1972-2012: THE HISTORY OF THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (Marvel UK)

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the on-sale date of the first issue of the UK weekly THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL and the birth of Marvel UK.

I've posted tons of times about Marvel UK in the past (and will continue to do so) but I wanted to do something to mark this important (to me anyway) date.  I've looked back at the early issues of MWOM before so - this time - I decided to look back at the key dates in the title's history.

The first volume enjoyed continuous publication, albeit under three titles, between 1972 and 1983 (and onto 1984 if you count Volume 2).  Panini (who now publish Marvel comics, under license, in the UK) revived it in 2003 and - if you pop down to WH Smith in your lunch hour today - you'll be able to find the latest issue.

I've tried to mark all the key issues including the various launches, relaunches and mergers.  It's a veritable romp through 40 years of Mighty Marvel history from the Annex of Ideas.

Happy Birthday Marvel UK!

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 1

7 October 1972

- First Marvel UK comic.

- Reprints of the FANTASTIC FOUR, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK all begin.

- Free INCREDIBLE HULK iron-on transfer for t-shirts. 

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 199

21 July 1976

- THE AVENGERS merge, adding the title strip and CONAN THE BARBARIAN.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 231

2 March 1977

- First PLANET OF THE APES merge issue.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 247

22 June 1977

- First DRACULA LIVES! (on hiatus since the closure of PLANET OF THE APES AND DRACULA LIVES!)

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 258

1 September 1977

- First FURY merge issue, adding SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 298

14 June 1978

- First THE COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR merge issue.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 329

17 January 1979

- Final MWOM.

- Final glossy cover.

MARVEL COMIC

Volume 1

Issue 330

24 January 1979

- First MARVEL COMIC issue.

- The "TV sensation" cover-splash refers to Universal's live-action THE INCREDIBLE HULK series. 

- The format switches to the Skinn-One format: newsprint covers and interiors, new page layouts (cramming more panels-per-page) and more strips-per-issue (six compared with - typically - three before the relaunch). 

MARVEL COMIC

Volume 1

Issue 332

7 March 1979

- Last INCREDIBLE HULK strip (the character continues, initially in British created strips, in HULK COMIC).  The Green Goliath had appeared continuously since issue 1.

MARVEL COMIC

Volume 1

Issue 352

25 July 1979

- Final issue of the Marvel Comic. Merges with THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and - simultaneously - continues as MARVEL SUPERHEROES.

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN WEEKLY 

Volume 1

Issue 334

1 August 1979

- First MARVEL COMIC merge issue. 

- Although MARVEL COMIC officially merges, it also continues as MARVEL SUPERHEROES. 

MARVEL SUPERHEROES

Volume 1

Issue 353

September 1979

- First MARVEL SUPERHEROES (A Marvel Monthly) issue.

- Billed as "1st Giant Issue" on the cover but numbered as Issue 353 inside.

MARVEL SUPERHEROES

Volume 1

Issue 377

September 1981

- 1st appearance: modern CAPTAIN BRITAIN (originated British strip)

MARVEL SUPERHEROES

Volume 1

Issue 362

February 1982

- First SAVAGE ACTION merge issue. 

MARVEL SUPERHEROES

Volume 1

Issue 393

January 1983

- First RAMPAGE merge issue. 

MARVEL SUPERHEROES

Volume 1

Issue 397

May 1983

- Final Issue. Volume 1 ends after a continuous run from 1972.

- There's no merger with another title. 

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL SUMMER SPECIAL

1983

- First (and only) MWOM special.

- First MWOM edition since January 1979. 

- Black & white THE MIGHTY THOR and THE INCREDIBLE HULK reprints.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 2 

Issue 1

July 1983

- First monthly issue.

- First regular MWOM since January 1979.

- Early issues suffered from poor printing and colour reproduction.

- THE UNCANNY X-MEN and VISION AND SCARLET WITCH (Limited series) reprints.

- Free loosely-inserted sticker. 

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 2

Issue 7

December 1983

- First THE DAREDEVILS (adding Captain Britain, Night Raven text stories, Showcase and features) merge issue.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 2

Issue 17

October 1984

- Last issue.

- Diminished page count and colour pages.

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN THE BARBARIAN

Volume 2

Issue 85

November 1985

- First MWOM merge issue, adding Magik, Showcase and Night Raven.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 3

Issue 1

February 2003

- Part of the Panini Comics Collectors' Edition range.

