1996: COMICS INTERNATIONAL REPORTS THE END OF MARVEL UK

From July 1996: COMICS INTERNATIONAL issue 70 boasts an impressive 2000AD cover to celebrate 1000 issues in print (they've done another 1000+ since) and reports on the demise of MARVEL UK (although it did live on, of course, as Panini UK...) after some 23-odd years of UK operations.  The end of an era.

1996: COMICS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES MARVEL PRESENTS PARAMOUNT COMICS... AND A NEW HOME FOR STAR TREK COMICS

From March 1996: CAOMICS INTERNATIONAL issue 66 reports the launch of the MARVEL PRESENTS PARAMOUNT COMICS imprint and the return of the STAR TREK publishing franchise to the House of Ideas.

The tie-up was quite productive (as you'll see from previous posts) over a two-year period but is best remembered for flooding the market with more STAR TREK comics than ever before (and snatching the license away from DC).  In addition to the Trek books, a few other one-shots based on Paramount properties also snuck out before the deal was wound up as Marvel's financial position became ever more dicey.

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.

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.

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.

1996: THE 5 TIMES BABYLON FIVE UK FAN CLUB FANZINE ISSUE 11

From the Autumn of 1996: the 11th issue of THE 5 TIMES, the fanzine published by the UK BABYLON FIVE FAN CLUB.

Apologies for skipping a few issues.  I'm not quite sure how that happened but it probably means I have a few issues buried in a box somewhere waiting to be rediscovered at some point in the future.

1996: THE ADVENTURES OF SNAKE PLISSKEN AND MARVEL PRESENTS PARAMOUNT COMICS

From late 1996 (with a January 1997 cover date): THE ADVENTURES OF SNAKE PLISSKEN, another 'non-core' (IE non-STAR TREK) offering from the MARVEL PRESENTS PARAMOUNT COMICS imprint.

It was, of course, a spin-off from ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and the belated 1996 follow-up ESCAPE FROM L.A.

This was another one-shot.  The line was active from 1996-98 before ending during the Marvel bankruptcy.  Management probably decided that the benefits of being allied to a major studio (they were probably hoping that paramount would eventually step in and buy the publisher) wasn't sufficient compared to soft sales and high licensing costs at a time when Marvel were scalling back their output and their bloated cost base, alongside selling (sometimes at knockdown prices) parts of the over-extended business.

The core of the MPPC line were the various STAR TREK titles, unifying a franchise that had previously been split between DC Comics (Star Trek and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) and (now Marvel owned) Malibu Comics (DS9 and Voyager, although it never appeared under their banner).  Marvel kick-started things with an X-Men crossover (this was a time when such stunts still created a 'huh?' reaction) and then ploughed forward with a whole bunch of ongoing Trek books.  Amongst the least obvious: THE EARLY VOYAGES (starring the crew from the unsold pilot 'The Cage'); UNTOLD VOYAGES (filling in that murky period after ST: TMP) and STARFLEET ACADEMY.  VOYAGER and DEEP SPACE NINE had their own ongoing series but TOS and TNG were shoehorned into a bumper-length UNLIMITED book.  Various one-shots helped pad out the schedule.

The line ran into trouble pretty quick, probably partly because Marvel had flooded a weak market with too much product.  Trek had been a good - but not great - seller for its previous publishers and there is no reason to think that more franchise fans would have started buying the Marvel version.  Marvel's cash-strapped status also made it far less willing to support 'vanity' projects that it didn't own outright and couldn't bank all the cash. Some of the more marginal titles were shuttered after fairly short runs and replacements didn't appear.

Another problem, perennial with licensed titles, was getting studio sign-off promptly enough to stick to a publishing schedule.  The biggest problems lay with the shows that were still in production because they still had active creative teams working on the lot.  Marvel's solution was to close the ongoing DS9 and Voyager books and replace them with a series of back-to-back mini-series which could be planned and prepared further in advance of press dates to build in a bigger contingency for West Coast delays.

Plan B didn't have time to play out before Marvel ditched the line completely.  The last titles of ongoing books to appear had June (Early Voyages, Starfleet Academy) or July 1998 (Unlimited) cover dates.  Starfleet Academy, at 19 issues, was the longest-lived of the line numerically.  

The end of the line, and the state of the market, meant that Marvel didn't get any trade paperback collections out the door.  IDW have reissued some material in book form but the bulk - at the moment - have never been reprinted.  The current series of hardback reprints will - one assumes - get to this stuff eventually (they've done an Early Voyages edition thus far) but they have been much more willing to publish recent IDW series (probably because they are technically of a higher standard and require less production work to ready them for print) than dip into the DC or MPPC vaults.

Probably the line's greatest claim-to-fame? Publishing an issue of DS9 in Klingon.  With an English 'translation' also available.  Make sure you buy the right copy when diving into the 50p bins!

Like the previous MIGHTY HEROES post, Snake Plissken was a MPPC title that I had no idea even existed until I stumbled across a copy in a 50p box.

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.

1996: BABYLON FIVE: THE FIVE TIMES ISSUE 9

From the summer of 1996: the 9th issue of THE FIVE TIMES, published by THE BABYLON FIVE UK FAN CLUB.

STARLOG MAGAZINE BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY RETROSPECTIVE - PART TWO

From 1996: the second part of STARLOG MAGAZINE's brilliant two-part look back at the making of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY.

 

1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY RETROSPECTIVE - PART 1

From 1996: the first of a two-part epic look back at the turbulent behind-the-scenes story of the making of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY, as recounted in this excellent STARLOG MAGAZINE article.

