This was a MARVEL UK House Ad from May 1976 plugging his first appearance in the pages of THE TITANS.
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
1976: GHOST RIDER TITANS HOUSE AD (Marvel UK)
Introducing... the Ghost Rider!
This was a MARVEL UK House Ad from May 1976 plugging his first appearance in the pages of THE TITANS.
This was a MARVEL UK House Ad from May 1976 plugging his first appearance in the pages of THE TITANS.
1987: EAGLE MARCH COVER GALLERY (Fleetway)
New month. New format.
Yup, March 1987 finally saw Fleetway, cut free of the sprawling mass of the IPC empire (including - significantly - antiquated print facilitates that needed to be kept busy), dispense with the traditional newsprint and upgrade their line.
The new look was something along the lines of the original EAGLE relaunch format: better print quality, including better colour work, on superior A4 pages. All for only 2p more.
Once again, thanks to g23 for the scans.
Yup, March 1987 finally saw Fleetway, cut free of the sprawling mass of the IPC empire (including - significantly - antiquated print facilitates that needed to be kept busy), dispense with the traditional newsprint and upgrade their line.
The new look was something along the lines of the original EAGLE relaunch format: better print quality, including better colour work, on superior A4 pages. All for only 2p more.
Once again, thanks to g23 for the scans.
- To Be Continued -
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
1986: DOCTOR WHO SPECIALS COVER GALLERY - PART ELEVEN (Marvel UK)
DOCTOR WHO's anniversary week continues.
The DOCTOR WHO SUMMER SPECIAL 1986 continued the retrospective flavour of previous editions (and once again jettisoned the expensive to produce comic strips) for a historical adventures theme.
The DOCTOR WHO SUMMER SPECIAL 1986 continued the retrospective flavour of previous editions (and once again jettisoned the expensive to produce comic strips) for a historical adventures theme.
- To Be Continued -
1993: BATTLETIDE HOUSE AD (Marvel UK)
This is a MARVEL UK House Ad, from the US format Genesis 92 line (published in comics cover-dated February 1993) plugging the first BATTLETIDE limited series.
Abnett and Lanning's four-parter borrowed from SECRET WARS (aliens kidnap assorted heroes and villains and pitch them into combat for their viewing pleasure) and mixed in some wrestling (the characters are paired-off into various tag teams) for an undemanding romp enlivened by Geoff Senior's art.
The whole thing was reprinted in the one-and-only spin-off from OVERKILL: the 1993 Easter Special. To date, it remains the only English language compilation of G92 era material.
Abnett and Lanning's four-parter borrowed from SECRET WARS (aliens kidnap assorted heroes and villains and pitch them into combat for their viewing pleasure) and mixed in some wrestling (the characters are paired-off into various tag teams) for an undemanding romp enlivened by Geoff Senior's art.
The whole thing was reprinted in the one-and-only spin-off from OVERKILL: the 1993 Easter Special. To date, it remains the only English language compilation of G92 era material.
1987: THUNDERCATS ISSUE 1 (Marvel UK)
THUNDERCATS... HO!
THUNDERCATS is a toys-to-comics/ animation format that probably requires little introduction. This is the first issue of MARVEL UK's long-running tie-in which ultimately spawned an impressive 129 issues through to 1991.
It followed the established Marvel UK formula of supplementing reprints from the US Marvel title (issued under the Star Comics imprint) with original strips from British creative teams. The US book clocked-up 24 issues, reprints of which were generally split across two issues of the British edition.
The first British sighting of the strips was in the first annual which reprinted Marvel's adaptation of the opening story of the TV series. Rather than rerun the same material again, the weekly opened with the three-page summary posted below.
If my memory is correct, that three pager was first distributed as a freebie flyer in British toyshops (the fourth page was - logically - a plug for the toys) with a credit to Marvel but no reference to the upcoming new launch.
With readers brought up-to-speed, the issue then dived into a reprint of (I think) the second issue of the US book.
The cover was by Lee Sullivan.
The tone of the strips, from both sides of the Atlantic, were generally pitched slightly younger than the equivalent strips in THE TRANSFORMERS and ACTION FORCE with little effort to create the sprawling epics which became a trademark of the former.
The back-up strip would have been familiar with long-time readers of RETURN OF THE JEDI: a reprise of the earliest adventures of POWER PACK. ROTJ had left the strip on a cliffhanger when it bowed out which was never resolved on this side of the Atlantic.
The first issue came with a free cover-mounted sticker (which has long since parted company from my copy). Issues two and three gave away Panini's tie-in sticker album and stickers which utilised images from the TV show.
The weekly spun-off a succession of Annuals and Specials. The latter followed the Collected Comics formula of recycling British strips for a second outing.
THUNDERCATS is a toys-to-comics/ animation format that probably requires little introduction. This is the first issue of MARVEL UK's long-running tie-in which ultimately spawned an impressive 129 issues through to 1991.
It followed the established Marvel UK formula of supplementing reprints from the US Marvel title (issued under the Star Comics imprint) with original strips from British creative teams. The US book clocked-up 24 issues, reprints of which were generally split across two issues of the British edition.
The first British sighting of the strips was in the first annual which reprinted Marvel's adaptation of the opening story of the TV series. Rather than rerun the same material again, the weekly opened with the three-page summary posted below.
If my memory is correct, that three pager was first distributed as a freebie flyer in British toyshops (the fourth page was - logically - a plug for the toys) with a credit to Marvel but no reference to the upcoming new launch.
With readers brought up-to-speed, the issue then dived into a reprint of (I think) the second issue of the US book.
