And a lesson to all print designers. Green text on white paper does not reproduce well.
Monday, 31 July 2017
1996: THE TREKKER ISSUE 57
From May 1996: THE TREKKER issue 57.
And a lesson to all print designers. Green text on white paper does not reproduce well.
And a lesson to all print designers. Green text on white paper does not reproduce well.
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE (1992 REVIVAL) VHS COVER
From the VHS era: The home video version of the 1992 revival of THE TOMORROW PEOPLE.
I've just started to rewatch this five-parter on DVD so it seemed like a good time to post the sleave for the VHS release from way-back-when. The video cut condenses the five part broadcast version into one TV movie. It is a long time since I have seen this edit but the hefty amount of cutting required to hit the correct duration means a lot must be missing. There is a fair amount of padding in the broadcast version so hopefully the editor was smart enough to strip away the right bits.
The production itself is pretty good, albeit a little daft in places. It's a reworking rather than a continuation of the earlier series and - for the most part - it works. The premise is updated and none of the original cast return (neither does the original theme or title sequence), replaced by a new generation with a more international feel (to help sales, of course). There's a little too much kid-pleasing silliness but I guess the producers were pitching to a broad audience. The plot is flabby in places (lots of sub-GRANGE HILL hijinks witht he local bullies... who aren't really bullies anyway) which - I assume - this cut sorts out. There's also some daft attempts at passing off London as the States, a requirement dictated by US investment which clearly didn't go as far as actually bankrolling US filming. The writing doesn't service the cast terribly well but they all do a good job with the material.
This did well enough on both sides of the Atlantic to survive the end of the Thames ITV franchise and contine for four more stories (each spanning five episodes) across two seasons.
I was surprised to spot Canadian Christian Tessier (Megabyte) many years later in the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA revival.
The real shame is that neither the BBC nor ITV would pump this much time, resource and effort into a Childrrens drama today. It really does feel like a lost genre.
I've just started to rewatch this five-parter on DVD so it seemed like a good time to post the sleave for the VHS release from way-back-when. The video cut condenses the five part broadcast version into one TV movie. It is a long time since I have seen this edit but the hefty amount of cutting required to hit the correct duration means a lot must be missing. There is a fair amount of padding in the broadcast version so hopefully the editor was smart enough to strip away the right bits.
The production itself is pretty good, albeit a little daft in places. It's a reworking rather than a continuation of the earlier series and - for the most part - it works. The premise is updated and none of the original cast return (neither does the original theme or title sequence), replaced by a new generation with a more international feel (to help sales, of course). There's a little too much kid-pleasing silliness but I guess the producers were pitching to a broad audience. The plot is flabby in places (lots of sub-GRANGE HILL hijinks witht he local bullies... who aren't really bullies anyway) which - I assume - this cut sorts out. There's also some daft attempts at passing off London as the States, a requirement dictated by US investment which clearly didn't go as far as actually bankrolling US filming. The writing doesn't service the cast terribly well but they all do a good job with the material.
This did well enough on both sides of the Atlantic to survive the end of the Thames ITV franchise and contine for four more stories (each spanning five episodes) across two seasons.
I was surprised to spot Canadian Christian Tessier (Megabyte) many years later in the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA revival.
The real shame is that neither the BBC nor ITV would pump this much time, resource and effort into a Childrrens drama today. It really does feel like a lost genre.
1990: PRIMETIME MAGAZINE ISSUE 16 AND THE UNPUBLISHED THE BOX
From 1990: the 16th, and final, issue of British television fanzine/ magazine PRIMETIME. And a tease for something that never actually launched.
As fara as I know, the unpublished version of THE BOX has no relation (other than name and subject matter) with the really rather good (but very shortlived) Haymarket magazine of the same name that appeared, for three issues over six months, in 1997.
It joins the list of never-published or shortlived TV magazines that also includes Marvel UK's PRIMETIME (just a single special, again unrelated to this magazine, published before the magazine department was closed) and a DWB/ DREAMWATCH spin-off the details of which I must unearth and share some day.
As fara as I know, the unpublished version of THE BOX has no relation (other than name and subject matter) with the really rather good (but very shortlived) Haymarket magazine of the same name that appeared, for three issues over six months, in 1997.
It joins the list of never-published or shortlived TV magazines that also includes Marvel UK's PRIMETIME (just a single special, again unrelated to this magazine, published before the magazine department was closed) and a DWB/ DREAMWATCH spin-off the details of which I must unearth and share some day.
Thursday, 27 July 2017
1974: MARVEL'S PLANET OF THE APES MAGAZINE ISSUE 1
From 1974: The first issue of Marvel's PLANET OF THE APES magazine.
It's safe to say that Marvel, along with most other Apes merchandisers, were very late to the Apes party. FOX really started to push the franchise when reruns of the movies became a TV hit, leading to the launch of the short-lived POTA live-action TV series.
The show was something of a missed opportunity. The weekly format left the door wide open to further explore the future but - instead - the producers (imported - rather tellingly - from Saturday morning animation) opted to graft the familiar FUGITIVE formula (beloved of Seventies SF shows for no good reason and with little success) onto a neutered version of the first film.
Ironically, despite being tempted by the ratings bonanza promised by an Apes ongoing series (it didn't happen... the show was cancelled after only 14 episodes... and there has always been some question about whether all fourteen ever played... officially they didn't), Marvel's license covered strip adaptations of the movies, and new stories set within their universe, but not the TV show itself. Although they covered that in text features within the magazine.
Marvel hit some last-minute licensing problems with this first issue and had to pulp some of the already printed pages. The terms of their license - as was industry standard - did not include the right to portray the actors in print. Fox, at the last moment, got cold feet that - despite being deliberately generic - Charlton Heston (apparently notorious for calling in the lawyers) might still sue. So, with the first pages already rolling off the presses, Marvel had to call a hault whilst the pages were reworked by the Bullpen and then reprinted.
The strips and articles that appeared in the US magazine were - of course - ported across to the British weekly edition. Publishing the two editions created all sorts of deadline headaches with the British edition always running close to exhausting the supply of unpublished US strips. Some material appeared in the UK before the States (and individual pages were sometimes reworked - with panels cut - for the US edition) and - infamously - Apeslayer was created, from old Killraven pages, just to plug a gap for a few weeks.
The American magazine ultimately ran to 29 issues between 1974-77. It spun off a regular colour comic, ADVENTURES ON THE PLANET OF THE APES, which coloured and reprinted the adaptations of the first two movies, in 1975.
