Honest!!).

Coming back to the strip after a few years away and taking over the NSFG magazine, I knew I wanted to re-draw the first instalment, to bring it more in line with the later episodes. Although my drawing skills had not improved greatly, I spent more time on it. The Director's Cut allowed me to add a Danny Kay reference to sum up the average Frog's life, a panel with Marsha and introduce Mystery Frog. Heinz's Bow tie begins it's life as the ever appropriate apparel and Neil actually agrees to the task - all things I thought would help the flow of the ongoing story. I also got a chance to correct Heinz's grammar.

The one thing I didn't add to the new version was a commercial break (something that appears from Episode 2) but this was only for space reasons.

Now the strip is getting a new lease of life. I am toying with the idea of producing the 'Digitally Remastered' editions at some stage (free time permitting). However, the strips will be staying in black and white. I grew up with black and white comics and although colour may be pretty, I find it rarely adds much to a story.

I have recently had another three year break from the strip but I am looking forward to getting back to it. With 13 episodes already done, so far they are averaging one a year. I hope to improve on that average. Although the Frogs may still be lost, at least the strip has a new home.

I hope you will stick around for the continuing adventures of Frogs in Space - Coming soon to a monitor near you!!