Tuesday, 13 June 2017

1996: MARVEL PRESENTS PARAMOUNT COMICS - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ISSUE 1

From 1996: another of the I-can't-believe-it's-not-STAR-TREK one-shots that snuck out of Marvel's tie-up with Paramount Pictures... MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.

This one officially launched the line and was timed to coincide with the release of the first of the ongoing movie series and is - therefore - set in the continuity of the film rather than any of the previous TV versions.

It seems that there are two variations of this comic (I've not checked mine but considering I paid 50p for it I'm guessing it is not the valuable one) because of a last-minute request from Tom Cruise to make his character more butch (which is a tadge overkill as Marvel didn't have likeness rights to the actor anyway... as the Liefield cover demonstrates) which required a few changes to the interior art.  But not - it seems - before the presses had started to roll.  The run was pulped... but a few 'first editions' snuck out the door and into (oddly) the UK distribution system.  I don't remember any hoopla around this at the time (maybe WIZARD were asleep at the PC that month) so maybe no-one noticed.  Or cared.  

Despite the film being a hit (many more followed), the sales obviously weren't enough to tempt Marvel to do a follow-up.  By the time the movie sequel rolled around in 2000, the Marvel/ Paramount joint-venture was defunct.


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