1981: WARREN PRESENTS: REX HAVOC: RAIDER OF THE FANTASTIC (NOT THE ARK. HONEST)

From November 1981: WARREN PRESENTS issue 14.

I bought this - for a quid - purely on the strength of the cover... an opportunist homage to iNDIANA JONES (and - let's be honest - there was no shortage of Indy homages in the eighties) and the legacy of pulp heroes in general (of whom Doctor Jones was himself a nod of the hat).

Ladies and gentlemen: Rex Havoc: Raider of the Fantastic!

1981: MARVEL UK'S STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY ISSUE 147

From July 1981: Luke Skywalker takes on an AT-ST 'Scout Walker' in a memorable issue of MARVEL UK's STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY.

The Scout Walker had been a blink-and-you-miss-it ILM bonus (no doubt one that Kenner and Lucasfilm appreciated as it allowed them to shift more toys) in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK so this reprint (although publication dates were so close this may have actually hit just ahead of the States) of US issue 51 is the first time we really see one in combat.

This issue also kicks off, under the new creative team of Walter Simonson (previously of Marvel's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) and David Michelinie, one of the most memorable story acs of the era.  Pre-empting ROTJ, the comic book Empire decide that the Death Star, despite a little design flaw, was actually a jolly good idea and construct a stripped-down replacement.  A mobile super weapon called the 'Tarkin'.  I still think the producers of THE FORCE AWAKENS missed a trick by not borrowing that name for their own Death-Star-in-all-but-name super weapon.  Which would have also looped nicely back into ROGUE ONE a year later.

It seems like Marvel originally pitched the construction of a second Death Star, a storyline they assumed the film series would not revisit.  When they got notes asking for changes, they began to piece together the still-top-secret plot for the 1983 sequel.

This issue also featured Gundarks, another nice nod to the movie series itself.

1981: MARVEL UK'S STAR WARS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ISSUE 146

From June 1981: STAR WARS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY issue 146 wraps up 'The last Jedi' (from US 49) with what i assume is a brand new, exclusive to the UK cover.  It's almost neon...

The story may have been split over two issues as a buffer because the the British Bullpen were diverting the extended length 'The Crimson Forever' into the second ESB annual, leaving them short of material for the monthly.  They didn't get around to running that strip, from US issue 50, in a regular comic until the ROTJ era.  

1981: FORBIDDEN PLANET OPENS IN NEW YORK

From September 1981: STARLOG MAGAZINE reports on the opening of New York's FORBIDDEN PLANET store, imported from jolly ol' England.

1981: MARVEL UK PUBLISHES 'STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI'

From 1981:  STAR WARS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY, from MARVEL UK, issue 145.

I'm sure I wasn't the only old-skool STARLOGGER to experience a tinge of recognition as soon as the title of the next instalment of the STAR WARS screen saga was announced.  We've been there before.  Around this time back in 1981 to be more accurate.  If you lived on both sides of the Atlantic.

Marvel's seat-of-the-pants transatlantic publishing schedule meant US issue 49 (cover-dated July 1981 but on-sale in late April) and UK issue 145 (cover-dated May but on sale sometime in the previous month) both hit at about the same time.  Long gone was the luxury of having months as a buffer between the two editions.

The UK edition wisely dispenses with the pink colour scheme of the original cover for a can't-go-wrong green design.  The interiors were - of course - all in black & white.

I think we can be pretty confident that the new movie will be similar in-name-alone to this issue.  But it is still a good bit of fun to know that Marvel got there first.

1981: WILFRID HYDE-WHITE DISCUSSES BUCK ROGERS IN STARLOG MAGAZINE

From 1981: New boy Wilfrid Hyde-White discusses life aboard the Searcher, during season two of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY, with STARLOG MAGAZINE.

1981: MARVEL UK'S STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY ISSUE 144

From 1981: STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY issue 144, reprinting Starfire Rising from issue 54 of the US run.

This issue boasts another unique-to-the-UK cover.  Curiously it also omits the issue number and hedges its bets over the month of publication, suggesting that the British Bullpen were having some production and scheduling issues around this time.

The main story is, as with the last issue, an old John Carter inventory story left on the shelf when Marvel lost the license and closed the title.  Marvel tried to stockpile stand-by strips that could be slotted in at any time if a title looked like it would drop behind schedule... but these were often left unpublished when a title closed.  This wasn't a problem when Marvel owned the character as the one-shot story would eventually see print in one of the 'spotlight' anthologies or - in the 1980s - in the pages of MARVEL FANFARE.  But licensed books were more of a challenge.  And Marvel's accountants demanded that everything paid for had to appear somewhere.

