Sam leaps into Karen Connors, a young remedial education teacher in the late 1960s. As Karen, a white woman, Sam attempts to connect to an inner city classroom, and in particular to a troubled young man named Randy, in Memphis. As Sam realises that the historical day of the death of Martin Luthor King Jr is approaching, he is frustrated by his inability to effect any sort of major change on history.

Written by George Broderick, Jr.. Illustrated by Mark Jones. Lettered by Vicki Williams. Colored by Scott Rockwell. Edited by David Campiti & George Broderick, Jr.

Next Issue:  Freedom of the Press (Quantum Leap #2)

Comments:
And so here we are with the Quantum Leap comic book! I’ve had these issues for a while, but have held off on reading them systematically until I was done reviewing the TV series. This comic series ran for 13 issues starting back in 1991, published by Innovation Publishing. The company was only operational for a short time, and when it shut down it left behind a lot of problems for its creators and investors, but while it was running it released a fair amount of comics, many of which were tie-ins to existing media properties. These included titles like Interview with the Vampire, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Dark Shadow, and the only I was actually reading at the time, Lost in Space.

Anyway, this debut issue of the Quantum Leap tie-in is dated September 1991. Assuming it was probably published around then or a little earlier, that means it came out around the time the show’s third season began. The story features Sam struggling as a white woman to connect with a struggling classroom, and in particular an intelligent but angry black student. At the same time, Sam comes to realize that he is right there in Memphis where Dr. Martin Luthor King will killed in just a few days, but is basically helpless to do anything about it. It’s an earnest sort of tale that fits in with the show’s general vibe–a personal story set on the backdrop of some meaningful historical setting.

And for the most part, it works fairly well. The comic manages to use its 24 pages to tell a reasonably full story (really only 21, since the first two are basically spent establishing the status quo of the whole series, and the last one deals with Sam leaping into the next issue). We cover a lot of ground–there are a few different classroom scenes, numerous bits with Sam and Al discussing their situation, and an extended sequence where Randy saves “Karen” from some muggers, and the two are able to form something of a connection as they discuss the challenges that Randy and the whole society are facing.

We even get to see Sam help everyone improve their grades sufficiently to justify the continuation of the remedial education program (Sam’s main mission on this leap), and to hear of the better fate in store for the students, and have all that tied into the dream that Dr. King spoke of so passionately, and which inspired so many.

Quantum Leap has always struggled, even on TV, to not feel “rushed”, to not have certain major turning points in character’s lives happen just a little too easily. That’s certainly a challenge here, and certainly there isn’t the space to go deep into any of the people or situations going on here. But it’s a testament to the skill that went into this issue that it doesn’t feel thinner than it is. Sam and Al both read like the characters we know, and overall the issue remains a satisfying read, in spite of its built-in limitations.

Who and Where is Dr. Sam Beckett?
Sam is Karen Connonrs, a remedial education school teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, from March 25th – April 4th, 1968.

What does Sam have to do?
Sam has to help a remedial education class get passing grades on upcoming State Board exams, in part to prove to the state that the program is working so it will be continued. In doing so, Sam helps to save Randy and his classmates, giving them all better futures (and presumably for Karen herself, as well)

What do we learn about Sam Beckett?
Sam refers to a Mrs. McCreedy back at Elk Ridge High, presumably one of his teachers.

What do we know about Al?
Al mentions that he sold apples on the corner when he was a kid, but he “always had something better for the teacher.” When he was a kid?! Gross!! Al blames his non-stop sexual anecdotes on his Italian heritage.

What about the experiment?
There isn’t anything new, except that the opening pages of the issue explicitly state that Sam stepped in to the Accelerator prematurely to avoid losing government funding. Was that something from the comics? Also Project stalwarts Ziggy, Gushie and Verbina Beeks all get shout-outs, though none actually appear.

“Driven by an unknown force…” (God or Time or Something)
Al speculates that “God, or whoever’s taken over, has his reasons,” when Sam wonders why is not allowed to save Martin Luthor King Jr.’s life.

“Oh Boy”
The catchphrase is heard after the leap-in at the start, and after the second leap-in at the end, in both of the classic places that we expect to find it. It’s also heard in the middle (with an extra “h”, as in “Ohh, boy,”, after Randy angrily berates him for never being black.

Sam’s Complicated Love Life
There’s no indication of anything along these lines in this story.

The Many Loves of Al Calavicci
There is nothing specific mentioned except for Al’s love of miniskirts and the apparently “better gifts” he saved for his teachers. Again, gross.

Other Observations
• The issue starts with a “series overview” that is similar to, but not the same as, that heard in most episodes of the show: “Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top secret project known as Quantum Leap. Pressured to prove his theories, or lose government funding, Doctor Beckett prematurely stepped into the accelerator chamber…and vanished! He awake to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own. Fortunately, contact with his own time is maintained through brainwave transmissions with al, the Project observer, who appears in their of a holograph that only Doctor Beckett can see and hear. Trapped in the past, Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.”

• Is this really what teachers looked like in the 60s? As Karen, Sam wears a super-short sleeveless mini-dress and go-go boots! I think I would have found Karen Connors to be a pretty distracting teacher.

• A cast list for a play in the school hallway has some easter eggs baked into it. Amongst the actors listed are “Melvin Gibson” and “Scott Bakula” (!)

• I was a bit shocked when the comic included the “N” word. I think it wasn’t quite as off-limits back in the 90s as it is today. Appropriately, it comes out of Randy’s mouth, referring to how white people see him, and also appropriately, “Karen” tells him to not use the word again in her classroom.

• The sequence where Sam is attacked on the street is effectively dramatic.

It offers some action into what has otherwise been an issue with almost non-stop talking, and I think Al is well-characterised when he shuts to Sam that there’s a 78% chance of him being killed.

• There’s even a little bit of humour here when Al is shown fruitlessly fighting one of Sam’s attackers (basically punching him with immaterial fists) and saying, “Sam! I can’t hold him off much longer!”

• After Randy has rescued him from the fight, Sam talks to him about Randy’s anger, saying “You’re young and impatient–and sometimes that’s good. It promotes change. But sometimes begin impetuous causes you to make rash decisions–decisions you may regret later, ones you rarely get the chance to go back and correct.” This is very typical dialogue for the series–Sam almost always advocates for a “patiently hold out for the change” approach, rather than a “demand it now” one.

• At the end, Al holographically kicks the students as they leave the class, saying “G’wa, get outta here, ya juvenile delinquents! Go scrub some pots!” Presumably that’s all in jest.

• At what I assume is Karen Connors apartment, scene at the end of the issue, there are what appear to be two or three posters featuring The Avengers–the original British spy ones, John Steed and Emma Peel!

Sam Leaps To
…a death-row prisoner being strapped into an electric chair in Freedom of the Press, Issue #2 of Quantum Leap.

This is all almost a whole season before Sam found himself in a very similar situation on TV in the episode Last Dance Before an Execution.

Favorite Dialogue
My favorite line is one of Al’s, if you string it all together without Sam’s interruptions.

Ah, mini-skirts1 I love the 60s. And free love! The 60s were a great time–well, except for ‘Nam. And Kent State. And I was a P.O.W. by this time. Actually, the 60s really bite!

The Best Moment
My favorite is right at the end, as Sam sits next to the window on the day of Dr. King’s death, and then learns of the improved outlook that his students will have thanks to his actions. Al says, “You did it, Sam! You couldn’t save the man, but you preserved…,” And Sam finishes his thought with “…the dream.” It’s a lovely little scene.

Next Issue: Freedom of the Press (Quantum Leap #2)