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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
So, what can I say about The TITANS that I haven't already said or that you don't already know? Nothing, actually, apart from the fact that I'm surprised, looking back, to note that it lasted for just over a year. In keeping with quite a few other titles of their time (like FANTASTIC, TERRIFIC, SUPER DC, The CRUNCH, etc.), it seems, in memory, to have been a much more significant feature of my life and around for far longer than it actually was. Strange, eh?
However, we're not here to ponder that particular paradox (though you can if you want to), but to go on a whistle-stop tour of nine issues of what was supposed to be MARVEL's flagship title in their fleet of British weeklies back in the 1970s. Like I said in an earlier post, I feel that, had just a little more care and attention been lavished on The Titans (and that goes for some of the other comics too), then it may well have lasted for longer than the 58 issues it managed to hang on for.
But that's enough pontificating from me, you'll be glad to hear. Now it's time to lose yourself in the pretty pictures that follow. Don't hog them all to yourself now - leave a space and let other Criv-ites cop a gander as well.
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15 comments:
I was never a big fan of “Titans” and only picked it up now and then after the first few issues. I wasn’t aware it was supposed to be Marvel’s flagship title in the 70s, if so it was a major fail. The FF certainly improved the title , but I agree hard to believe it only lasted for just over a year, but UK Marvels production values at this time were at times average and more than occasionally shockingly poor so I wasn’t to surprised Titans was cancelled as were other weeklies. I vividly recall that advert for “The World’s newest and greatest hero” good to see UK Marvel not exaggerating – of course it ended up being Captain Britain, a good attempt but he wasn’t even the greatest hero in East Kilbride.
Well, of course he wasn't, McScotty - that position was already filled by someone whose name modestly escapes me for the moment. The 'flagship' claim came in a message purportedly by Stsn Lee in issue #3 - although I always considered MWOM as bearing that honour.
I only had one or two issues myself, bought from a second-hand shop around 79/80, along with examples of others I had missed. I liked the novelty of the landscape effect.
Which reminds me, Kid, do you also have the landscape Spideys as well?
I had them all at the time they were first issued, JP, but now only have a handful - one of which contains a letter of mine.
I know what you mean about thinking a comic had been around longer than it actually was- I was shocked when I recently realised that Spider-Man and Zoids only lasted 51 weekly issues. I feel as it was around for aaages longer than that. Funny the tricks that time can play on a fella.
I had all of these and though I've seen the covers elsewhere online I haven't seen the redrawn splash pages since I had the comics themselves - how fascinating to see them again !! The first issue shown here is of course the story where the FF defeat the Kree sentry and Neil Armstrong becomes the "first" man on the moon....despite the fact that the FF had been to the moon loads of times and halfway across the galaxy by now - I saw the problem with that straight away. I seem to remember they were teasing us about Captain Britain for ages - they would only give his initials as CB and I thought surely they wouldn't call him Captain Britain as it sounded rather corny even to the 10 year old me. But they did and I wanted to read it naturally :)
It's not long, is it, DD. Terrific only lasted for 43 issues, but thinking back a few years after its demise, I had the impression it had been around for ages.
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That's what happens when they mix fantasy with reality, CJ, eh? As for CB comic, there was an earlier IPC version, but it never saw print. I wonder if it would've lasted longer than the Marvel one did?
Yes, I was reading about that other CB a couple of years ago in either SFX or Comic Heroes magazine - it showed pictures of him and I thought Marvel's version looked a lot better. In my opinion this period in The Titans was the FF's finest hour - better than The Complete FF because in The Titans they were drawn by Kirby then John Romita not Rich Buckler as in much of The Complete FF.
Ah, but you're surely forgetting, CJ, that the early Lee & Kirby classics were back-up tales in The Complete FF, which, to me, gave it the advantage over The Titans.
Comparing the redone splashes to the originals, they are often either using art from the originals or doing a very good copying job. Hard to tell.
For the "art spotters" out there, per the cover signatures, 41 and 44 are by Larry Leiber (44 inked by "Bruce" Patterson), 45 by Steve Stiles and Duffy Vohland (SS/DV), and 46 Jeff Aclin. The splash from 46 is signed by John Fuller (from Continuity Associates, with a small resume of professional comics work). The cover to 43 is attributed to Steve Stiles, but I don't know.
As for the rest?
I must confess that The Titans was probably my favourite Marvel mag at the time. I loved the shape, I loved the fact that we got more strips than usual. And, for some reason, the reduced page size held a strange attraction for me.
The redrawn Romita splashes are quite good, although they could be cut-ups or tracings. I don't have my originals (or other reprints) at hand to check. Thanks for searching out the cover signatures and initials, JS - saves me the trouble.
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I suppose it was good value for money, Steve, but if only they'd taken a little more care over it. Know something? I really wouldn't have minded if they'd been printed on D.C. Thomson type paper - just so long as they kept the margins around the pages consistent. DCT comics were at least always neatly presented.
Kid, I'm intrigued about this IPC CB. Can you tell us anything more about it? Cheers.
Kid, I hadn't forgotten about the back-up tales in The Complete FF - in fact I often enjoyed them more than the new stories. I just meant that the new stories were better in The Titans. But I had every issue of The Complete FF and I have very fond memories of it. And of course the first 9 issues of The Complete FF were drawn by John Buscema and #13 and 14 by Ross Andru - I think that might have been the only time he drew the FF.
JP, I'll probably get around to doing a post on it one day, but, if you're in a hurry, you find out all about it on Dez Skinn's site, which is in my blog list.
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I've still got all of my original issues of The Complete FF, CJ. That reminds me, I really must get around to resuming the cover gallery for them.
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