The Christmas... THOR AND THE X-MEN? (1983)

When is a Christmas comic not a Christmas comic? When it's a Marvel UK comic reprinting stories out of season I guess. The short-lived Thor and the X-Men comic from 1983 was a merger of two of their weekly titles and reprinted 1960s and 1970s material from their American counterparts. 

The editor didn't have to make this a festive issue, as the stories certainly didn't reference Christmas, but snow still adorned the logo and Iceman appeared in the corner vignette so that was close enough. On page two, the Bullpen Bulletins editorial page (which would have also appeared in some of their other weeklies) also made references to Christmas, so all in all I'm calling this a Christmas comic.

This 28 page weekly was a slim comic that split the Thor and X-Men stories into two halves over two weeks. This issue featured the second halves of the U.S. editions of Thor No.232 (Feb. 1975) and X-Men No.30 (March 1967). 

The rest of the comic included a few pin-ups and a readers' art page. There was also the classified ads page, where comic shops and sellers could advertise. How many of these comic shops are still in business? Nostalgia and Comics has become Worlds Apart, Forbidden Planet has moved and expanded to branches in other cities. What about the rest? 

With it being Christmas, there were also adverts for the annuals that Marvel UK had produced that year. None of these TV shows appealed to me but I suspect those of you who are a bit younger will have enjoyed them...

Sadly, after a run of many years, there are no annuals in the UK featuring Marvel characters this year. Surprising, as I would have thought at least a Spider-Man Annual might still appeal to kids, but evidently not. Times are changing fast.

Keeping that UK Marvel tradition alive, Panini editor Brady Webb always makes sure The Astonishing Spider-Man has a festive look every year. This week's issue is on sale this Thursday, 19th December.

Panini's Spider-Man comic for younger readers also has a festive touch with Spidey swinging through a snowstorm. In the shops now.

Another classic Christmas comic soon, and next time we're going way back!

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MARVEL: 80 Amazing Years

Just published by Panini UK is this 176 page bookazine celebrating the 80th anniversary of Marvel Comics. This is the English language version of an international edition and the translation from Fabio Lacari's original Italian text seems a little stilted in places. However that may be due to it being written for all ages, as this is mainly a book for readers unfamiliar with Marvel's long history. 

Chapters take us through key points of 1939 up to the present day, and the bookazine is richly illustrated with plenty of artwork from each era. It reaches the 1980s halfway through the publication so it's evenly balanced chronologically. It's firmly focused on the history of Marvel USA though, so don't expect to see anything about Marvel UK beyond one measly sentence on page 110. Surprisingly the Marvel movies aren't covered either, or the games, but it makes a refreshing change that the text is solely about the comics and their creators rather than diverting off at a tangent. 

If you have a youngster (and these days I include anyone under 30) who's into Marvel then this would make an ideal Christmas stocking stuffer. Older readers may already know Marvel's history inside out but it's still worth it for hardcore collectors too. 

Marvel 80 Amazing Years - The True Story of a Pop Culture Phenomenon is out now in WH Smiths (and hopefully elsewhere) for £12.99. 

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Classic Spidey theme revitalised

This is a video that composer Michael Giacchino released yesterday of his dynamic orchestral version of the classic Spider-Man theme. It's going to be used in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie this summer... but surely it's too short for the main theme?

Indeed it is, as it only runs to 37 seconds. Then it occurred to me that's exactly the same length as the Marvel Fanfare theme used over the Marvel Studio logo at the start of Marvel movies. So I'm betting that the orchestral Spidey music will play over the Marvel logo intro instead of the usual fanfare theme. 
https://youtu.be/tXRJ7ozUJb0

Spider-Man: Homecoming is released on 7th July so we don't have long to wait to see if I'm right. 

100 Astonishing pages!

The latest issue of Panini's fortnightly Astonishing Spider-Man comic is a bumper-sized 100 page edition that begins The Clone Conspiracy saga. Ideal as a jumping-on point for new or returning readers. There are twists and turns coming up in the issues ahead so get in on the start. Available from WH Smith and selected newsagents.

Here's the info from Panini...

Astonishing Spider-Man Vol.6 #20. On sale 11th May 2017. 
100-page special of astounding action-packed arachnid-adventure! Only £3.99!
‘The Clone Conspiracy’ begins! The Jackal is back and has conquered death!
How is Spider-Man going to stop him, especially when he has an army of super-villains at his side?!!
Plus: De-powered and outnumbered, how are Spidey and Silk gonna rescue Chronosaurus Rex from HYDRA and fix the timeline?!!
By Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Javier Garrón, Jim Cheung, Ron Frenz, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Robbie Thompson and Todd Nauck.Includes material reprinted from Amazing Spider-Man #19-20, Free Comic Book Day: Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, The Clone Conspiracy #1 and Amazing Spider-Man/Silk: The Spider(Fly) Effect #4. 