The British weekly clocked up 123 issues, also between 1974 to 1977. It absorbed the British edition of DRACULA LIVES from issue 88 and continued as a double-header for the rest of the run. The POTA strip then moved across to THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (from issue 231) where the remaining US material ran through to 246. At which point Marvel surrendered the license. The Apes slot on MWOM was taken by Dracula reprints, on hiatus since the merger.
Malibu Comics picked up the license in 1990 and mixed some Marvel reprints into their publishing schedule. They reissued Marvel's adaptations of the first three movies (ESCAPE is interesting as it opens with a deleted scene that doesn't appear in the finished film but was - it seems - filmed and subsequently lost) and a four-issue limited series that reran the TERROR ON THE PLANET OF THE APES storyline. All of the Malibu editions are now pretty hard to find.
This year should see the first reprints of the Marvel strips in book form... and I'm looking forward to finally seeing them widely available again.
The Marvel magazine always boasted the most wonderful covers. These were mixed into the British run alongside a lot of specially-commissioned, and mostly not-as-good, new covers. STARLOGGED has published a full UK POTA Apes gallery in the dim-and-distant past.
The Apes returned to British newsagents in 2001 for a brief run of a tie-in magazine/ comic pegged to the Tim Burton revival. The terms of the licesne restricted any crossover with the classic Apes saga. The lackluster response to the movie quickly sealed the fate of the tie-in.
It's safe to say that Marvel, along with most other Apes merchandisers, were very late to the Apes party. FOX really started to push the franchise when reruns of the movies became a TV hit, leading to the launch of the short-lived POTA live-action TV series.
The show was something of a missed opportunity. The weekly format left the door wide open to further explore the future but - instead - the producers (imported - rather tellingly - from Saturday morning animation) opted to graft the familiar FUGITIVE formula (beloved of Seventies SF shows for no good reason and with little success) onto a neutered version of the first film.
Ironically, despite being tempted by the ratings bonanza promised by an Apes ongoing series (it didn't happen... the show was cancelled after only 14 episodes... and there has always been some question about whether all fourteen ever played... officially they didn't), Marvel's license covered strip adaptations of the movies, and new stories set within their universe, but not the TV show itself. Although they covered that in text features within the magazine.
Marvel hit some last-minute licensing problems with this first issue and had to pulp some of the already printed pages. The terms of their license - as was industry standard - did not include the right to portray the actors in print. Fox, at the last moment, got cold feet that - despite being deliberately generic - Charlton Heston (apparently notorious for calling in the lawyers) might still sue. So, with the first pages already rolling off the presses, Marvel had to call a hault whilst the pages were reworked by the Bullpen and then reprinted.
The strips and articles that appeared in the US magazine were - of course - ported across to the British weekly edition. Publishing the two editions created all sorts of deadline headaches with the British edition always running close to exhausting the supply of unpublished US strips. Some material appeared in the UK before the States (and individual pages were sometimes reworked - with panels cut - for the US edition) and - infamously - Apeslayer was created, from old Killraven pages, just to plug a gap for a few weeks.
The American magazine ultimately ran to 29 issues between 1974-77. It spun off a regular colour comic, ADVENTURES ON THE PLANET OF THE APES, which coloured and reprinted the adaptations of the first two movies, in 1975.
The British weekly clocked up 123 issues, also between 1974 to 1977. It absorbed the British edition of DRACULA LIVES from issue 88 and continued as a double-header for the rest of the run. The POTA strip then moved across to THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (from issue 231) where the remaining US material ran through to 246. At which point Marvel surrendered the license. The Apes slot on MWOM was taken by Dracula reprints, on hiatus since the merger.
Malibu Comics picked up the license in 1990 and mixed some Marvel reprints into their publishing schedule. They reissued Marvel's adaptations of the first three movies (ESCAPE is interesting as it opens with a deleted scene that doesn't appear in the finished film but was - it seems - filmed and subsequently lost) and a four-issue limited series that reran the TERROR ON THE PLANET OF THE APES storyline. All of the Malibu editions are now pretty hard to find.
This year should see the first reprints of the Marvel strips in book form... and I'm looking forward to finally seeing them widely available again.
The Marvel magazine always boasted the most wonderful covers. These were mixed into the British run alongside a lot of specially-commissioned, and mostly not-as-good, new covers. STARLOGGED has published a full UK POTA Apes gallery in the dim-and-distant past.
The Apes returned to British newsagents in 2001 for a brief run of a tie-in magazine/ comic pegged to the Tim Burton revival. The terms of the licesne restricted any crossover with the classic Apes saga. The lackluster response to the movie quickly sealed the fate of the tie-in.
2001: THE DOCTOR WHO LONDON LOCATIONS GUIDE
From 2001: More fan-produced location spotting goodness... THE DOCTOR WHO LONDON LOCATIONS GUIDE, published by the DOCTOR WHO APPRECIATION SOCIETY.
Vintage WHO was, of course, based on BBC TELEVISION CENTRE in West London (although the production offices were down Wood Lane in Union House on Shepherd's Bush Green) so ost location filming needed to be as close to the Centre as possible. The new series is all about making Wales look like anywhere... the original series was all about bringing alien threats to West London.
Vintage WHO was, of course, based on BBC TELEVISION CENTRE in West London (although the production offices were down Wood Lane in Union House on Shepherd's Bush Green) so ost location filming needed to be as close to the Centre as possible. The new series is all about making Wales look like anywhere... the original series was all about bringing alien threats to West London.
1993: A GUIDE TO AVENGERLAND by ANTHONY and ANNETTE McKAY.
From March 1993: A GUIDE TO AVENGERLAND, a spin-off from TIME SCREEN magazine.
Avengerland, as the back cover explains, is that oh-so-familiar part of England in close proximity to London and - more importantly - Elstree studios. That location and ease of access (plus: it gives a mix of rural and urban locations and productions can nip into North London if necesary) means that the area has been heavily featured in TV shows and films for decades. They heavily featured in THE AVENGERS and the various 'action factory' ITC shows of the Sixties and Seventies. Which is where this book comes in.
I love location spotting so this is the sort of publication that is right up my street. Other books and publications along similiar lines have included a professionally published book dedicated to AVENGERS locations by Chris Bentley (which i have just looked up on Amazon... copies seem to go from around the 46 quid mark... which is nuts as I picked up my copy from Borders back in the day!), a fan-produced guide to DOCTOR WHO locations and a professionally published equivilant (priced today at a more reasonable 15 quid). The latter two published before the series went back into production.
Avengerland, as the back cover explains, is that oh-so-familiar part of England in close proximity to London and - more importantly - Elstree studios. That location and ease of access (plus: it gives a mix of rural and urban locations and productions can nip into North London if necesary) means that the area has been heavily featured in TV shows and films for decades. They heavily featured in THE AVENGERS and the various 'action factory' ITC shows of the Sixties and Seventies. Which is where this book comes in.
