Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
Here it is; the return of the awesome feature where the first person to comment gets to set the topic for discussion in the comments section below.
Who'll be the first to break their silence?
And when?
And how?
Nominate your top 10 British Marvel weeklies!
ReplyDeleteHere's mine:
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Spider-Man_%26_Captain_Britain_Vol_1_247
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Spider-Man_%26_Captain_Britain_Vol_1?file=Super_Spider-Man_%2526amp%253B_Captain_Britain_Vol_1_233.jpg
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Spider-Man_%26_Captain_Britain_Vol_1?file=Super_Spider-Man_%2526amp%253B_Captain_Britain_Vol_1_237.jpg
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mighty_World_of_Marvel_Vol_1_269
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mighty_World_of_Marvel_Vol_1_270
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mighty_World_of_Marvel_Vol_1_271
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Rampage_Vol_1_23
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/a/ae/Mswuk53.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070920141257
https://britishcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man_Comic_Vol_1?file=Sm328.jpg
https://britishcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man_Comic_Vol_1?file=Sm333.jpg
Phillip
Thanks for the topic, Phillip.
ReplyDeleteI shall go for:
Mighty World of Marvel #4. The first issue of that mag I ever had.
The Titans #1. Five strips in one weirdly-shaped comic. How could I not love it?
The Avengers #9. The first glossy-covered Marvel UK weekly I had. And it featured Dr Strange fighting a house.
The Avengers #95. The book merges with Savage Sword of Conan, meaning we get even more goodness than ever.
Super Spider-Man #171. The death of Gwen Stacy. And we get Thor vs Dr Doom!
Rampage Monthly #8. The Hulk vs the original Avengers. The start of the New X-Men. Dr Strange battles Satan.
Mighty World of Marvel #199. The comic that introduced me to Neal Adams' art on the Kree/Skrull War. And it had the Hulk vs the Wendigo, and Conan too!
Mighty World of Marvel #69. The covers have gone glossy and Daredevil is back.
Spider-Man Comics Weekly #44. Spidey quits.
Spider-Man Comics Weekly #75. Spidey auditions to join the Avengers, by fighting the Hulk, and Thor tackles the Man-Beast.
Why is this one of the two blogs I check on a regularly?
ReplyDeleteHard to remember specific issues at this distance in time, but the British weekly that made the biggest impression on me was -
ReplyDelete2000 AD prog 86
Hey, if Steve can pick Rampage #9 which isn't a weekly I can have one that isn't a Marvel. And it makes it easier for our American friends excluded by the topic (tsk, tsk Phillip) to ignore the "British" part, and join in with any comic they want.
And c'mon - John Wagner & Brian Bolland, Pat Mills & Dave Gibbons, the underrated Massimo Belardinelli (with double page pread) on Flesh 2, and Carlos Ezquerra before he started phoning his work in... thats better than any 70s Marvel comic.
www.greatnewsforallreaders.com/blog/2016/10/11/on-this-day-14-october-1978-2000ad-and-starlord
-sean
PS Actually, thats not quite right - in '78 Marvel UK's Savage Sword Of Conan #5 made a big impression on me too.
ReplyDeleteCrom's testicles, how could you not be amazed by the first episodes of People of the Black Circle drawn by the mighty Buscema/Alcala combo and Worms of the Earth by Barry Smith & Tim Conrad, along with a part of Walt Simonson's adaptation of the anthropologically and historically challenged Hyborian Age?
Even at the princely sum of 40p that was money well spent.
Generally though, I tended to read the US monthlies - distribution was pretty good round our way - and Marvel UK's titles were a bit of an inconsistent mix.
I do have fond memories of their Planet Of The Apes weekly though, particularly #23 the senses shattering first appearance of the mighty Apeslayer!
-sean
E84ever, I'm afraid I don't know.
ReplyDeleteSean, oops. I forgot we were supposed to be doing weeklies.
Sean - I suggested British weeklies because Redartz has already done top 5 U.S. Marvels recently. The real win was the stipulation of "Marvel", not "British" , as it excludes Charlie's DC Thompson favourites!
ReplyDeletePhillip
Can typos - not "win", but sin!
By Crom's testicles... what are we American blokes gonna say to this!
ReplyDeleteHave no worries! Charlie will always have an opinion even only marginally irrelevant!
My 10 favorite British comic "thingies" are (not in order of preference necessarily):
The Scottish Annuals
1) Dennis the Menace
2) Oor Wullie
3) The Broons
4, 5, 6) Hotspur, Victor, and Valiant
7) Dandy
8) Beano
8) Andy Cap daily cartoons and paperbacks
9) The Thunderbirds (1960s - never saw any reboots)
10) Charlie'll think of something... Don't worry!
Phillip - you will notice that I did not let any of your following stipulations hinder my joy at contributing lol:
ReplyDelete1) Marvel
2) Weekly
Cheers, Joyful Charlie
For some reason I think the UK had other newspaper comics that appeared in the US, besides Andy Capp, but I just can't think of any! Help?
ReplyDeleteI too will be flexible with the rules:
ReplyDeletePlanet of the Apes #4 - my first Marvel comic (I beat Colin by one week);
Captain Britain #15 - The only gap in my CB collection and the climax of the Overmind story in the FF. Finally obtained via a school jumble sale and a complex series of contra trades;
The Titans #48 - given to me by an uncle (along with #47) shortly before I bought CB #1 and became a huge Fantastic Four fan. I didn't really know who John and Crystal were, but there enforced separation seemed very important somehow;
Might World of Marvel #3 - given to me by the same uncle who had recently married and was clearing out old junk from my Grand Parent's loft. I was amazed that old comics had paper covers and occasional colour pages. The Hulk looked like Frankenstein and Peter Parker looked really young;
The Titans #1 - I became aware that a primary school class mate had acquired the first eight issues of The Titans from a neighbour (did no one realise the value of these things?). Again a complex series of trades (including a signed Trevor Brooking poster and a family sized bar of Old Gold Rum N Raisin) and they were mine. The Kirby Inhumans and origin of Captain America stood out from the first issue.
