CAPTAIN BRITAIN COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

"EXPLODING FROM THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL..." proclaimed the cover banner of the first ish of CAPTAIN BRITAIN's monthly mag.  It said the same on the covers of #s 2-5, 7 & 8, ensuring that the name, at least, of Marvel's 1972 debut British comic survived into August of '85.  Then we had to wait another 18 years to see the mag's  return.  Ironically, some of these same CB tales eventually appeared (in colour) in the revived MWOM, bringing things nicely full-circle. 

Cap, of course, had first appeared in his own weekly mag back in 1976, and we'll be looking at the complete set of covers from that series in (hopefully) the not too distant future.  Until that happens, be sure and join us for the second part of this particular cover gallery - coming soon!

I associate this issue with Portsmouth because I recall seeing it in the shops while living down there and
commuting up to London at the beginning of 1985, when I first started freelancing for IPC.  In fact, unless
I'd already purchased it back home, I'm fairly sure that's where I actually bought it.  I definitely got the next
issue there, and maybe even the one after that.  Regardless, whenever I look at this cover, I think mainly of
my room in 5 Shearer Road in Fratton.  Happy memories!

The DAREDEVILS COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

While we're waiting for the second part of The MARVEL Mag That TIME FORGOT, let's take a look at the 1983 11 issue run of another publication - The DAREDEVILS, which was subsumed by the second (and monthly) volume of MWOM from its 7th issue.

I bought the first 5 or 6 issues while living in one house, and the rest of them after flitting to another.  (They came back with me to the first house when I returned in August 1987, and I've still got them to this day.)  You'd have thought a magazine containing CAPTAIN BRITAIN, SPIDER-MAN, and FRANK MILLER's DAREDEVIL would've been a sure-fire hit, but its failure shows just how wrong you can be.

Never mind, at least we have these 11 covers to look back on and remind ourselves of what things were like over 30 years ago.  Got any memories?  Let's hear them.

The MARVEL MAG THAT TIME FORGOT - PART ONE...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

When The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL was relaunched by PANINI in 2003, the first issue's indicia was numbered Volume 2, Number 1.  This completely ignored the fact that there had already been a second volume of MWOM, released back in 1983.  I immediately contacted Panini and informed them of their error and a few issues later the numbering was corrected.  (I subsequently also contacted one or two Internet sites who'd made the same mistake in their recounting of the history of the title and advised them of the fact.)

The 'real' Volume 2 lasted seventeen issues then disappeared, although the actual name survived as a banner headline on seven covers of the first eight issues of the CAPTAIN BRITAIN monthly magazine (EXPLODING FROM THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL...), launched in December of '84 (cover-dated January '85). Readers had to wait another eighteen years for the return of the premier 'official' U.K. Marvel periodical, first launched back on the last day of September 1972 (cover-dated October).

Here then, are the first nine covers of the Marvel mag that time and Panini forgot. (Until I reminded them, that is.)  Don't forget to come back for the remaining eight if you want a full set.

Click here for Part Two.