I love location spotting so this is the sort of publication that is right up my street. Other books and publications along similiar lines have included a professionally published book dedicated to AVENGERS locations by Chris Bentley (which i have just looked up on Amazon... copies seem to go from around the 46 quid mark... which is nuts as I picked up my copy from Borders back in the day!), a fan-produced guide to DOCTOR WHO locations and a professionally published equivilant (priced today at a more reasonable 15 quid). The latter two published before the series went back into production.
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
1998: MICHELLE YEOH JAMES BOND NEON MAGAZINE
From January 1998: A bit of James Bondage from now-defunct movie magazine NEON.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES co-star Michelle Yeoh is now starring in the new STAR TREK series, DISCOVERY, which is due to hit screens in September. The trailers certainly look spectacular... but it remains to be seen whether it has the heart and soul of the franchise at its best. And the Klingons do look a bit silly.
There's also been much moaning in the social media sphere that the new show - at least in the States - is going to be on the CBS paid platform. And fans ain't happy that they are going to have to splash more cash for their Trek. I think the lack of new TV Trek for over a decade is a sure sign that the old ways are dead and gone. And certainly not capable of bankrolling a new series.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES co-star Michelle Yeoh is now starring in the new STAR TREK series, DISCOVERY, which is due to hit screens in September. The trailers certainly look spectacular... but it remains to be seen whether it has the heart and soul of the franchise at its best. And the Klingons do look a bit silly.
There's also been much moaning in the social media sphere that the new show - at least in the States - is going to be on the CBS paid platform. And fans ain't happy that they are going to have to splash more cash for their Trek. I think the lack of new TV Trek for over a decade is a sure sign that the old ways are dead and gone. And certainly not capable of bankrolling a new series.
1982: LOOK-IN MAGNUM P.I. STRIP
From 5 June 1982: the MAGNUM P.I. strip from LOOK-IN.
Watersports - Check!
Verdant facial hair - Check!
Luxurious chest hair - Check!
The car - Check!
Short shorts - Check!
Mild violence - Check!
Palm trees - Check!
Approved!
Watersports - Check!
Verdant facial hair - Check!
Luxurious chest hair - Check!
The car - Check!
Short shorts - Check!
Mild violence - Check!
Palm trees - Check!
Approved!
1988: LAST ISSUE ALERT THE BEST OF EAGLE MONTHLY ISSUE 6
From October 1988: Last Issue Alert: the sixth issue of THE BEST OF EAGLE MONTHLY, reprinting the Bloodfang strip from the weekly.
The 'Not for the nervous' cover flash has been nicked from SCREAM.
Management didn't seem to have much luck with their branded EAGLE spin-offs... the creaky PICTURE LIBRARY run didn't amount to very much either... although at least BEST OF... had strips that regular readers of the weekly might recognise and remember. And the pick-ups from SPEED, TIGER and SCREAM might even have been new to them.
The EAGLE annuals and holiday specials, much more traditional brand extensions, did a lot better... for longer.
The 'Not for the nervous' cover flash has been nicked from SCREAM.
Management didn't seem to have much luck with their branded EAGLE spin-offs... the creaky PICTURE LIBRARY run didn't amount to very much either... although at least BEST OF... had strips that regular readers of the weekly might recognise and remember. And the pick-ups from SPEED, TIGER and SCREAM might even have been new to them.
The EAGLE annuals and holiday specials, much more traditional brand extensions, did a lot better... for longer.
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
1995: COMICS INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 61
From November 1995: COMICS INTERNATIONAL issue 61... just because it has a STAR WARS cover.
1996: THE TREKKER ISSUE 55
From January/ February 1996: Another issue of the US fanzine THE TREKKER, found in a dealer's box of random magazines... which is always the place to find the best and most obscure stuff.
1989: THE ORIGINAL DAN DARE RETURNS TO EAGLE
From August 1989: another EAGLE landmark... the return of the original DAN DARE.
It's safe to say that the new Eagle was ever quite sure what to do with their biggest brand. The relaunch started with Daniel Dare, action-packed gandson of the original Pilot of the Future. The reboot was partly down to the fact that a TV version of the character was in pre-production (the ATV series went nowhere because of changes within the ITV system... possibly a lucky escape as the plan seemed to be along similar lines to CAPTAIN ZEP: SPACE DETECTIVE) and partly down to trying to put some clear blue water between the incarnations. As if kids actually cared... as long as the strip was good.
They even decided to mess around with the original from afar by suddenly making him a WWII pilot who was sucked into the future (ala the plot of the BIGGLES movie) by a Treen mishap. Thus the Mekon accidentally created his own greatest foe. Bad day in the office.
After The Return of the Mekon played out, the character and the strip seemed to get a little lost. Subsequent stories couldn't match the epic scope of the first outing and it all became a little average. They even teamed New Dan and Old Dan together for one adventure. I forget how they did it. One ill-advised reboot saw the character sporting a lot of Magnum-esque chest hair as a 'Space Commando'. Surely Starfleet would not have approved. Which might have been the point.
This particular reboot not only saw the original character return but also one of the original art team with Keith Watson taking over the strip. It's unlikely, beyond novelty value, that kids cared but maybe Fleetway were hoping some nostalgic dads might grab an issue... and some nostalgic journos would devoite some time to the oft-overlooked weekly.
This is also the cover that the Dan Dare copyright holders are mostly likely to turf out whenever a Dare revival is mooted... and the press are happy to run with it.
It's safe to say that the new Eagle was ever quite sure what to do with their biggest brand. The relaunch started with Daniel Dare, action-packed gandson of the original Pilot of the Future. The reboot was partly down to the fact that a TV version of the character was in pre-production (the ATV series went nowhere because of changes within the ITV system... possibly a lucky escape as the plan seemed to be along similar lines to CAPTAIN ZEP: SPACE DETECTIVE) and partly down to trying to put some clear blue water between the incarnations. As if kids actually cared... as long as the strip was good.
They even decided to mess around with the original from afar by suddenly making him a WWII pilot who was sucked into the future (ala the plot of the BIGGLES movie) by a Treen mishap. Thus the Mekon accidentally created his own greatest foe. Bad day in the office.
After The Return of the Mekon played out, the character and the strip seemed to get a little lost. Subsequent stories couldn't match the epic scope of the first outing and it all became a little average. They even teamed New Dan and Old Dan together for one adventure. I forget how they did it. One ill-advised reboot saw the character sporting a lot of Magnum-esque chest hair as a 'Space Commando'. Surely Starfleet would not have approved. Which might have been the point.