Daredevils #9 - When our Jim Jaspers changes the glass of white wine to red, confirming he has the same reality altering ability as his counter Earth equivalent, it suddenly got real for Captain Britain and chums;
Daredevils #10 - The Fury wipes out half the Captain Britain cast and it remained real for Captain Britain and chums;
Daredevils #11 - Moore demonstrates quite how scary the Fury is, when Captain UK wets herself with fear, as it remains real for everyone;
Mighty World of Marvel monthly #12 - The Fury incinerates Jaspers' brain and is then torn apart by a highly emotional Captain UK, as it suddenly gets real for the Fury;
Planet of the Apes #11 - the climax of the first movie adaptation plus Wally Wood Doctor Doom!
DW
Charlie - Fred Bassett, perhaps?
ReplyDeletePhillip
Charlie - Why are the Topper & Beezer absent from your 10?
ReplyDeletePhillip
Charlie did not list out Topper nor Beezer nor Sparky nor... simply because Charlie does not know, lol.
ReplyDeleteFred Bassett... that was a staple of the comics page too when I was a kid!
Not sure if I will list Fred as the 10th choice or go with the Beatles cartoon on Saturdays. But I am not sure that the Beatles cartoon was a UK production?
Hmmmmm, well I don't know 10 British Marvel Weeklies, I've only seen one in person. So that's my favorite: "Avengers and Savage Sword of Conan 109". Fascinating blend of features...
ReplyDeleteTo make a slightly longer list, here's a few of my British favorites:
The Beatles
David Attenborough
Cadbury chocolate
Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur Dent ( because Marvin the Robot wouldn't count)
Gerry Marsden
ABC
And really, any British musical import from the last 60 yrpears...
DW, was the Captain Brexit story in Daredevils #9 the one with the "It killed Miracleman" cameo?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't convinced by the early Miller DD (before he was the writer) and felt uneasy about putting an anthology in any top 10 list on the basis of just one feature, but that CB run is one of the best things Marvel - including the US parent company - did back then, so... good choice.
-sean
Sean
ReplyDeleteI think the Miracleman issue was #8. Issue nine featured Captain UK arriving at Braddock Manor to warn Captain Britain that Jaspers was a criminally insane super mutant, only to be dismissed. Of course the Fury then turned up and killed half the cast. These issues (specifically 10 and 11) feature the first two Miller written stories, and Moore and Plowright's, well written 'Inside Comics' articles. Beyond nostalgia, these do remain a genuine high point.
One thing that does strike me is the lengths my younger self went to, to obtain precious issues from other school kids. Some trades involved half a dozen kids, and the challenge was for everyone in the group to feel they'd done well as possible.
DW
Charlie, you clearly know your DCT. Are you also familiar with IPC comics - Buster & Monster Fun, Whizzer & Chips, Shiver & Shake, Whoopee!, Cheeky, Cor! etc?
ReplyDeleteMarvel & DC had Superman vs Spider-man. What if DCT & IPC had Billy the Cat vs the Leopard of Lime Street?
Phillip
I’m always a sucker for top ten items . Although for Marvel weeklies I can’t recall what issues had certain storylines for the stripAND BACK UPS :
ReplyDeleteMighty World of Marvel issues 1 The one that started it all. I still have my original copy safely tucked away.
The Avengers Weekly issues 1 The first Dr Strange by Ditko and still a big favourite of mine. Plus the first UK marvel with glossy covers (it was a big thing at the time)
Spider-Man comics weekly issue 91 The end of the Tablet storyline. The best Spidey tale imho
Spider-Man comics weekly issue 21 The Molten man by Ditko. I just loved that issues and the cover
Spider-Man comics weekly issue 33 Where falls the Meteor – another Ditko favourite of mine
Avengers weekly issue 35 The first Paul Gulacy Master of Kung Fu strip (I think)
Mighty World of Marvel issues 62 The earth shattering menace of Umbo the unliving. One of the very best Hulk tales and think it was the first time I read Ka-Zar. Trimpe/Severin art team at its best as well.
Spider-Man comics weekly issue 33 First John Romita issue. I was gutted Ditko had left but little did I know Romita would be just as good
Savage Sword of Conan issue 1 I loved Conan but wasn’t aware of his early strips and Smiths art (plus it had King Kull)
World of Marvel issue 134 The crawling I unknown0one of my all time favourite Hulk strips.
Charlie, McScotty, Redartz and DW, those are all fine choices. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, the Beatles cartoon was definitely American. The terrible accents were a giveaway.
Howdy!
ReplyDeleteWell I went to the Youtube to check out some of those Beatles cartoons. They ran from 65 - 68 and I'm bemused the Beatles didn't want to do their own voices. Too busy?
But you can't here the songs b/c they are muted to protect copyrights.
This episode is actually reasonably funny none the less, lol. Beatles in Paris... pretty cool. Sean - you francophone - you may dig it in particular!
Season 2, Episode 28. Paul and Ringo go to a fashion show in Paris, but the designs are stolen by a thief named Jacques Le Zipper. Paul chases Jacques to the Eiffel Tower, and has trouble with heights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xPVNdZS22E