THOR: RAGNAROK trailer

When I was first discovering Marvel Comics 50 years ago it seemed impossible that there would one day be an ongoing series of movies based on the characters. Yet here we are, with regular blockbuster movies that top the charts and appeal to both the fans and the general public. Magical times. 

Above is the trailer to Thor: Ragnarok, and it looks absolutely fantastic; colourful, exciting, funny, and the stunning Cate Blanchett as Hela, Goddess of Death! What's not to like? 

...and check out the Jack Kirby inspired designs on the wall behind the Grandmaster and Loki at this point of the trailer...

...not to mention that Hela herself looks very much like Kirby's design of the character, bizarre headdress and all...

It's a golden age of comics-related movies, but here in the UK, with a few exceptions, the trend these days is to base comics/mags on licensed properties, rather than vice-versa as America has done. Personally I think that comics should be appreciated as legitimate entertainment on their own merits, equal to film, not waiting to be justified by movie adaptations, but if you were given a movie budget, which British comic strip would you adapt into a film? Post your choices below, and why you think they'd appeal to the mass audience. 

THOR: RAGNAROK first look

America's top media mag Entertainment Weekly has some exclusive photos from the set of Thor: Ragnorok, the third Thor movie. 
http://ew.com/movies/thor-ragnarok-exclusive-first-look-photos/super-double-issue

There's a new look for Thor as he's forced to fight in a space arena against the Hulk (not shown) - and minus his hammer with the looks of things. The one thing that stood out for me though was the use of colour! I've noticed that the Phase Three Marvel movies are brighter and more colourful than their earlier films, and even the movie logos are using primary colours now. Is this an underlying nod to the building subplot about the infinity gems, or just a deliberate refreshing alternative to DC's drab-looking movies? Either way, it's certainly eye-catching. 

Thor: Ragnarok opens in the UK on 29th October.

...and the Internet explodes.

Marvel have just released a new trailer for Captain America: Civil War. I'm 56 and I'm excited as a kid to see this movie. 

More info and the trailer over at The Beat....

http://www.comicsbeat.com/get-your-first-look-at-spider-man-in-the-new-captain-america-civil-war-trailer/

Marvel Deja Vu

Even though the fortnightly partwork Marvel Graphic Novel Collection is still running, Hachette have just relaunched it again this week from issue 1. The first edition is in WH Smith and other shops now priced £1.99. It looks as though these reprints will follow the exact same order and content as the original run.

I understand it's quite common practice with partworks to relaunch before the original series concludes, as usually the issues have gone to subscription-only many months before any relaunch. However in this case, the books were still regularly on sale in some shops due to their popularity. 

So, this week you can either choose between volume 109 (The Inhumans) at £9.99 or restart from volume 1 (Spider-Man) at the starter price of £1.99. The old series may be winding down but according to the recent Previews catalogues a few more are still scheduled for the next few months. (I just hope this doesn't cause confusion with wholesalers and newsagents reserving the wrong books for long-standing orders!)

For more info and subscription details, go here:
http://www.graphicnovelcollection.com/

Golden Age America: Covers, part 4

Here's the final part in the pre-code covers of American comics scanned from my collection. I know opinion has been divided on this diversion from British comics but I'll be returning to UK comics again with the next post. 

Above is Captain 3-D No.1, December 1953. Harvey Comics. Produced by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby to capitalize on the 1950s 3-D craze. Interior strips printed in green and red for an effective 3-D effect when viewed through the free 'Magic Specs'. 

Web of Evil No.12, March 1954. Publisher: Comic Magazines. A typical anthology of four complete horror strips. 'Beware of the Univited Corpse'! Yes, corpses by invitation only please.

Whack No.3, May 1954. Jubilee Publications. One of the many Mad imitators of the period.

Police Action No.4, July 1954. Marvel Comics. Yet another of Marvel's many crime titles. 

Ringo Kid No.1, August 1954. Marvel Comics. Joe Maneely's cool cowboy. Some strips were later reprinted in TV21 in 1970/71. 

Cave Girl No.13, July-Sept 1954. Magazine Enterprises. Leggy lipstick-wearing jungle hero drawn by the brilliant Bob Powell. 

Wild Western No.38, November 1954. Marvel Comics. Another great Joe Maneely cover showing action from all four strips in the comic. 

Black Rider No.25, November 1954. Marvel Comics. Yet another excellent Joe Maneely cover. (Yes I'm a fan of his work.) Sadly Joe's life was cut short in a fatal accident in 1958.

Crimes by Women No.54. M.S. Dist. Actually a reprint of a 1940s comic, running strips about female criminals. More like crimes against women, judging by the cover.

Panic No.6, January 1955. EC Comics. The storm clouds against comics were gathering and the inevitable censorship was coming. EC spoofed the situation with this famous cover to their sister comic to Mad. 

