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Remember THUNDER comic? It was launched in 1970 and lasted all of 22 issues before being merged into LION. I've read somewhere on a couple of occasions that Thunder was produced merely to be subsumed by Lion and thereby increase its circulation. H'mm, but here's the thing that makes me slightly sceptical of that rumour being accurate. It cost a helluva lotta dosh to launch a comic back in the day (probably still does, even though they're not advertised on TV nowadays), and it took at least two years for a periodical to recoup its initial expenses - which, to my mind, makes the claim unlikely.
Publishers don't usually ever spend money with a view to failure, so it's likely that IPC had high hopes for Thunder, and considering the fact that when the two comics combined there was a preponderance of Thunder strips, it seems there was quite an inventory of completed material to be used up. I can certainly imagine the IPC bigwigs being aware that if the comic never took off then they could merge it with another title, but spending many thousands of pounds on a new publication with the express intention of merging it with an older one doesn't sound logical to me.
However, I know that a few 'industry' professionals occasionally read Crivens! because it's so compelling (don't worry, my tongue's firmly in my cheek with that last part), so if you know what the real story behind the release of Thunder and its pretty rapid merger into Lion actually is, feel free to share it in the comments section. Mind now, only facts, no mere idle speculation, 'cos I do enough of that for everyone.
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Since first publishing this post, I've learned where the erroneous idea started ('twas in a book), so I contacted the writer. He readily concedes he didn't express himself with his usual clarity, thereby giving the wrong impression about the reason behind Thunder's launch. He himself doesn't believe the comic was designed to fail in order to boost Lion's circulation, only that IPC knew merger was an option if Thunder failed to perform as hoped. Just like every comic in fact.
