Thursday, 15 February 2018

STAR WARS WEEKLY REVIEW - ISSUE 3



ON-SALE: 15 FEBRUARY 1978
COVER DATE: 22 FEBRUARY 1978
28 pages
10p



CONTENTS:

  • Cover
  • Who’s Who in Star Wars
  • STAR WARS: On To Alderaan! (10 pages) <<Reprinted from STAR WARS US 2>>

  • TALES OF THE GALAXY: Hey Buddy, Can You Lend Me A… PT2 (3 pages) <<Reprinted from UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION 1>>

  • TALES OF THE GALAXY: Threads (3 pages) <<Reprinted from UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION 1>>

  • ADVERTS: STAR WARS COLLECTORS EDITION MAGAZINE, STAR WARS FILM CLIPS, NEXT ISSUE PREVIEW (Half page), MARVEL UK HOUSE AD (Half page) and THE OFFICIAL STAR WARS FAN CLUB (1 page).

  • Competition to win Darth Vader helmet and copies of the soundtrack LP.

  • BEHIND THE SCENES article (1 page)

  • STAR WARS GLOSSARY: Alderaan to Macrobinoculars (1 page)
  • DEATH STAR BATTLEGROUND ‘map’ of the Death Star surface (for use with the freebie space ships in issues 1 & 2)
  • Back-page pin up.


WATCH OUT FOR:


  • Luke taking control of the situation in the not-quite-on-message cover design.
  • Biggs still appearing in the Who’s Who section even through he doesn’t appear in this part of the film.
  • A very different looking Death Star interrogation droid.  
  • No third issue freebie.  Most British weeklies gave away goodies with the first three issues to ensure a random purchase became a weekly habit.  But Marvel didn’t feel the need.  The Death Star surface (intended for use with the models given away with the previous two issues) was just a handy space filler.  

  • The first UK appearance of Han Solo (or someone purporting to be Solo) in the Next Issue teaser.  
  • A Page 3 credit for Alloa Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd. of 18-20 Mar Street Alloa.  This was - presumably - Marvel UK’s printers of the period.  Alloa in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.  Alloa P&P was established in December 1966 and is now defunct.  
  • THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL is once again omitted from the House Ad.  That’s three week’s running!  I wonder if the advert was being prepared specifically for MWOM and then also running in SWW and no-one noticed the error.  SWW was supported by its own House Ad in the other weeklies so its absence from this group ad makes more sense.  
  • The first part of the glossary.  That’s the sort of thing that got us Star Warriors very excited back in ‘78.  

MEANWHILE… A LONG TIME AGO:


  • ‘IRAC is Missing’. But WONDER WOMAN will save the day!  The show’s 30th episode aired across the water on Friday the 17th.  
  • 2000AD prog. 52 had been on sale since the previous Saturday (11 Feb) with prog. 53 hitting newsagents on the 18th. Thrills of the week: Elvis is back in the building (or moonbase) in ‘Judge Dredd’ and a fun full-page Walter the Wobot 'bluepwint'/ cutaway.  



  • Star Warriors could also catch the third episode of the DOCTOR WHO six-parter ‘The Invasion of Time’ on the 18th as well.  
  • Monday 20 February saw the TX of ‘Duel’, the 8th episode of BLAKE’S SEVEN’s first season.  
  • Behind-the-scenes, the cast spent the week (beginning on Monday 13th) in Acton rehearsing for the studio recording of the 11th episode, ‘Bounty’, ahead of the first studio day the following Monday.   
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10 comments:

  1. SLOW ROBOT15 February 2018 at 21:07

    The new issue of INFINITY magazine is well worth picking up: a new B7 cover and lengthy articles on BLAKE'S SEVEN, Classic BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and British girls comics.

    And the new edition of the STAR TREK strips fortnightly is out as well. Also out thos week - according to the sticker on the regular book - is the latest high ticket price 'special'... Tnis time devoted to reprints of the IDW ST ALIENS one-shots. Copies may be hard to find as few retailers seem to still carry copies of the spin-offs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ed16 February 2018 at 10:57

    I've never come across a single issue of INFINITY although it does look good.



    Were those one shots ever actually published before ? I have no recollection of them whatsoever.



    Its worth noting that the star wars comic universe has never crossed over with another franchise despite its own myriad of spin-off titles.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SLOW ROBOT16 February 2018 at 11:34

      The TREK GN one-shots have indeed been published... I have (from memory) POTA, Legion of Superheroes and Green Lantern.

      I suspect they may have found their license does not extend to the DOCTOR WHO and X-MEN crossovers so they have changed tack for the latest one.

      Delete
  3. ed16 February 2018 at 12:58

    I thought you meant the HR Giger ALIEN.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous16 February 2018 at 23:46

    You are reminding me how dull Star Wars Weekly was. I started reading it at #2 and stopped at #6 because it was so boring. I did start reading it again after Rampage and The Complete Fantastic Four were cancelled but Star Wars Weekly isn't a comic I remember with great fondness.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oscar Dowson19 February 2018 at 12:27

    Threads stayed with me for years. I remember finding it really creepy and haven't read it since. Must track it down.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ed19 February 2018 at 13:00

    Who could forget that final line ?


    " there is nothing we can doooooo..."


    And the threads continue to fall until there is only blank silence.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ed19 February 2018 at 13:06

    *** M-UK COVER ARTIST BOB WAKELIN HAS PASSED AWAY ***




    I just found out that legendary M-UK cover artist Bob Wakelin died in January.



    His striking work graced many a weekly cover in the 1980's including those for SPIDER-MAN, THOR and SECRET WARS.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ed21 February 2018 at 19:19

    *** MAD MAGAZINE REBOOTS ***


    As seen here :


    http://ew.com/books/2018/02/20/mad-magazine-rebooted-april/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ystafell Gynghori6 June 2018 at 19:27

    I loved 'Star Wars Weekly'.

    ReplyDelete

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