The storyline was originally conceived as a framework for stories in the "Deep World" revolving around the character Commander Grek. An episode (in which Commander Grek turns into a fish man) was written in 1976 by Vince Wernham and drawn by Don Lawrence, but it was not picked up by Dutch publisher Oberon. The story was later reworked by Philip "Saul" Dunn, now with the astronaut Storm as the main character. This version did get published by Oberon, serialized in the comics magazine "Eppo" in 1977. (In 1984, with the "Storm" series established as a success, the previously unreleased Commander Grek album was published as "Episode 0" of the series. The album includes background information regarding the inception of Commander Grek and Storm.)