So the unpublished strip was rather crudely reworked into a STAR WARS two-parter.  And it stood out a mile.  I suspect sales, on both sides of the Atlantic, took a hit when casual browsers spotted that the main strip barely looked like a dispatch from the galaxy far, far away.

Marvel, of course, had previous form in this area: famously, an issue of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA run reworked an unpublished TARZAN story... recasting Apollo in the role of the Lord of the Apes.  And then there was Apeslayer....

1981: GERRY ANDERSON'S SUPERMARIONATION IS GO! ISSUE 2

From the summer of 1981: the second edition of GERRY ANDERSON fan magazine SUPERMARIONATION IS GO!

This issue includes the announcement of the formation of Fanderson, an amalgermation of Anderson fan efforts (including the magazine itself) into one organisation recognised by both the man himself and copyright holders ITC.

1981: MARVEL UK'S STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY ISSUE 143

From February 1981: another excellent cover from the British STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MONTHLY, published by Marvel UK.

This issue reprints Number 53 in the US run, with a new cover which isn't a million miles from the US design but manages to be more dramatic and makes Leia less of the passive victim.

The appearance of the double-bodied T.I.E Bomber created something of a playground thrill back in the day.

1981: STARLOG MAGAZINE REPORTS ON BUCK ROGERS IN US SYNDICATION

From May 1982: STARLOG MAGAZINE announces plans for BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY to, after the end of its network run, enter syndicated reruns.

Interrestingly, BBC TWO adopted exactly the same early evening scheduling policy when they snapped up reruns of this, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, THE INVISIBLE MAN and other cult shows to run against the SIX O'CLOCK NEWS later in the decade.

1981: THE STARLOG CAP

From 1981: the official STARLOG baseball cap.  What more could any self respecting fan need to show their loyalty to all things geeky?

1981: VIDEO ADVENTURES IN THE 60s FANZINE ISSUE 2

From 1981: the second issue of the A5 British telly fanzine VIDEO ADVENTURE IN THE 60's.

It's weird to think that an equivalent fanzine todsy would probably be looking back at the 1990s... which still seems like yesterday to me.

1981: LEW STRINGER'S METAMORPH ISSUE 2

From Summer/ Autumn 1981... the second issue of Lew (MARVEL UK and a lot else besides) Stringer's fanzine METAMORPH (not to be confused with the later DOCTOR WHO fanzine the same - or similar - name).

This was an early appearance of 'Brick Person', Lew's caped crusader who swiftly became known as BRICKMAN. And eventually graduated to his own Harrier Comics one-stop and - more recently - a really nice digest collection.

The mag itself is a really nice mix of material... the sort of thing that would tickle a Star Age geek's fancy if they found it poking through their letterbox.

1981: JAMES BOND 007 FOR YOUR EYES ONLY ADAPTATION (MARVEL COMICS)

From October & November 1981: A spot of Marvel BONDage... the Bullpen's two-issue adaptation of the Roger Moore (did he really have art approval on that first cover?) outing FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

This limited run repurposed the material that also appeared in the MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL magazine issue 19 (which also used that Howard Chaykin cover) and marked the first time that Marvel had chronicled a 007 adventure (they followed up with OCTOPUSSY, from the Marvel UK team). Marvel had apparently been minded to use this as a launching point for an ongoing James Bond series but a deal couldn't be struck with Eon and the proposal faltered.

UK readers belatedly saw this as one of the movie back-up strips during the first year of RETURN OF THE JEDI weekly.

1981: DC COMICS IN THE SUPER HEROES MONTHLY VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 (LONDON EDITIONS)

From 1981: the gang's all here in this fantastic wraparound cover, by Alan Craddock, to launch Volume 2 (aka issue 13) of THE SUPER HEROES MONTHLY.

There really isn't much difference between the two volumes (still black & white interiors. Still a smorgasbord of DC reprints from across the decades) so the reboot seems to have just been publishing tradition rather than a Panini-style jumping on point dictated by storylines and reboots.

The second volume ran for a mere seven issues although the masthead continued for a few more years as a run of annuals.

1981: STARBURST POSTER MAGAZINE ISSUE 2: ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (MARVEL UK)

From 1981: the second STARBURST POSTER MAGAZINE, published by Marvel UK and this time an officially licensed tie-in with the John Carpenter classic ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.

These STARBURST spin-offs are a lot harder to track down then issues of the regular magazine but, from separate sources, I've recently been able to get hold of copies of each of them.

