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It was a good idea - in theory at least. However, early issues of the weekly British AVENGERS comic were marred by shoddy printing, which rendered what should've been subtle tones of grey as hideous muddy blacks. Looking back at these issues now, I wonder why MARVEL took so long to get the problem rectified. The ODHAMS PRESS presentations of the same tales from a few years before had been vastly superior.
That said, the comics still have a nostalgic appeal that's hard to resist - for those who bought them back in the day anyway. Here then, are a few more random covers of comics recovered from the depths of my cupboard, protected by cardboard folders for many a long year. I've featured some of them before on this blog, but they were probably scanned from spare copies which I store in a different place.
I won't bore you with my personal reminiscences of every individual ish, but I remember taking Avengers #28 up to a pal's house one night to show him, and then watching an episode of The SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN in his living room. Ah, it only seems like last week, yet I was still a mere schoolboy with eternity stretched out in front of me. Nowadays, sadly, I realise that nothing lasts forever - not even 'forever'. But enough of this gloom and despondency - let's just enjoy looking back on yesterday - ironically, it's all we of a certain age really have to look forward to. (And if that's not ironic, then nothing is!)
And I didn't have to wait long! I missed out on the Avengers & TCFF, but I had Thor and SS-MTVC is the point where I started collecting UK Spidey. On the subject of the Avengers, did you know the US did a #1.5 vs Dr doom?
ReplyDeleteSure did, JP - I've got it in my collection. It was also reprinted in the Panini Avengers title a few years ago. More comics you mentioned still to come.
ReplyDeleteI'll be curious to see if Star Wars is one of them? SW never really grabbed me, I went straight from POTA to DW.I am wondering if it was just me or if other comic heads weren't all that bothered either and if that's the case , I wonder why when it's so popular with so many geeks?
ReplyDeleteYup, Star Wars - and Return of the Jedi. I don't think I bought many of them - just the first few because of the collecting bug in me.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid /teen I didn't like 90% of licensed titles whether that be from films, tv, toys , books etc and I only picked them up if there was nothing else on the spinner racks, or I wasn't aware it was a licensed character (who the heck is/was Rom !!??) or of course if there was a favourite artist on the book. I think a lot of these types of book suffered if the creative team assigned to them weren't into the characters and for me with the Star Wars comic I don't think the creative team had time to really appreciate the film (the film was only just out )as a result (despite loving the films) I dropped the book after the first 5 or 6 UK issues. Whereas I loved and bought most issues of Conan and Kull as well as a fair amount of POTA & Dracula as I it felt that the creative teams loved and understood the characters (certainly was the case with Conan and Roy Thomas). Books like Battlestar Galactica, Rom, Godzilla, Micronauts etc were mostly just produced without any real interest in the characters imho so I only picked up the odd issues or read them in UK weekly comics - saying that I definitely missed a few cracking books not reading licensed books ass a general rule, especially DCs Tarzan as I only picked up my first issue of that book about 3 years ago in a sale (and hear Marvels early issues of Tarzan were good as well). McS
ReplyDeleteI used to love the Marvel UK monthlies and the holiday specials , some of which were beautiful full colour books with card covers , so if you have any of these to show us........
ReplyDeleteCol, at one time I bought two of everything - cost me a fortune when buying Masterworks volumes - but I don't do that any more. I think I bought 3 or 4 issues of CFF #1, which I still have. A few years ago, 'though, I got rid of some spares by simply giving them away. That included first issues and Kirby's Boy's Ranch and Fighting American volumes.
ReplyDeleteI've got a Big Ben Holiday Special with cardboard covers, plus a couple of Doctor Who ones, but I think that most of the other specials I own just have glossy covers. Can you be more specific, Col, to give my old memory a jog?
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McScotty, I never quite got into Rom - I think I have one U.S. Annual, but that's about all. He was a 'Space Knight' sent to Earth to capture alien baddies (Wraiths?), or something like that. Funnily enough, regarding Star Wars, it's generally regarded as being the comicbook that saved Marvel (U.S.), as the company was in a bad way until sales of the comic reversed their downward spiral. Strange but true. Without Star Wars, Marvel probably wouldn't exist today.