This particular reboot not only saw the original character return but also one of the original art team with Keith Watson taking over the strip. It's unlikely, beyond novelty value, that kids cared but maybe Fleetway were hoping some nostalgic dads might grab an issue... and some nostalgic journos would devoite some time to the oft-overlooked weekly.
This is also the cover that the Dan Dare copyright holders are mostly likely to turf out whenever a Dare revival is mooted... and the press are happy to run with it.
Monday, 24 July 2017
1995: THE TREKKER FANZINE ISSUE 54
From November 1995: A copy of TREKKER, a US news-based fanzine (watch out! Watch out! The internet is coming!) which - despite the lawyer-baiting masthead - actually covered a bunch of current US telefantasy shows.
I found a few issues of this lurking in a dealer's back issue box. I seem to recall seeing copies in comic stores back-in-the-day so this must have had reasonable distribution. I think I considered it poor value for money compared with the British magazines. And left it right there on the shelf.
I found a few issues of this lurking in a dealer's back issue box. I seem to recall seeing copies in comic stores back-in-the-day so this must have had reasonable distribution. I think I considered it poor value for money compared with the British magazines. And left it right there on the shelf.
1988: STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION FIRST YEAR SOURCEBOOK
From 1988: The STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION FIRST YEAR SOURCEBOOK, a FASA-published supplement for their STAR TREK ROLE PLAYING GAME.
Even through I had no interest in the RPG, this was an essential purchase way-back-when because it was the most comprehensive guide to the universe of TNG available at the time. Especially as the TV show itself was still 2-3 years from hitting the BBC here in the UK. I just ignored all the numbers, stats and stuff associated with the game itself.
Like the other RPG supplements I have covered in the past, this was mostly sold through games stores and only had limited pick-up by traditional comics stores and bookshops. Which probably means the bulk of Trek fans didn't even know it existed.
The truth is... the universe of TNG's first season wasn't really that interesting... but, at the time, any bit of information on the show was to be snapped-up. Thirty years later I'm still certain that I have not watched the bulk of the epsodes covered in this book. Time to crack open that HD boxset me thinks...
Even through I had no interest in the RPG, this was an essential purchase way-back-when because it was the most comprehensive guide to the universe of TNG available at the time. Especially as the TV show itself was still 2-3 years from hitting the BBC here in the UK. I just ignored all the numbers, stats and stuff associated with the game itself.
Like the other RPG supplements I have covered in the past, this was mostly sold through games stores and only had limited pick-up by traditional comics stores and bookshops. Which probably means the bulk of Trek fans didn't even know it existed.
The truth is... the universe of TNG's first season wasn't really that interesting... but, at the time, any bit of information on the show was to be snapped-up. Thirty years later I'm still certain that I have not watched the bulk of the epsodes covered in this book. Time to crack open that HD boxset me thinks...
1990: JUDGE DREDD DATABASE: FLEETWAY MERCHANDISE STYLE GUIDE
From 1990: The thrill of the hunt is always that you don't know what you might find next... and this is a good case in point: THE JUDGE DREDD DATABASE, a styleguide for merchandisers published in 1990.
This was never meant to be seen by or circulated to the general public or readership but one escaped into the wild and - decades later - I found it lurking in a back issue box for a few pennies.
I've not scanned the whole thing but I have included a few pages so that you get the idea.
The purpose of such a 'bible' is to ensure consistant standards or applied across the brand to prevent licensees, deliberately or accidentally, going off-message.
I'm sure such guides, or their modern (and no doubt more detailed) versions, are also familiar to any editor of publisher working on a licensed comic or magazine that has to carefully adhere to the 'masterbrand' at all times and at all costs. Long gone are the days when Marvel UK could run a backcover advert for a piece of bootleg STAR WARS merchandise without anyone being too bothered.
Clearly the makers of the (under appreciated) 1995 movie didn't read it too closely...
This was never meant to be seen by or circulated to the general public or readership but one escaped into the wild and - decades later - I found it lurking in a back issue box for a few pennies.
I've not scanned the whole thing but I have included a few pages so that you get the idea.
The purpose of such a 'bible' is to ensure consistant standards or applied across the brand to prevent licensees, deliberately or accidentally, going off-message.
I'm sure such guides, or their modern (and no doubt more detailed) versions, are also familiar to any editor of publisher working on a licensed comic or magazine that has to carefully adhere to the 'masterbrand' at all times and at all costs. Long gone are the days when Marvel UK could run a backcover advert for a piece of bootleg STAR WARS merchandise without anyone being too bothered.
Clearly the makers of the (under appreciated) 1995 movie didn't read it too closely...
Friday, 21 July 2017
1993: THE UK TELEFANTASY YEARBOOK 1992/ 1993
From 1993: THE UK TELEFANTASY YEARBOOK 1992/ 1993, published by the fanzine Metamorph in 1993.
This was a cracking A4, b&w 'zine that - as the title suggests - looked back on the previous year's small-screen genre offerings. And it was a pretty cool list of new and repeated shows. And - best of all - this was just before the schedules (and the genre press) were overwhelmed by THE X-FILES, BABYLON FIVE and the wave of 1990s (mostly) syndicated and cable shows.
Both 'V' and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA were in reruns that year. As was KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER (I rewatched the pilot of the revival show again this week... it's OK but completely lacks the charm of the original). THE TOMORROW PEOPLE was the then-current Thames revival... which made more sense than the recent, rather confused, American reboot.
This was a mail-away 'zine which - I'd guess was advertised in either DWB/ DREAMWATCH and/ or TV ZONE. or I may have seen the advert in another fanzine and sent off my cheque. Those were the days...
This was a cracking A4, b&w 'zine that - as the title suggests - looked back on the previous year's small-screen genre offerings. And it was a pretty cool list of new and repeated shows. And - best of all - this was just before the schedules (and the genre press) were overwhelmed by THE X-FILES, BABYLON FIVE and the wave of 1990s (mostly) syndicated and cable shows.
Both 'V' and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA were in reruns that year. As was KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER (I rewatched the pilot of the revival show again this week... it's OK but completely lacks the charm of the original). THE TOMORROW PEOPLE was the then-current Thames revival... which made more sense than the recent, rather confused, American reboot.
This was a mail-away 'zine which - I'd guess was advertised in either DWB/ DREAMWATCH and/ or TV ZONE. or I may have seen the advert in another fanzine and sent off my cheque. Those were the days...
