From 1980: Doctor Strange graces the pages of RAMPAGE MAGAZINE and FORBIDDEN PLANET offers Mail Order wares for those not lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to their Central London store.
Monday, 16 February 2015
1978: THE SPIDER-MAN FILM IN THE UK (Marvel UK)
From 1978: Coverage from the SPIDER-MAN weekly of a special suspiciously sexist cinema screening of the first (of three) Spidey faux feature films.
I'm loving the Spider-Mobile!
This appeared in issue 272, 26 April 1978.
Friday, 13 February 2015
1978: IRON MAN House Ad (Marvel UK)
From August 1978: MARVEL UK announces the return of Iron Man, in the pages of THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL. As well as his continuing slot in the Avengers... currently booked into the pages of Spider-man's weekly.
I imagine some readers had to re-read this... it does, at first glance, look awfully like the announcement of an IM solo title.
1984: TITAN DISTRIBUTORS ADVERT from FANTASY ADVERTISER
From October 1984: a list of UK comics specialist stores serviced by Titan Distributors.
It's not a very long list... but the industry had yet to reach its peak (fast-forward about nine years) and Titan (now part of Diamond) wasn't the only player in the field.
This appeared on the back cover of FANTASY ADVERTISER issue 87.
1979: STAN LEE IN RAMPAGE MONTHLY (Marvel UK)
From 1979: Stan Lee talks HULK for MARVEL UK's RAMPAGE MONTHLY issue 11 (May).
It looks like this might be an original piece for the UK. Or, at least, an amended American interview with new copy added to plug the UK release of the pilot episode as a faux feature film. Although, it actually happened the following year (see: here).
Thursday, 12 February 2015
1983: WEETABIX CLUB Advert
From 1983: A chance to join the WEETABIX FAN CLUB... and I did.
Fan Clubs were, in the pre-internet age, a tried-and-tested way of reaching out to young consumers and buying their ongoing loyalty with the obligitory membership kit (see above) and the occasional mail-out when you have something specific to flog or feel you need to remind your membership of their loyalties.
I was never a great fan of Weetabix... but it was the breakfast table staple when I was little. So, of course, I signed-up for the club. And, although long since lost, I seem to remember the membership kit was pretty cool. And I'm fairly sure they sent out further issues of the comic for at least a little while.
This ad appeared in a December copy of the EAGLE.
1984: STAR WARS RANCOR KEEPER OFFER Advert (Palitoy)
From 1984: STAR WARS mail-away-for-a-fat-man offer.
The Rancor Keeper was not the most figure-friendly character lurking in Jabba's desert palace... but Palitoy still thought it was the ideal choice for its latest send-for-a-figure promotion.
Maybe they thought they stood more chance of shifting this duffer by making it seem like a premium item rather than exposing it to ridicule in the nation's discount dump bins... Or maybe they hoped that this would help shift more Rancor Monster toys.
This particular advert, which appeared in September, is from a copy of the EAGLE.
1992: WARHEADS Issue 1 (Marvel UK)
From 1992: WARHEADS issue 1, the official start of the MARVEL UKverse!
This copy is still bagged and sealed with the original "Genesis Seal", a brief scheme by the British Bullpen to cross-promote the new fortnightly OVERKILL, an anthology of the original "Genesis Five" books (WARHEADS, MOTORMOUTH, HELL'S ANGEL, THE KNIGHTS OF PENDRAGON and DIGITEK).
What the sticky plug neglects to mention is that, in terms of strips, Overkill readers were under served: The US editions contained twice as many strip pages that each story received in Overkill. But... were the Overkill versions (heavily) edited... or were the US versions padded?
Warheads were a team of dimension-jumping mercenary scavengers employed by Mys-Tech (the hitherto unknown movers and shakers of this part of Marvel Earth) to jump between worlds and dimensions to grab new technology for the benefit of their employers. A really nice idea oft-undermined by their continuing encounters with existing sales-boasting Marvel characters.
Nick Vince was the writer, Gary Erskine supplied the stunning art and John Freeman was editor.
The book eventually ran for fourteen regular issues and a two-part limited series. Plans for more were terminated (without mercy) in the Genesis Massacre.
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
1989: SLIPSTREAM Print Ad
From 1989: a UK print advert for the odd little post-apocalyptic adventure movie SLIPSTREAM, a rare post-STAR WARS leading role for Mark Hamill.
1981: SPIDER-MAN RELAUNCH House Ad (Marvel UK)
From 1981: Another impending relaunch for MARVEL UK's venerable SPIDER-MAN weekly. This time cannily timed to coincide with the long-delayed debut of the live-action CBS TV show on ITV... a marketing opportunity too good to resist (even if the new title, SUPER SPIDER-MAN TV COMIC, did sound like an odd amalgam of past incarnations and a long-running rival).
Oddly... they neglect to mention that the new format would see the return of glossy covers... and glossy centre pages for the first time.
It would also mean the departure of the rag-bag of recent mergers (HULK and MARVEL TEAM-UP) which were filling the back pages and making for a very unwieldy (and not very accurate) masthead.
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