...and that's yer lot. I hope you've enjoyed these last four posts looking at classic comics from across the Atlantic. If you're interested in seeing what sort of strips were published 60 plus years ago I can highly recommend the following two titles from Yoe Comics/IDW. Haunted Horror and Weird Love are published on alternating months. Each have 52 pages on quality paper, all in fill colour, scanned from the actual 1950s comics. (With a fantastic restoration job. No digital recoloring or redrawings/tracings by modern hands.) Priced at only $3.99 each, which works out at around £3 an issue depending on supplier. You'll find them in specialist comics shops.

Craig Yoe and his team who produce these reprint comics have also published numerous books on comics of the golden age and more. All of them are lovingly produced and superbly presented. Check out the website here:
http://www.yoebooks.com/

Golden Age America: Covers, part 3

The third journey back to America of the 1950s to look at pre-code comics from my collection. Kicking off with Suspense No.19, June 1952. One of Marvel's horror comics.

Wild Western No.22, also from June 1952 and published by Marvel. Anthology comic featuring Kid Colt, Apache Kid, and Gunhawk. Cover by the late great Joe Maneely.

Crime Exposed No.14, again from June 1952. Marvel Comics. Another of Marvel's many crime comics of the era. 

Weird Science No.14, July-August 1952. EC Comics. One of the great SF comics of the fifties. Cover by Wally Wood.

Jungle Comics No.152, August 1952. Publisher: Fiction House. Another popular genre of the golden age was the jungle adventure strip. Stories of women in fur bikinis aimed at adolescent Americans. We had Robot Archie, the Jungle Robot. America won that round I think. 

Crime and Punishment No.56, November 1952. Lev Gleason Publications. Torture covers such as these would later be banned by the Comics Code.

Terror Tales No.5, January 1953. Fawcett Publications. A horror comic from the same company that brought us the wholesome Captain Marvel.

Adventures Into Weird Worlds No.18, May 1953. Marvel Comics. More Marvel horror. Cover by Bill Everett.

Tales of Horror No.6, August 1953. Minoan Publishing. 'The Treacherous Genie'? More like the Lecherous Genie going by this cover, eh readers? Eh? 

Tomb of Terror No.11, September 1953. Harvey Publications. Classic horror comic, now back in print in the UK thanks to PS Publishing. 

Don't miss the final selection of golden age covers tomorrow! 
Previous parts in this series:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/golden-age-america-covers-part-1.html

http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/golden-age-america-covers-part-2.html

Golden Age America: Covers, part 2

More covers of pre-code American comics scanned from my collection. (See here for part 1.)

Above: Justice No.9, April 1949. Marvel Comics. It's very rare that American comics feature a cover strip but this one did, summarizing one of the longer strips inside. As you can see, it's a very brutal cover too, with panel 1 showing an old man having his head kicked in. While I don't believe comics can inspire kids to imitate scenes (unless they're already so inclined) this is still an unpleasant cover. 

Crime Fighters No.7, May 1949. Marvel experimented with this 'frame' design for some of the covers in 1949. It didn't last, but they'd do a similar trade dress for all their comics again in 1972. 

Kid Colt Outlaw No.10, July 1950. Marvel Comics. One of Marvel's most popular Western heroes. The comic continued well into the 1970s although he never became Old Man Colt.

Dotty Dripple No.15, December 1950. Harvey Comics. Reprinting the newspaper strip by Buford Tune.

All-True Crime No.43, March 1951. Marvel Comics. After the success of Lev Gleason's Crime Does Not Pay, Marvel published numerous rival crime comics. Excellent artwork though!

Western Outlaws and Sheriffs No.66, April 1951. Marvel Comics. Combining the popular crime and Western themes into one comic.

Crime Cases No.6, July 1951. Yet another Marvel crime title. The cover design of this, with its verbose dialogue, is clearly intended to imitate Charles Biro's Crime Does Not Pay covers.

Mighty Mouse No.28, September 1951. St.John Publishing. Lest we forget that 'funny animal' comics were still big sellers in America in the Fifties!

Patsy Walker No.37, November 1951. Marvel Comics. Yes, it's one of Marvel's contributions to the popular teen humour/glamour market. Cover by Al Jaffee, later to find fame on Mad Magazine. Patsy Walker remained a popular Marvel character for years, later brought into superhero continuity as Hellcat!

Crime Can't Win No.8, December 1951. Marvel Comics. Yep, another Marvel crime comic. They were certainly flooding the market with these titles. I really like the bold logos of these golden age comics.

Man Comics No.12, February 1952. Marvel Comics. War, including the then-current one in Korea, swiftly became another area for American comics to exploit in the Fifties.

Dark Mysteries No.5, Feb-March 1952. Master Comics. The thriving comics genres of the Fifties were crime, westerns, war, funny animals, teen humour... and horror.

Wanted No.47, May 1952. Orbit Publications. Crime Does Not Pay... but crime comics certainly brought in the dough for publishers!

Another set of Golden Age classics soon! I hope you're enjoying this temporary tangent into pre-code American comics. Let me know what you think.