On sale this month in 1979: The first issue of the post-Marvel Revolution THE NEW SPIDER-MAN COMIC (aka Spider-man issue 311).
This was the most radical overhaul of the British Spider-man comic since its launch in 1973. The Titans-format era might have messed with the layout... but at least it kept the US pages intact (albeit pretty darn small).
Dez Skinn was convinced that the British Marvel comics would be more successful if they looked more like every other British comic. So he dumped the glossy covers (which also, not coincidentally, saved a few bob as Dez didn't drop the price to compensate) and crammed as many strips as possible into each issue.
He managed that by taking the scalpel and cow gum to the US art and relaying the pages to cram many more panels onto each page. Which allowed him to squeeze more, shorter, strips into every issue. In the new post-revolution world, most of the strips ran no more than three pages (and sometimes, thanks to half-page house ads, less) per week.
It's a pity he didn't devote the same level of effort to making the eye-straining Pocket Books (launched the following year) more readable by relaying the pages so that they had LESS panels-per-page.
Aaarrgghh !!! Take it away ! Take it away !!! My beloved Super Spider-Man was transformed into this monstrosity - and Mighty World Of Marvel was ruined too. And these new look weeklies were so successful that the ghastly 'Marvel Comic' had disappeared within six months after MWOM had lasted for over 6 years. Thank god the imported U.S. Marvel comics were becoming more and more available by the late '70s.
ReplyDeleteToo right Colin. A ghastly trip to the newsagents. I held both comics in disbelief.
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