1998: HORIZON THE BLAKE'S 7 APPRECIATION SOCIETY NEWSLETTER ISSUE 38
From June 1998: a new look for the 38th issue of HORIZON, the fanzine-come-magazine published for the membership of THE BLAKE'S 7 APPRECIATION SOCIETY.
And - let's be honest - you can never have too much Jackie Pearce!
Maximum Power my darlings...
And - let's be honest - you can never have too much Jackie Pearce!
Maximum Power my darlings...
1988: THE FIRST EAGLE AND BATTLE MERGED ISSUE
From January 1988: the first combined issue of EAGLE AND BATTLE.
As with the previous week's house ad for the merger, the combo is pretty low key. I almost missed that this was the first combined issue when I was flicking through a stack of random back issues in one of my boxes... There's none of the hoopla that surrounded the TIGER merger of previous years and there's a real sense of 'that'll do'.
The transferred strips were Stormforce (which appears to have already been doing double-duty in both BATTLE and EAGLE anyway), Charley's War and Johnny Red.
BATTLE did continue to appear as the occasional annual and special... I certainly have a copy of a special that was published (in the old tradition) several years after the main comic had been killed off.
As with the previous week's house ad for the merger, the combo is pretty low key. I almost missed that this was the first combined issue when I was flicking through a stack of random back issues in one of my boxes... There's none of the hoopla that surrounded the TIGER merger of previous years and there's a real sense of 'that'll do'.
The transferred strips were Stormforce (which appears to have already been doing double-duty in both BATTLE and EAGLE anyway), Charley's War and Johnny Red.
BATTLE did continue to appear as the occasional annual and special... I certainly have a copy of a special that was published (in the old tradition) several years after the main comic had been killed off.
Thursday, 20 July 2017
1988: MERGER ALERT: EAGLE ANNOUNCES THE MERGER OF BATTLE
From 1988: MERGER ALERT! Here's how the EAGLE announced the impending arrival of the refugees from the fall of BATTLE.
Despite the traditional hype ('Big News Issue!') it's obvious from the two-page house ad that this is now EAGLE AND TIGER style combination of equals (at least until the dust settled). The BATTLE logo is conspicuously smaller than the Eagle's. Funny that.
I think, by this point, two-thirds of the BATTLE strips were reprints anyway with only the fairly new Stormforce (introduced - after a treading-water hiatus - to plug the large gap left by the withdrawal of ACTION FORCE). Maybe that helped to stunt in-house enthusiasm for the merger.
Despite the traditional hype ('Big News Issue!') it's obvious from the two-page house ad that this is now EAGLE AND TIGER style combination of equals (at least until the dust settled). The BATTLE logo is conspicuously smaller than the Eagle's. Funny that.
I think, by this point, two-thirds of the BATTLE strips were reprints anyway with only the fairly new Stormforce (introduced - after a treading-water hiatus - to plug the large gap left by the withdrawal of ACTION FORCE). Maybe that helped to stunt in-house enthusiasm for the merger.
1988: LAST ISSUE ALERT! THE FINAL ISSUE OF BATTLE
From 1988: Last Issue Alert! Years after the first predictions of its impending demise, BATTLE was finally overwhelmed by enemy forces (the enemy being changing tastes and a changing market) and plucked from the battlefield by - yup, you guessed it, EAGLE.
Given the deadlines and the on-sale date, it's easy to imagine that this issue, number 673, was put together just before the staff broke for the Christmas holidays and the end-of-year break.
By this time, despite the better printing that IPC/ Fleetway had switched to the previous year, BATTLE was a mere shadow of its former self. The loss of the ACTION FORCE franchise had done some serious damage (although Marvel's glossy successor was faring little better in a tough market) and Stormforce, their in-house successors were more gimmick than traditional military might. Charley's War and (as seen here) Johnny Red were really holding the fort... although one or both may have slipped into reprints by this point. Overall, BATTLE followed the same slow decline as the other IPC weeklies... more and more reprints as budgets got tighter and tighter.
IPC had launched BATTLE back in March 1975 to counter the early success of WARLORD, launched by DCT the previous September. Marvel UK also had a crack at their own me-too weekly, FURY, but that didn't work out so well. Battle eventually outlived Warlord, which closed in September 1986. The genre champion was, without doubt, Warlord's older sibbling VICTOR. Launched in January 1961, it didn't retire from active service until November 1992.
Battle folded into EAGLE, management's go-to title for failing comics. It's almost surprising that SUPERNATURALS and RING RAIDERS didn't go the same way but Fleetway opted to burn-off the remaining inventory from both early cancellations in end-of-run one-shots. Stormforce had already been appearing in Eagle for a month-or-so, presumably part of a plan to prepare for the merger. Or an indicator that the Eagle was also short of material pre-merger. Charley's War and Johnny Red remained Eagle mainstays for the rest of its run.
Given the deadlines and the on-sale date, it's easy to imagine that this issue, number 673, was put together just before the staff broke for the Christmas holidays and the end-of-year break.
By this time, despite the better printing that IPC/ Fleetway had switched to the previous year, BATTLE was a mere shadow of its former self. The loss of the ACTION FORCE franchise had done some serious damage (although Marvel's glossy successor was faring little better in a tough market) and Stormforce, their in-house successors were more gimmick than traditional military might. Charley's War and (as seen here) Johnny Red were really holding the fort... although one or both may have slipped into reprints by this point. Overall, BATTLE followed the same slow decline as the other IPC weeklies... more and more reprints as budgets got tighter and tighter.
IPC had launched BATTLE back in March 1975 to counter the early success of WARLORD, launched by DCT the previous September. Marvel UK also had a crack at their own me-too weekly, FURY, but that didn't work out so well. Battle eventually outlived Warlord, which closed in September 1986. The genre champion was, without doubt, Warlord's older sibbling VICTOR. Launched in January 1961, it didn't retire from active service until November 1992.
Battle folded into EAGLE, management's go-to title for failing comics. It's almost surprising that SUPERNATURALS and RING RAIDERS didn't go the same way but Fleetway opted to burn-off the remaining inventory from both early cancellations in end-of-run one-shots. Stormforce had already been appearing in Eagle for a month-or-so, presumably part of a plan to prepare for the merger. Or an indicator that the Eagle was also short of material pre-merger. Charley's War and Johnny Red remained Eagle mainstays for the rest of its run.
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
1982: THE FALL GUY COMIC STRIP IN LOOK-IN
From June 1982: He's the unknown stuntman... LOOK-IN publishes the first episode of the new ongoing THE FALL GUY double-page strip, based on the Glen Larson TV show starring Lee Majors and NOT starring Heather Locklear.