1996: STARLOG MOVIE TIE-IN MAGAZINES

from 1996: The danger with publishing licensed tie-ins is that you have to take a bet on movies and TV shows that - unless they have a good track record (and Starlog even fell out of love with Trek towards the end) - could be a total stinker.  

Just like the Hollywood studios, STARLOG GROUP must have had a ratio of sustainable hits-to-failures which allowed the profits from the successful hook-ups to offset the losses from the disasters.

I'm betting none of these mags turned much of a profit for the publisher... Maybe that's why they had to charge 75 dollars (including postage) for a reprint (see previous post).  

1996: STARLOG ISSUE 1 20th ANNIVERSARY REPRINT EDITION

From 1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE celebrates 20 years in print with an expensive premium reprint that probably really is genuinely hard-to-find today.  At 75 bucks a copy (including postage... thanks guys) I wonder if this was ever a sell-out item.

1996: BABYLON FIVE'S THE FIVE TIMES FANZINE ISSUE 8

From the spring of 1996: the 8th issue of the UK BABYLON FIVE FAN CLUB magazine THE FIVE TIMES, with a really nice CGI render of the station as the cover.  

I think that shows the level of co-operation (albeing falling short of an official endorsement) the club enjoyed with the production.  Partly because the cast and crew always seemed to be here in the UK for conventions and signings.

1996: THE 5 TIMES ISSUE 7 (THE UK BABYLON FIVE FAN CLUB)

From New Year 1996: the 7th issue of the fanzine THE 5 TIMES, published by THE BABYLON FIVE UK FAN CLUB.

1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE ISSUE 228 celebrates twenty years in business.

From July 1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE celebrates twenty years in print.

Ironically, it obviously wasn't a vintage year for summer blockbusters.

1996: INDEPENDENCE DAY MOVIE ADAPTATION ISSUES 0-2 (MARVEL COMICS)

From June and July 1996: issues 0 (an original pre-movie teaser) - 2 of Marvel's INDEPENDENCE DAY movie adaptation. Issues 1 & 2 adapted the movie proper.

There wss also a British edition from MARVEL UK which - from memory - only included the adaptation itself.

I saw the sequel (a film surely no one was clamoring for) a couple of weekends ago and it really was something of a stinker. It looked amazing but the plotting and scripting were really poor: a succession of sequences linked together (or, occasionally, not linked at all) by some remarkable leaps of faith and logic. I have nothing against dumb movies... but ID4 II was just poor.

1996: NEON MAGAZINE ISSUE 1

From December 1996: the first issue of NEON, another British film magazine with a slightly more edgy style (despite having the obligatory LOST IN SPACE, GODZILLA and X-FILES covers) that - eventually - got squeezed between the twin heavyweights of EMPIRE and TOTAL FILM.

The most memorable cover was definately the STAR WARS/ FATHER TED mash-up that graced the second issue. I found a copy in my files recently and I'll add it to STARLOGGED when I can.

26 issues appeared through to December 1999.

1996: DUE SOUTH SIGNED VIDEO SLEEVES (CLEAR VISION)

From 1996: two signed VHS video sleeves for DUE SOUTH.

The stars of the show flew over to the UK in '96 to drum up publicity for the show (airing on the BBC) and the VHS releases from Clear Vision.

One of their bookings was an appearance at London's HMV flagship Oxford Street store. The signing took place upstairs in the video department and was well attended by the shop's fans. The autograph line snaked around the department and between the rows of shelves (no doubt a nightmare for casual shoppers and store detectives alike).

The event was also covered by Channel One, London's other cable station which was even less viewers and was less talked about than legendary rival Live TV. The sight of a camera crew led one nervous punter standing near me to panic because they'd bunked off work for the day to attend and feared their boss might spot them. Seeing which channel it was, they had little reason to worry.

Both stars seemed very polite and - if memory serves (I didn't take any pictures, this was long before the ubiquitous smart phone) - both wore their costumes from the show. A really nice touch. Someone had also gone to the effort to bring along a "prop" real husky (who was very well behaved) just to complete the illusion. A really nice bit of 'value added' which helped the event feel pretty special.

The two tapes purchased on the day were episodes (with - I think - the exception of Letting Go) which hadn't yet aired on British TV as they were from the start of the second season... which the BBC had purchased but not played at that point.

The cast (and - I think - the stand-in dog) also shot a promo (the roof of BBC TV Centre rings a bell) for the launch of year two on BBC ONE.

1996: MAVEL STAR TREK COMICS IN STAR TREK COMMUNICATOR

From August/ September 1996: STAR TREK COMMUNICATOR magazine, published by THE OFFICIAL STAR TREK FAN CLUB, previews the launch of the new line of STAR TREK comics published under the Marvel/ Paramount imprint.

Although Trek has been a mainstay of comic books since the era of the original TV show (or earlier in the case of the UK, thanks to the JOE 90 weekly getting a head start on the BBC) I've never felt there's a particularly large section of Trek fans that would also dip into the comic adventures of Kirk and crew. Clearly enough to sustain two regular books and the occasional special, annual and limited series but a whole imprint?

Marvel, in typical Nineties excess, snatched away the contract (thanks to their swoop on Malibu Comics) with the promise of a myriad of ongoing series based in some pretty obscure facets of the franchise.

A saturated market, too few readers, a big licensing bill, nose diving sales across the industry and Marvel's own perilous financial status conspired to make this the boom before the bust... but there was some good stuff published over the following two years.

It's crazy to think that this line was launching twenty years ago already...