1975: PLANET OF THE APES BEHIND-THE-SCENES ARTICLE (Marvel UK)

From 1975: A text-heavy behind-the-scenes article from MARVEL UK's PLANET OF THE APES weekly issue 43 (cover-dated 16 August 1975).  

I'd guess this was ported across from one of the issues of the US black & white POTA magazine, which was pitched at a slightly older audience than the UK weekly (although the contents were fairly identical).

It's hard to imagine that any British publication aimed at younger readers would ever contemplate running something like this today... it would be much shorter and much more superficial. 

1975: PLANET OF THE APES and STAR TREK ACTION FIGURES ADVERT

From 1975: More Palitoy goodness... PLANET OF THE APES and STAR TREK action figures.

This striking ad appeared in THE AVENGERS AND THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN (phew!) issue 95, 12 July 1975.  

This was the first combined issue, Savage Sword having floundered after only eighteen issues. 

The two franchises are currently crossing over again, courtesy of a new limited series from IDW and Boom. 

1994: SPIDER-MAN TV VHS COMPETITION (Marvel UK)

From 1994: a blast back, courtesy of MARVEL UK's THE EXPLOITS OF SPIDER-MAN, to the Seventies... and a chance to win a VHS re-release of the SPIDER-MAN movie (AKA the TV pilot). 

Even before the Sony movie series, these TV outings looked a little - ahem - under-resourced so I doubt many fans in 1994 were swept away by the show's sophistication.

These were a mainstay of the VHS era with several re-releases for all three films before the format died.  They would be relied upon to surface in most Woolworth's Home Entertainment departments.  With no DVD release, charity shops are now your best bet...

This appeared in issue 26, 21 September 1994. 

1991: EPI-LOG MAGAZINE Issue 5

From 1991: Spies and secret agents come under the spotlight in the fifth issue of EPI-LOG MAGAZINE.

1977: CAPTAIN BRITAIN ANNUAL (Marvel UK)

From 1977: the one-and-only (to date) CAPTAIN BRITAIN ANNUAL.  

This UK hardback reprinted the strips from the first few issues of the 1976-77 weekly and would have gone on sale a couple of months after the comic itself had shuttered, in the summer of '77, after only thirty-nine issues.  As is normal practice for British annuals, the cover date (if included at all) references to the year ahead rather than the year of publication.  

Not all of the weekly's interior pages were colour (the centre-section, occupied by the Fantastic Four, were black & white) which, occasionally, meant that one page of CB's strip (if the strip ran long that week) would be published in black & white.  These were designated 'colour-it-yourself' pages by the ever hypefull Bullpen.  The previously mono pages were coloured... incredibly crudely... for their repeat outing here. 

1988: ALF VHS ADVERT (Marvel UK)

From 1988: this full-page advert for ALF VHS tapes appeared in the first issue of MARVEL UK's new ALF comic.

A "fantastic deal" indeed... with only two episodes of the thirty-minute (minus five or more for commercials) show on each eight-quid tape.  Bargain. 

1983: CHEWBACCA'S BANDOLIER PALITOY OFFER

From 1983: Another STAR WARS mail-away promotion from those Palitoy folk: CHEWBACCA'S BANDOLIER ACTION FIGURE HOLDER.  

In retrospect, I don't remember anyone I knew ever having one of these... suggesting that the take-up probably wasn't great.

1983: ON SALE THIS MONTH: EAGLE Issue 46 (IPC)

On sale this week in 1983: EAGLE issue 46 (although the issue itself is annoyingly unnumbered) with an eye-catching cover that somewhat blows the tease by revealing the mystery up front, eliminating the need to actually read the strip.

Other goodies inside included Dan Dare, Manix and Jake's Platoon. 

1991: SPIDER-MAN POSTER COLLECTION WINTER SPECIAL (Marvel UK)

From 1991: MARVEL UK tried something a little different for their SPIDER-MAN WINTER SPECIAL that year.  Instead of the usual offering of self-contained comic strip action, they dispensed with the comics altogether and simply packaged-up a bunch of artwork and pumped it out as a POSTER COLLECTION.

There's undeniably some great images here but its also the perfect microcosm of Nineties comics: nice art, never mind the story. 

1985: CBS SATURDAY MORNINGS AD includung THE YOUNG ASTRONAUTS

From 1985: CBS plugs its 1985-86 Saturday Morning fare... including (see previous post) the never-aired THE YOUNG ASTRONAUTS from Marvel Productions.  

The animated series became mired in creative discontent about the direction and tone of the show.  CBS pushed the proposed broadcast dates into the following year... and then scrapped the show outright after the Challenger Disaster made space look a lot less fun.