1981: STARBURST POSTER MAGAZINE ISSUE 1: EXCALIBUR (MARVEL UK)

From 1981: another, along with the annuals and the short-lived CINEMA MAGAZINE, of MARVEL UK's abortive attempts to grow the STARBURST brand beyond the core magazine. Visual Imagination managed, once it dropped into their hands, to use it as the basis for a whole publishing empire. Albeit one where quantity often seemed to trump quality.

STARBURST POSTER MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 was devoted to the movie EXCALIBUR. Marvel obviously had a lot of faith that this one was going to have a bit of mainstream success as they also packaged up some US reprints as, rather cheekily, the MERLIN AND EXCALIBUR SPECIAL. I don't remember knowing anyone who went to see this at the cinema (or expressed any desire to do so) so I think Marvel's confidence was misplaced.

The Starburst Poster Magazine did, however, continue. And we'll get to that.

1981: 2000AD CELERATES 200 ISSUES... AND STARLOGGED MARKS 2000 POSTS

From February 1981 (again): 2000AD celebrates reaching its 200th issue - ahem - prog.

The official organ of the Mighty One is about to celebrate its 2000th issue (who would have imagined?) but I've posted this today to mark STARLOGGED's 2000th post. Yes. Really.

I noticed a couple of months ago that I was approaching the unexpected landmark and I thought this was as good a cover as any to hold back for the big one.

I never thought STARLOGGED would chug on past the first dozen or so posts so this whopping figure is a revelation to me as well. It also means that I have posted well over 2000 different items on here, which is a sobering thought as 95% of things come from my own collection. No wonder I have no space, no money and a frustrated flatmate.

Last week I took one of Starlogged's periodic rest weeks but I used the time constructively (so say I) to dive deep into some previously uncharted boxes to scan some more goodies. I also travelled a little further than usual (not far) and used the opportunity to tawl some outlets I don't usually get a chance to visit and picked up a few bargains (RED DRAWF smegazines for 25p each for example) that will also pop up here in the months ahead.

Thanks to everyone who stops by regularly (go spread the word) and especially thanks to everyone who comments occasionally or regularly.

If you are a relative newcomer, don't be afraid to dive into the Starlogged back catalogue that dates back to 2012 (those early posts were written at Cafe Nero, a relative stone's throw from the banks of the Thames and the one-time HQ of MARVEL UK) and see what you discover.

1981: CAPTAIN AMERICA ISSUE 1 (MARVEL UK)

From February 1981: The first issue, and loosely inserted (all but guaranteed to fall out in the newsagents long before anyone had the chance to buy a copy) free sticker, of MARVEL UK's CAPTAIN AMERICA weekly.

I've cover the bulk of this run in posts long past but I had a few gaps in my collection, including this launch issue. I'd actually forgotten that I'd subsequently acquired a copy and was quite pleased to discover it whilst rummaging.

I planned to post this yesterday for the 4th of July holidays but - typically - the Wi-Fi stopped working so the plan was delayed by 24-hours. Better late than never.

CA wasn't an obvious choice for a British weekly back in 1981 (it would be a no-brainer today) but Marvel did their best to make it a success by abandoning their normal policy of running dusty reprints (or reprints or reprints by this point) in favour of a more contemporary line-up. Including the UK debut of the DAZZLER strip.

The other two strips were Iron Man and - ported across from the RAMPAGE - the Defenders.

SUPERMARIONATION IS GO! (SIG) ISSUE 1 (FANDERSON)

From 1981: the first issue of British Gerry Anderson fan magazine SUPERMARIONATION IS GO!

I think I have posted this launch issue before but I recently acquired another copy (duplicates are an occupational hazard) and was pleased to see that this copy still included the original welcome letter from Gerry himself tucked inside. So well worth a repost. 

I don't think this was originally conceived as Fanderson's main publication but it was soon adopted as such when the various branches of Andrson fandom were encouraged to cooperate more closely by Gerry himself and copyright holders ITC. 

In a move that was probably beneficial to the magazine but counter-productive to the club, copies were also carried in specialist stores courtesy of Titan Distributors. Thereby eliminating any particular need for casual readers to enroll. The modern version of Fanderson doesn't repeat that mistake, restricting both the newsletter and merchandise to members only. 

The title switched to the less unwieldy S.I.G IS GO! from the fourth issue (Spring 1982). Colour covers were introduced a year later (Spring '83) and the increasingly professional publication eventually ran to twenty issues (Autumn 1988). 

It was published alongside the equally excellent TIMESCREEN which was dedicated to a wider range of  British Telefantasy shows.