There's a fun game you can play either whilst watching reruns of TFG or - indeed - any action film made before the 1980s: spotting/ guessing the source of the stock footage stunts, lifted from assorted movies (oft from the Fox library), peppered throughout the series to make Majors look good and the show look more expensive than it was.
FALL GUY trivia: There is a 1993 TV movie called THE COVERGIRL MURDERS starring Majors (along with Adrian Paul and an island full of the sort of beaties beloved by telly execs) and written by Douglas Barr...co-star on TFG.
The Adam Ant cover was obligatory.LOOK-IN's arch rival (at least for a little while) TV TOPS also obsessed with the campy rocker. Even going as far as creating a time-travelling comic strip to ensure he appeared in every issue.
There's a fun game you can play either whilst watching reruns of TFG or - indeed - any action film made before the 1980s: spotting/ guessing the source of the stock footage stunts, lifted from assorted movies (oft from the Fox library), peppered throughout the series to make Majors look good and the show look more expensive than it was.
FALL GUY trivia: There is a 1993 TV movie called THE COVERGIRL MURDERS starring Majors (along with Adrian Paul and an island full of the sort of beaties beloved by telly execs) and written by Douglas Barr...co-star on TFG.
The Adam Ant cover was obligatory.LOOK-IN's arch rival (at least for a little while) TV TOPS also obsessed with the campy rocker. Even going as far as creating a time-travelling comic strip to ensure he appeared in every issue.
1988: THE BEST OF EAGLE MONTHLY ISSUE 4
From August 1988: THE BEST OF EAGLE MONTHLY issue 4.
This is another hefty batch of cheap-and-cheerful IPC reprints which is gard to find today. This issue compiled a run of Death Wish (nope, not Paul Kersey) strips.
Blake Edmonds was an F1 driver who had it all... until a crash left him badly burned. Thereafter he took on any stunt or challenge - no matter how dangerous - because he had - yup - a death wish.
The strip started in 1980 in SPEED (from where, I suspect, these strips hail... making the mag even more collectable). When that weekly went belly-up after a mere 31 issues the strip transferred to TIGER. Thereafter it remained a mainstay until it transferred (along with the likes of Billy's Boots and Golden Boy) to EAGLE. It continued to appear, albeit with a supernatural twist, long after TIGER was quietly dumped from the masthead. He didn't have much luck for someone determined to die.
This is another hefty batch of cheap-and-cheerful IPC reprints which is gard to find today. This issue compiled a run of Death Wish (nope, not Paul Kersey) strips.
Blake Edmonds was an F1 driver who had it all... until a crash left him badly burned. Thereafter he took on any stunt or challenge - no matter how dangerous - because he had - yup - a death wish.
The strip started in 1980 in SPEED (from where, I suspect, these strips hail... making the mag even more collectable). When that weekly went belly-up after a mere 31 issues the strip transferred to TIGER. Thereafter it remained a mainstay until it transferred (along with the likes of Billy's Boots and Golden Boy) to EAGLE. It continued to appear, albeit with a supernatural twist, long after TIGER was quietly dumped from the masthead. He didn't have much luck for someone determined to die.
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
1986: MASK SUPER PREVIEW ISSUE
From October 1986: The MASK PREVIEW ISSUE, published by IPC.
This was a little bit of a comics landmark. It wasn't the first IPC title to be launched with a free preview issue (that was - probably - OINK which started with a freebie copy given away with the other IPC humour weeklies in April the same year) but it was the first time that IPC had really embraced the idea of doing a boys adventure comic based on a toy line.
It wasn't the first of course. BATTLE had featured ACTION FORCE from the summer of 1983 onwards (and fully embraced the tie-in from later the same year) and EAGLE had run ROBO-MACHINES between November 84 and July 85. But those had been strips running in an established title... this was the first time IPC had followed the MARVEL UK model of devoting the whole title (or - at least - the bulk of it) to a tie-in.
The toy was, of course, a TRANSFORMERS/ G.I. JOE hybrid (secret agents and bumbling villains use cars with secret 'enhancements' to foil each other's plans) intended to snatch sales from the two Hasbro powerhouses. There was also the obligatory cartoon/ extended plug which was syndicated in the States and shown - mostly at weekends - on TV-am here in the UK.
This preview was a nicely put together full-length teaser which includes the origin story for the MASK organisation. A story untold elsewhere... but retold in the first proper issue of the fortnightly comic. Indeed all the stories (probably put together for the in-house dummy) are original, leaving the DC strips from the States to appear in the MASK annuals instead. It's printed on glossy paper (another first for IPC... who were mostly content with leaving their weeklies to languish at the bottom end of the production standards league table) with a fair few interior colour pages (but, unlike the standard MARVEL UK comic of the time, not full-colour throughout).
Management were clearly taking this opportunity to fight back against the British Bullpen pretty seriously.
Copies were bagged with issues of EAGLE, BATTLE ACTION FORCE and ROY OF THE ROVERS.
The ongoing MASK series was initially published fortnightly (Marvel had done likewise with THE TRANSFORMERS... not least because there was a shortage of material to reprint) but later - no doubt due to strong sales - switched to weekly.
The tone of the ongoing run was a little less serious than this pilot... especially compared with the TV show and rivals such as the aforementioned Robots in Disguise or ACTION FORCE.
MASK ultimately ran for 80 issues before going the way of most licensed comics... But IPC continued to show faith by folding it into EAGLE rather than instantly ditching the license.
As one might expect, the strips have never been reprinted although I suspect some of the strips that appeared post-merger in EAGLE had previously appeared in the main comic.
IPC - and then Fleetway - were a little hit-and-miss with selecting which toy lines to ally themselves with. Possibly because Marvel and London Editions already had good relationships with most of the big toy makers and had first choice with new liceses. SUPERNATURALS, a toy with a hologram gimmick, was also launched with a free preview issues but - without a TV show - couldn't recreate the MASK effect. The unfortunately named RING RAIDERS (also a pants toy) couldn't take flight either.
This was a little bit of a comics landmark. It wasn't the first IPC title to be launched with a free preview issue (that was - probably - OINK which started with a freebie copy given away with the other IPC humour weeklies in April the same year) but it was the first time that IPC had really embraced the idea of doing a boys adventure comic based on a toy line.
It wasn't the first of course. BATTLE had featured ACTION FORCE from the summer of 1983 onwards (and fully embraced the tie-in from later the same year) and EAGLE had run ROBO-MACHINES between November 84 and July 85. But those had been strips running in an established title... this was the first time IPC had followed the MARVEL UK model of devoting the whole title (or - at least - the bulk of it) to a tie-in.
