I could say I didn't even notice because I was too busy catching up with the adventures of the galaxy's greatest comic but the truth is I do remember it opening, and wondering what the point was of a nudist beach in a country where it's always freezing cold. It's strange the things that stick in your mind, even after forty years.
But, if I can recall that trivial affair, no doubt that means I'll have no difficulty in recalling the contents of that month's 2000 AD.
Well, so much for that theory. Although some of the covers ring a vague bell for me, I'm struggling, as always, to recall the insides.
Of course, the big news is fully displayed on the covers. And that is that, with Prog 127, 2000 AD and Starlord became 2000 AD and Tornado.
I can't remember if I ever read any issues of Tornado before it merged with its new partner. I have a feeling I may have done but couldn't bet my last galactic groat on it. But wasn't the bloke pictured on the left-hand side of that first merged cover Dave Gibbons or Brian Bolland or someone similar, in a costume?
It's interesting that one of the characters introduced by the merger was called Wolfie Smith which was also the name of the central character in the then current BBC sitcom Citizen Smith. Was this coincidence, conspiracy or homage?
Anyway, I vaguely recall his strip.
Of Black Hawk, sadly, I recall nothing.
Tornado was zarjaz enough to have been worth reading even in my early teens, which is pretty good going by the standards of the old British weekly boys comics, Steve.
ReplyDeleteBlack Hawk - a period piece about a Nubian slave turned Roman centurion, stylishly drawn by the late Spanish artist Alfonso Azpiri - was the best thing in it.
www.greatnewsforallreaders.com/blog/2016/4/14/on-this-day-14-april-1979-tornado
The transition to 2000AD was a bit of a disaster for the character though - he had to become an outer space gladiator to fit in with the science-fiction brief of the progs, but the script droids didn't seem to have much of a clue what to do with him beyond that.
Even Massimo Belardinelli seemed bored.
Wolfie Smith didn't outlive the merger for long either. So much for the Big E.
-sean
Thanks for the Tornado info, Sean, and the link. I must confess I still have no recollection of Black Hawk's 2000 AD strip. He clearly made no impact on me at all.
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves, the fellow on the left was Dave Gibbons, playing the part of Big E.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation, B.
ReplyDelete