The cover was by Lee Sullivan.
The tone of the strips, from both sides of the Atlantic, were generally pitched slightly younger than the equivalent strips in THE TRANSFORMERS and ACTION FORCE with little effort to create the sprawling epics which became a trademark of the former.
The back-up strip would have been familiar with long-time readers of RETURN OF THE JEDI: a reprise of the earliest adventures of POWER PACK. ROTJ had left the strip on a cliffhanger when it bowed out which was never resolved on this side of the Atlantic.
The first issue came with a free cover-mounted sticker (which has long since parted company from my copy). Issues two and three gave away Panini's tie-in sticker album and stickers which utilised images from the TV show.
The weekly spun-off a succession of Annuals and Specials. The latter followed the Collected Comics formula of recycling British strips for a second outing.
Monday, 18 November 2013
1985: DOCTOR WHO SPECIALS COVER GALLERY - PART TEN (Marvel UK)
Following the comic-fest of the summer, the 1985 DOCTOR WHO WINTER SPECIAL returned to the more familiar magazine format with an all text features overview of the Pertwee era.
- To Be Continued -
1989: RING RAIDERS ISSUE 1 (Fleetway)
RING RAIDERS was another late eighties (September 1989 to be precise) toy tie-in comic which never looked like it was going to - ahem - fly but top marks to the Fleetway creative teams for taking an exceptionally thin premise (the toys, as the name suggests, were tiny planes launched from a finger-mounted platform. Really) and expanding it into something resembling a fully-formed storyline.
Apparently there was also an animated series from the States although I have no recollection of it at all and I'm not sure it ever crossed the Atlantic. It only ran five episodes which sounds like it was a mini-series try-out which failed to muster the necessary enthusiasm amongst station managers to progress to a full series.
The comic (no US edition) ran for six fortnightly issues before being cancelled suddenly with all the story lines in mid-flow. A one-shot wrap-up, using the existing commissioned (and paid for!) inventory surfaced a few months later.
The cover below is by the ever-excellent Ian Kennedy.
Apparently there was also an animated series from the States although I have no recollection of it at all and I'm not sure it ever crossed the Atlantic. It only ran five episodes which sounds like it was a mini-series try-out which failed to muster the necessary enthusiasm amongst station managers to progress to a full series.
The comic (no US edition) ran for six fortnightly issues before being cancelled suddenly with all the story lines in mid-flow. A one-shot wrap-up, using the existing commissioned (and paid for!) inventory surfaced a few months later.
The cover below is by the ever-excellent Ian Kennedy.
1995: JUDGE DREDD MOVIE SOUNDTRACK AD
This is a half-page advert, from September 1995, hyping the JUDGE DREDD movie soundtrack which - presumably - faired about as well as the film.
1984: EAGLE COLLECTION: MANIX (IPC)
Here's the next in the occasional outings from the EAGLE COLLECTION: MANIX, the Eagle's (in-no-way-inspired-by-a-popular-TV-franchise) character that dated back to the photo-story era.
This full-page pin-up appeared in the issue cover-dated 17 March 1984.
This full-page pin-up appeared in the issue cover-dated 17 March 1984.
Friday, 15 November 2013
1994: THE UNPUBLISHED MARVEL UK: WILD ANGELS
THE GENESIS IMPLOSION
They WON'T be here from January. This is a MARVEL UK House Ad, published in the US books cover-dated February 1994, for another victim of the GENESIS IMPLOSION that was about to overtake the entire Genesis line.
The WILD ANGELS limited series was intended to combine DARK ANGEL (previously Hell's Angel, until the lawyers came calling) and WILD THING, two existing Marvel UK characters, in an extended team-up.
The English language editions were scrapped but Pino Rinaldi was a sufficient draw (ho-hum) in his native Italy for Panini to collect the four completed issues into a black & white one-shot, translated into Italian of course. The original books were planned to be in colour and its possible Panini opted for b&w because the colouring on all four books hadn't been completed when Marvel UK shuttered. And, of course, it's cheaper.
The advert is also another example of the bonkers advertising campaigns that M-UK used to try and revive their fortunes in those final months.
They WON'T be here from January. This is a MARVEL UK House Ad, published in the US books cover-dated February 1994, for another victim of the GENESIS IMPLOSION that was about to overtake the entire Genesis line.
The WILD ANGELS limited series was intended to combine DARK ANGEL (previously Hell's Angel, until the lawyers came calling) and WILD THING, two existing Marvel UK characters, in an extended team-up.
The English language editions were scrapped but Pino Rinaldi was a sufficient draw (ho-hum) in his native Italy for Panini to collect the four completed issues into a black & white one-shot, translated into Italian of course. The original books were planned to be in colour and its possible Panini opted for b&w because the colouring on all four books hadn't been completed when Marvel UK shuttered. And, of course, it's cheaper.
The advert is also another example of the bonkers advertising campaigns that M-UK used to try and revive their fortunes in those final months.
According to my calculations, this is my 1000th post since I started STARLOGGED (as Slow Robot) on 16 January 2012. A cause for a moment's celebration me thinks...
Hurrah.
I never expected I would reach so many posts so quickly and I reckon this has evolved into a fine repository for all things geeky and oft overlooked. I even broke one exclusive. I NEVER expected that to happen. It's also focused my mind and I've discovered lots of things I didn't previously know (or, had long since forgotten) in the course of compiling my posts and - I hope - some of that has been passed on. I've no intention of stopping any time soon. Thanks for passing by and - to those that post comments - it's much appreciated!
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