The toy was, of course, a TRANSFORMERS/ G.I. JOE hybrid (secret agents and bumbling villains use cars with secret 'enhancements' to foil each other's plans) intended to snatch sales from the two Hasbro powerhouses. There was also the obligatory cartoon/ extended plug which was syndicated in the States and shown - mostly at weekends - on TV-am here in the UK.
This preview was a nicely put together full-length teaser which includes the origin story for the MASK organisation. A story untold elsewhere... but retold in the first proper issue of the fortnightly comic. Indeed all the stories (probably put together for the in-house dummy) are original, leaving the DC strips from the States to appear in the MASK annuals instead. It's printed on glossy paper (another first for IPC... who were mostly content with leaving their weeklies to languish at the bottom end of the production standards league table) with a fair few interior colour pages (but, unlike the standard MARVEL UK comic of the time, not full-colour throughout).
Management were clearly taking this opportunity to fight back against the British Bullpen pretty seriously.
Copies were bagged with issues of EAGLE, BATTLE ACTION FORCE and ROY OF THE ROVERS.
The ongoing MASK series was initially published fortnightly (Marvel had done likewise with THE TRANSFORMERS... not least because there was a shortage of material to reprint) but later - no doubt due to strong sales - switched to weekly.
The tone of the ongoing run was a little less serious than this pilot... especially compared with the TV show and rivals such as the aforementioned Robots in Disguise or ACTION FORCE.
MASK ultimately ran for 80 issues before going the way of most licensed comics... But IPC continued to show faith by folding it into EAGLE rather than instantly ditching the license.
As one might expect, the strips have never been reprinted although I suspect some of the strips that appeared post-merger in EAGLE had previously appeared in the main comic.
IPC - and then Fleetway - were a little hit-and-miss with selecting which toy lines to ally themselves with. Possibly because Marvel and London Editions already had good relationships with most of the big toy makers and had first choice with new liceses. SUPERNATURALS, a toy with a hologram gimmick, was also launched with a free preview issues but - without a TV show - couldn't recreate the MASK effect. The unfortunately named RING RAIDERS (also a pants toy) couldn't take flight either.
1997: HORIZON THE BLAKE'S SEVEN APPRECIATION SOCIETY ISSUE 37
From November 1997: HORIZON, the newsletter of THE BLAKE'S SEVEN APPRECIATION SOCIETY issue 37.
Monday, 17 July 2017
1987: EAGLE CELEBRATES 300 ISSUES
From December 1987: the now not-so-new EAGLE celebrates 300 issues with a 'photo' opportunity and the hoisting of a flag. Tharg did something similar - on a more impressive scale - to mark the 2000AD on sale at the turn of the millennium.
1995: COMICS INTERNATIONAL: MARVEL VERSUS DC
From October 1995: When titans clash... COMICS INTERNATIONAL previews the MARVEL VERSUS DC crossover event: an almighty punch-up between the two companies intended to bolster the sales - and profiles - of both companies in the midst of an industry in trouble.
Unfortunately, inter-company crossovers were so frequent during this period that - despite the literal heavy-hitters on parade here, it didn't seem as special as it once might have done.
Unfortunately, inter-company crossovers were so frequent during this period that - despite the literal heavy-hitters on parade here, it didn't seem as special as it once might have done.
SPACE: 1999 ALIEN ATTACK VHS
From Moonbase Alpha: I was sad to hear that Martin Landau died overnight (London time). He had a long and distinguished career (including an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in ED WOOD) but, for Star Warriors, he'll always be remembered for SPACE: 1999. Not least because the moon was still bouncing around the ITV schedules well into the 1980s... followed by 1990s reruns on BRAVO and BBC TWO.
The show's home video carrer was a little more complex. The early releases were restricted to cut-and-shunt multi-episode presentations created by ITC after the show itself. The 1990s saw the newly-launched ITC VIDEO add it to their roster... Although they initially had to skip the episodes already licensed elsewhere for the 'movie' versions. Which, naturally enough, included the all-important opening episode Breakaway.
Polygram had inherited the rights to pump out the movies onto tape and this reissue - from the 1990s - was released alongside the ITC tapes. It contains Breakaway and War Games with - unusually - some additional sequences, with none of the original cast, set at the International Lunar Finance Commission. They are, understandably, quite busy after they misplace the moon.
The show's home video carrer was a little more complex. The early releases were restricted to cut-and-shunt multi-episode presentations created by ITC after the show itself. The 1990s saw the newly-launched ITC VIDEO add it to their roster... Although they initially had to skip the episodes already licensed elsewhere for the 'movie' versions. Which, naturally enough, included the all-important opening episode Breakaway.
Polygram had inherited the rights to pump out the movies onto tape and this reissue - from the 1990s - was released alongside the ITC tapes. It contains Breakaway and War Games with - unusually - some additional sequences, with none of the original cast, set at the International Lunar Finance Commission. They are, understandably, quite busy after they misplace the moon.
Friday, 14 July 2017
SAPPHIRE AND STEEL ITC VHS VIDEO ADVENTURE 1
From the VHS era: More SAPPHIRE AND STEEL, this time in the form of the first volume (a double tape affair) of the ITC VIDEO releases.
It was so cool to see this on the shelves of OUR PRICE VIDEO way-back-when. Not only was it a long-lost show that I fondly remebered from over a decade earlier but it also showed the potential for VHS to bring all sorts of old shows - previously assumed lost in the vaults forever with no chance of a repeat outing - back from the dead.
As we've seen in past posts (and will do again in the future) ITC (who had spent the previous decade cut loose from the ITV system and doing not very much) really woke up to the potential of the programme library they had previously been - for the most part - sitting on.
Despite being banished from the ITV tent by the early 1980s franchise round, which saw ATV and ITC split with the former being reinvented as Central Independent Television with a new ownership structure and renewed commitment to the midlands (part of the deal was that they had to sell Elstree Centre, home of many of the ATV shows), old ITV shows (mostly the Gerry Anderson ones) had continued to appear on ITV throughout the decade (FIREBALL XL5, in black & white, during the school holidays anyone?). But these were mostly the high-end film series that were ITC's forte. Far less likely to see the light of day again were any of the former ATV shows that had become part of the ITC library after the restructure.
Suddenly, in part thanks to some vintage repeats on Channel Four, ITC opened the floodgates with all manner of old shows suddenly hitting the shelves. Some of the heavy hitters were initially off-limits thanks to existing licensing deals which - possibly - left some gaps in the schedule for the more obscure stuff. TV Heaven was born.
As for this show? I love it. For the most part. The two leads are great, the writing top-notch and the production and direction really make the most of the studio-bound nature of the series. Indeed it feels weird when, in one story, they briefly decamped to the roof of the London headquarters of ACC, parent company of ATV and ITC. The sedate pace would horrify viewers today... but it feels just right.
