OYEZ! OYEZ! SIXTH And FINAL PART Of The TITANS COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

"And it came to pass that there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth across the land, for The TITANS had fallen."  Yes sirree, after only 58 issues, The Titans was subsumed by SUPER SPIDER-MAN and yet another mighty MARVEL mag bit the dust.  You have to hand it to Marvel U.K. though - they certainly tried, and were a major player in British comics in the '70s and '80s, but it couldn't last, alas. After 20 plus years, Marvel U.K. disappeared, and PANINI gained the licence to produce mags for a British readership.  However, in its day, Marvel's British division was a force to be reckoned with and published some memorable comics that are still fondly recalled (but not without criticism) by old farts like myself.

Okay, it wasn't as good as it could have been - should have been - but neither was it entirely without merit.  So let's raise a glass of soda pop to The Titans, as we study the covers of the final nine issues of this short-lived but power-packed comic from the far-off '70s.  We may never see its like again, but at least it made a big impression on the memories of bright-eyed readers who enjoyed it back in the day and were sad to see it go.

  

And below is one you won't have seen before.  For the story behind it, take a look at the comments section.

There were two Annuals to tie-in with the title (issued in 1975 and '76, each for the following year), so below is a selection of images from them.

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MARGARET NOLAN (AGAIN)...

Excluding your wife ('cos, depending

on your reply, it just might cause you some

serious grief), have you ever had a girlfriend as

gorgeous as MARGARET NOLAN?  Me being

a real handsome lad, I've had loads, but how well

have all you ordinary looking guys done?  What's

that, nurse - time for my long-sleeved pjs that

tie at the back?  But I can't scratch my @rse

 when I'm wearing them.  Bah!

The CRUNCH COVER GALLERY - PART FIVE...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

As well as having all 54 issues of The CRUNCH, I'm pretty sure I also have all 67 issues of SPIKE, which was published by D.C. THOMSON around three years after its predecessor's demise.  Unless I've given them away and then forgotten about it, they should be up in my loft in a box somewhere and have been for years.  (Let's just hope they're not too mouldy.)  I may even have CHAMP as well, but whether or not I've still got the complete set or only the first three issues, I can no longer remember.

It's a shame that DCT no longer produce action/adventure weekly titles for boys, because they had their own undeniable charm, despite their cheap paper and typeset lettering.  Of course, that may just be nostalgia for the past which makes me feel that way, as comics like VICTOR, HOTSPUR, WARLORD, etc., represent a fondly remembered part of my childhood.  Not that I was ever a regular reader of the first two papers, restricting myself to an occasional free gift issue down through the years.

It's kind of scary though to think that today's kids may one day look back on the last incarnation of The DANDY with the same glow of affection, as, let's face it - one or two strips apart, it was pure p*sh.  When I eventually win 80 squillion quid on the the Lottery I'll come to an agreement with Thomson's and revive some of their retired titles, fill them with classic strips, but print them on the same cheap paper.  I'm convinced that content is the important thing, and I'd much rather read an old 1970s comic printed on what seemed like blotting paper, than a modern one printed on something akin to a shiny piece of linoleum.

What say the rest of you?