I've got the first 4 DC Tarzans, which cover the first book, plus the first Marvel ones, I think. Joe Kubert and John Buscema were probably the only two artists who could have done full justice to the Ape Man back then.
I wasn't aware Star Wars monthly comic saved Marvel it must have sold a bundle - I forgot about Rampage that a good comic (well I loved the Defenders) did that become a Monthly or was it the other way around?
ReplyDeleteYes, it became a monthly, featuring the retro '60s Hulk tales from the b&w U.S. monthly mag, The Rampaging Hulk. These stories were later revealed to be 'fictional' accounts by an alien film maker (or something like that) and not part of official Hulk continuity - although they were meant to be when first published.
ReplyDeleteI think there was an Avengers , Red Sonja & Thor Winter (?) Special with card covers , possibly a Conan as well.
ReplyDeleteAlas, you're out of luck with those two, JP. I don't even remember seeing them, never mind buying them. Don't despair 'though - we're bound to have something else you'll enjoy.
ReplyDelete(You're not thinking of the large Treasury Editions by any chance, are you?)
Nope , these came out mid to late 80s, possibly the same time as Big Ben. Red Sonja and Thor were 2 separate specials.
ReplyDeleteI'd have liked to have seen the Thor one - and Red Sonja too, come to think of it. (I used to have #1 of her U.S. mag.) Wonder how I managed to miss them?
ReplyDeleteI think there may also have been an Indy Jones special too. Plus there was a Dragonslayer colour special , but I can't remember the thickness of that cover.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall a UK Red Sonja special either (I think I saw a Thor special recently, based on the first movie ) but assume the Sonja special could have been a Marvel UK version of the US Marvel Super Special of the horrendous Red Sonja movie, which would sound right ( or the 2 equally poor US Marvel monthly's based on the film character)- Red Sonja was also in the first issue of the UK Team Up comic (and of course could have been in the UK Conan monthly but like yo I cant seeing it at all. McS
ReplyDeleteI had the Dragonslayer mag, JP - it was just a normal glossy cover. I got the Indy Jones monthly U.K. mag, but can't recall if I ever got the special. If I did I should still have it somewhere.
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McScotty, just checked the first issue of the U.K. Marvel Team-Up, but no Red Sonja - must've been a different mag. Probably Conan, like you suggest.
Sorry Kid should have said it was the UK "Team up" Winter special the Red Sonja / Spider-man team up (brilliant and bizarre with great John Byrne art )
ReplyDeletehttp://marvel.wikia.com/Marvel_Team-Up_(UK)_Vol_1
Argh! I don't think I saw that one either, McScotty. Although I sort of dimly recall the U.S. Marvel Tales reprinting a story like that. I'll take a look at that link.
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Just did, but it wasn't the one I was thinking of. I wonder if I saw this at the time, but didn't bother with it because I'd given up on the weekly, perhaps. Alas, I shall probably never know.
McScotty reminded me- the Red Sonja special WAS the movie red Sonja , but a very nice book nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI think it's safe to assume that those specials were the '85 Winter Specials published by Proost. Perhaps there might be some in-house ads for them in some Nov/Dec comics?
ReplyDeleteI'll keep my out for them the next time I'm looking through back issues from the period, JP. Ta.
ReplyDeleteFINALLY I find out about these seasonal specials.- there were 6 card cover SUMMER specs in 85 followed by another 4 in Winter PLUS a red sonja SUPER spec.
ReplyDeleteIn 84 there was an Indy Jones XMAS spec..
In Winter 82 there was an Avengers UK treasury edition -magazine sized, card cover. Likewise a SSOC/red sonja winter spec.
Can't find a thor spec.- perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me for thor but i have a pix of all the rest.
Thanks for the info, JP.
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