- First MWOM since October 1984

- Incorrectly identified as Volume 2 in copyright information.  It was fixed for subsequent issues. 

- The line-up of DAREDEVIL and THE INCREDIBLE HULK, both enjoying a bolstered profile thanks to Hollywood feature films, was reminiscent of the original line-up after DD replaced SPIDER-MAN following his departure to his own weekly. 

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 4

Issue 1

28 October 2009

- Numbering restarted to coincide with the beginning of WORLD WAR HULK saga.

- Continuous publication from Volume 3. 

1972-73: THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Here's another cover gallery from the very early days of Marvel UK and their first weekly: THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL.

The first seven issues can be found here.

ISSUE 8

25 November 1972

ISSUE 9

2 December 1972

ISSUE 10

9 December 1972

ISSUE 11

16 December 1972

ISSUE 12

23 December 1972

ISSUE 14

6 January 1973

ISSUE 16

20 January 1973

ISSUE 17

27 January 1973

ISSUE 18

3 February 1973

1972: DAVY JONES IN THE NEW SCOOBY DOO MOVIES

Monkee Davy Jones joined the big Headquarters in the sky today.  By way of a Slow Robot tribute, here's his track, I Can Make You Happy, from The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall, an episode of THE NEW SCOOBY DOO MOVIES, first aired 2 December 1972.

As you'll see above, Davy's name was spelt incorrectly on the title card for the episode.

Below is Davy's animation model sheet.

The track is available on the CD SCOOBY DOO'S SNACK TRACKS.

1972: THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL: THE BIRTH OF MARVEL UK.

This is it true believers!  The Mighty Marvel UK age starts here!  After a decade of allowing others (Alan Class, Oldham's Alf and Bart and IPC ) to publish their strips in the UK, Marvel open their own UK operation to repackage their American strips!

The format was 40 newsprint-type pages, with 8 in colour.  Others were printed with one other colour, usually green to the benefit of the Hulk strip (and detriment of the others).  Glossy covers (and entirely black and white interiors) were added after a year.

Despite having a UK office in London's Newgate Street, the majority of the packaging and production was handled by the New York office, leaving London to handle editorial, administration, advertising and distribution.  Marvel UK remained a firmly US affair until Dez Skinn took the helm in 1978.

Their first launch was THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (MWOM), a weekly anthology of SPIDER-MAN, THE HULK and THE FANTASTIC FOUR, all beginning with their respective US first issues.  The line-up didn't last long, Spidey spun-off into his own weekly from February 1973 leaving a gap for DAREDEVIL.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK remained a constant throughout MWOM's life, supported by an ever-changing line-up.  Expansions and (more often) contractions in the Marvel UK line added, at various times, THE AVENGERS (and CONAN THE BARBARIAN), DRACULA LIVES!, PLANET OF THE APES and FURY.

An increasingly lacklustre MWOM limped on to January 1979, bolstered by the UK premiere of the INCREDIBLE HULK TV show, before being rebooted by Skinn in January 1979 as MARVEL COMIC from issue 333.  The reworked anthology wasn't a success and ended after issue 352 (cover dated 25 July 1979), merging with SPIDER-MAN COMIC while simultaneously reemerging as MARVEL SUPERHEROES: A MARVEL MONTHLY.

The MWOM brand was revived in June 1983 for Marvel UK's new monthly, briefly home to Captain Britain (after it absorbed THE DAREDEVILS), before ending after 17 issues (merging with THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN).  Marvel licensee Panini revived the name again for one of its COLLECTORS' EDITION anthologies in February 2003.  But we'll get to those.

THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL

Volume 1

Issue 1

17 October 1972

FREE GIFT: Hulk iron-on t-shirt transfer.

40 pages.

MWOM Issue 1

Salutations from Stan Lee.

Whatever could it be??*

Black & white + 1

The Incredible Hulk from issue 1

ISSUE 2

14 October 1972

FREE GIFT: Spider-man iron-on t-shirt transfer.

ISSUE 3

21 October 1972

Free Gift: Stickers

ISSUE 5

4 November 1972

ISSUE 5

The first Marvel UK letters page.

First letter published: Christopher Thompson, Wembley Park, Middlesex.

ISSUE 6

11 November 1972

ISSUE 7

18 November 1972

*It's a mail-away premium poster!