Friday 6 February 2015

1986: QUESTPROBE MARVEL COMICS VIDEO GAMES ADVERT


From 1986: A text-tastic US ad for the QUESTPROBE Marvel video games.

Marvel had big plans to support this series with regular new comics pegged to the latest in the ongoing games releases (the first was also released as a MARVEL UK one-shot) but, unfortunately, the games company went bust and the deal disintegrated. 

7 comments:

  1. *** BREAKING NEWS ***

    TITAN UK TO PUBLISH NEW DOCTOR WHO COMIC

    as announced here:

    http://titanmagazines.com/news/announcements/bbc-doctor-who-comic-coming-uk/

    Slow, you predicted this would happen in your previous post here:

    http://starlogged.blogspot.ie/2013/07/news-idw-lose-doctor-who-comics-license.html


    This means there will now be THREE ongoing dr who uk titles published. Although dr who mag and dr who adventures have comic stories within their pages, this new title will be dedicated to comics alone, reprinting stories from the current usa line of comics. A most welcome addition.

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    Replies
    1. I read this as well. I've not been buying the US editions but this sounds a sensible way of getting them all in one hit.

      During the IDW WHO era I oft pondered why Panini didn't license the new US strips, mix in some of their own inventory, and put out a COLLECTORS' EDITION four-weekly alongside their Marvel range. This sounds like it might be the Titan equivalent.

      It does sound like an awful lot of WHO on the UK shelves. I hope overkill doesn't create a retailer backlash that damages DWM and the spin-off magazines.

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  2. I forgot..to that list you can add the ongoing dr who figurine collection PLUS spinoffs from dr who mag such as the special editions and the essential dr who. Phew, that's a lot of who even for a dedicated fan !

    On a non-who but still intresting note, I've been reliably informed by the editor of SFX that their line of spin-off magazines has quietly shuttered. This would have included the special editions , bookazines and comic heroes. I had already guessed this and the writing had been on the wall for some time now. The change in format ( always a sign of desperation and falling sales ) proved fatal...removing the outer ' wallet ' packaging and freebies plus a price increase meant less incentive to buy. Some bright spark in future publishing must have noticed the falling sales, done the math and decided to cut their losses. Comic heroes was the first casualty and now the other specials have joined it on that great ex-magazine shelf in the sky.

    I seem to remember HOTDOG magazine also making a similar change in format and sure enough, it was kaput a few issues later. Even the mighty STARLOG changed their famous logo and then expired in ignominious fashion.

    so the lesson here is:

    change of format = the death knell

    SFX and TOTAL FILM have since produced a sci-fi special between them...more speciasl are planned....who knows, maybe the two titles will even merge into one magazine much like the old marvel uk comics.

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    1. Hi Ed

      That's sad news indeed if the SFX spin-offs have folded. Not all of them were to my fancy but, for the most part, they were very good and more entertaining than the regular magazine. I also rather liked COMIC HEROES and I've missed it since in bowed out. Future have been trying to stem losses for year so it doesn't come as a complete surprise that they are retrenching further.

      WHS have been cutting the amount of shelf space dedicated to magazines which, presumably, makes them less likely to want to carry lots of untested one-shot titles. So, maybe, it's a combination of falling sales and declining retailer interest. Panini are certainly managing to stuff the shelves with multiple one-shot DOCTOR WHO magazines. I assume they are on firm-sale so WHS can't send them back!

      I also noted that SFX's dedicated website (which I don't think I've actually ever looked at) has been subsumed into another part of their online empire. That didn't exactly inspire confidence that SFX had a rock-solid future in print.

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    2. yes indeed, in another cost cutting exercise, both SFX and TOTAL FILM's websites are now hosted on gamesradar.com . Two sites for the price of one.

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  3. Hi there,

    not related to Dr Who but didn't know how to contact Slow Robot. I've been looking for a one page poster that was inside Marvel UK's ROTJ comic. It's of Ewoks playing stormtrooper helmets. Not sure if it was exclusive or from the US version. Was near the end of the run (after 100), though not 100%.

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    1. Hi Michael

      That poster does ring a vague bell... although I don't have a copy or an issue number to hand. I might be able to find a copy if anyone knows the exact issue.

      Some of the ROTJ-era poster art came from copies of the US RETURN OF THE JEDI limited series which used the full-page pieces to pad out the strips (recycled from the Super Special) to the desired duration. It may have come from one of those issues.

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