This isn't the most memorable story. Some may argue that it is the one with 'the man without a face' (and it is genuinely great) but, I think for many, it is the second adventure: The abandoned railway station. It suffers a little from being several episodes overlong but the atmosphere and drama is exceptional. It was the stody that was in mid-run when - in 1979 - a series of local industrial disputes across the ITV network conflated into an all-out shutdown (except, where things are calmer, in the Channel Islands) which halted all broadcasts and production for ten week. No programmes. No adverts. No income. No TV TIMES And no other option than to watch the two BBC channels. Those were the days.
Given such a long hiatus, ITV's schedulers opted to repeat the story from the start rather than rely on anyone remembering what had happened the best part of three months ago.
Other contemporary S&S merchandise included a novelisation, an annual (with new stories) and - most memorably - a great LOOK-IN comic strip.
1989: SAPPHIRE AND STEEL ON THE COVER OF TIME SCREEN REVISED ISSUE 4
From Summer 1989: the revised and updated second edition of TIME SCREEN issue 4, with a cracking line-up of classic British Telefantasy shows.
Sapphire and Steel have been assigned...
Sapphire and Steel have been assigned...
1984: THE FIRST A-TEAM STRIP in LOOK-IN
From October 1984: THE A-TEAM arrive, in comics form, in LOOK-IN.
This wasn't the first outing of the iconic-yet-underrated action show in British comics. Cannell's guns for hire had already been appearing in TV COMIC, the moribund long-runner that had shown some belated signs of life in the Eighties by running original strips based on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY and - ahem MISTER MERLIN.
Signing the A-listers hadn't been enough to keep the weekly in business and LOOK-IN were quick to swoop once the property came into play. It really was a logical team-up and it must have annoyed and frustrated ITV Publications that - somehow - Universal had licensed it to someone else first.
However, adapting the show was not without some hassles. Despite ruling the early Saturday night schedules (sorry Colin Baker), editors were worried that the random gun play (and cigars) might attract the attention of parents when translated to the printed page. So firearms and tobacco were strictly controlled, no doubt to the frustration of the writers.
Universal's fast-and-loose licensing struck agaion the following summer when MARVEL UK published the first of two TAT specials, recycling the three-issue mini-series rushed into print in the States. Someone had obviously spotted that LOOK-IN had securred the rights to publish a weekly strip... but not all comics rights. It's telling that Marvel were never tempted to rerun the reprints, in serial form, in any of their late-eighties anthologies (THE INCREDIBLE HULK PRESENTS or MARVEL BUMPER COMIC) when the show was still bouncing around the ITV schedules.
I've posted about those Marvel specials, and the US limited series that spawned them, in posts-long-past. Follow the link below to see my A-Team musings to date.
This wasn't the first outing of the iconic-yet-underrated action show in British comics. Cannell's guns for hire had already been appearing in TV COMIC, the moribund long-runner that had shown some belated signs of life in the Eighties by running original strips based on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY and - ahem MISTER MERLIN.
Signing the A-listers hadn't been enough to keep the weekly in business and LOOK-IN were quick to swoop once the property came into play. It really was a logical team-up and it must have annoyed and frustrated ITV Publications that - somehow - Universal had licensed it to someone else first.
However, adapting the show was not without some hassles. Despite ruling the early Saturday night schedules (sorry Colin Baker), editors were worried that the random gun play (and cigars) might attract the attention of parents when translated to the printed page. So firearms and tobacco were strictly controlled, no doubt to the frustration of the writers.
Universal's fast-and-loose licensing struck agaion the following summer when MARVEL UK published the first of two TAT specials, recycling the three-issue mini-series rushed into print in the States. Someone had obviously spotted that LOOK-IN had securred the rights to publish a weekly strip... but not all comics rights. It's telling that Marvel were never tempted to rerun the reprints, in serial form, in any of their late-eighties anthologies (THE INCREDIBLE HULK PRESENTS or MARVEL BUMPER COMIC) when the show was still bouncing around the ITV schedules.
I've posted about those Marvel specials, and the US limited series that spawned them, in posts-long-past. Follow the link below to see my A-Team musings to date.
Thursday, 13 July 2017
1977: MERGER ALERT! THE FIRST COMBINED ISSUE OF BATTLE AND ACTION!
From November 1977: Merger alert! The well-past-its-prime ACTION had finally been axed the previous week... clearing the way for the merger with BATTLE to create - yup - BATTLE ACTION (not to be confused with BATTLE ACTION FORCE, of course).
And there's not a shark in sight...
And there's not a shark in sight...
BLOODBATH AT THE HOUSE OF DEATH NOVELISATION
It's not a great horror film. It's not a great comedy film. I would be amazed if it is a great paperback (I've not actually read it... can you imagine the looks I would get on the bus?) but this was too bizarre to pass up: the official novelisation of Britain's BLOODBATH AT THE HOUSE OF DEATH, the now (and then) obscure movie starring one of my heroes: Kenny Everett!
I've got a bootleg copy of the movie stashed away but it is a while since I've seen it. I remember being - for the most part - underwhelmed when I did. But, after finding this, it feels like one I should revisit again.
1996: HORIZON, NEWSLETTER OF THE BLAKE'S SEVEN APPRECIATION SOCIETY ISSUE 35
From December 1996: Another issue (number 35) of HORIZON, the official (and hefty) newsletter of THE BLAKE'S 7 APPRECIATION SOCIETY.
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
1992: GHOST RIDER MARVEL UK AUTUMN SPECIAL
From the autumn of 1992: The MARVEL UK published GHOST RIDER AUTUMN SPECIAL.
1995: COMICS INTERNATIONAL REPORTS THE EXPANSION OF THE MARVEL MUSIC LINE
From February 1995: COMICS INTERNATIONAL reports the substantial expansion of the MARVEL MUSIC imprint.
This one caught my eye because it got me wondering: how many of these projects actually made it into stores? This looks like a very ambitious publishing slate... yet copies of Marvel's music industry books very seldom seem to surface. Which makes me think many of them were distributed in very small numbers, were distributed outside the direct market or (and given the dodgy financial status of Marvel - and the marketplace - at the time) never actually happened at all.
This one caught my eye because it got me wondering: how many of these projects actually made it into stores? This looks like a very ambitious publishing slate... yet copies of Marvel's music industry books very seldom seem to surface. Which makes me think many of them were distributed in very small numbers, were distributed outside the direct market or (and given the dodgy financial status of Marvel - and the marketplace - at the time) never actually happened at all.
