Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Every so often, a long-established publication falls for a hoax.
Off the top of my head, I'm struggling to think of any.
However, one that I can definitely recall is The Hitler Diaries, that detailed insight into the mind of one of the 20th Century's worst painters.
Those diaries first hit the headlines in May 1983 when German magazine Stern published them. Needless to say, they caused quite the kerfuffle before being exposed for the total cobblers they were.
Definitely not total cobblers, that month, were Aberdeen FC. That's because they achieved the near-astonishing feat of defeating the mighty Real Madrid 2–1 and, in doing so, won the European Cup Winners' Cup, becoming only the third Scottish side to pick up a European trophy.
Winners were also present on the UK singles chart. May threw its doors open to the public with Spandau Ballet's True at Number One. That was then replaced by New Edition's Candy Girl which was, in turn, dislodged by the Police's tribute to stalking Every Breath You Take.
Over on the British album chart, triumph initially paid a visit to David Bowie who topped the listing with his Let's Dance LP. That then had to make way for Spandau Ballet's True which was then crushed beneath the wheels of the juggernaut that was Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Definitely not total cobblers, that month, were Aberdeen FC. That's because they achieved the near-astonishing feat of defeating the mighty Real Madrid 2–1 and, in doing so, won the European Cup Winners' Cup, becoming only the third Scottish side to pick up a European trophy.
Winners were also present on the UK singles chart. May threw its doors open to the public with Spandau Ballet's True at Number One. That was then replaced by New Edition's Candy Girl which was, in turn, dislodged by the Police's tribute to stalking Every Breath You Take.
Over on the British album chart, triumph initially paid a visit to David Bowie who topped the listing with his Let's Dance LP. That then had to make way for Spandau Ballet's True which was then crushed beneath the wheels of the juggernaut that was Michael Jackson's Thriller.
The nation's favourite sci-fi mag returns, to take a look at Xtro, Island at the Top of the World and Tenebrae. And it chats with Evil Dead director Sam Raimi.
All this and much much more for just 95 pence of your Earth money.
Judging by that cover, it would seem our gang are facing a terrible Death in the City of Bone which is certainly a title to be reckoned with.
Elsewhere, Indiana Jones is up to something or other. Bones are probably involved in that one, as well. But, whatever Indy's fate, I can almost guarantee an ancient artefact will be involved.
Judging by that cover, it would seem our gang are facing a terrible Death in the City of Bone which is certainly a title to be reckoned with.
Elsewhere, Indiana Jones is up to something or other. Bones are probably involved in that one, as well. But, whatever Indy's fate, I can almost guarantee an ancient artefact will be involved.
This month, we're blessed with a tale called For the Throne of Zamboula in which Conan is captured and tortured by Zafra the wizard. Once he escapes, our hero then finds himself in the middle of a revolution!
For those who like their slaughter in large doses, we also get another installment of the text article the world knows as A Study of Warfare in Conan's World.
I don't know much about the contents of this issue but its cover boasts that it features 40 star-packed pages. So, it must be good!
I do know, though, that we get the concluding part of the picture strip Target Practice.
Things are changing in our fave TV show, as world's oldest schoolboy and vaguely treacherous companion Turlough joins the cast. Thus it is that we get an interview with Mark Strickson, the actor who plays him.
We also get a chat with producer John Nathan-Turner but I suppose we all took that for granted. John never seemed to encounter an interview he didn't want to do.
But what's this? A retrospective on Snakedance, one of my favourite Fifth Doctor adventures? Who could say no to that?
It's a sad day for all comics fans, as Marvel Superheroes hits its last issue. Can it be true? Can a comic starring the X-Men and Avengers really not survive in the UK comics market of 1983?
However, it goes out in style, as Wolverine and Nightcrawler find themselves in Canada and up against the nightmare menace of the Wendigo.
In their strip, I do believe the Avengers are clearing up after their encounter with Marcus and Immortus.
And, following that, we also get to see Jarvis the butler in eight pages of sensational solo action!
Just when he was hoping for a quiet life, four interdimensional beings invade Braddock Manor and abduct Captain Britain who they want to testify on behalf of Saturnyne in her upcoming trial.
Elsewhere, Alan Moore gives us his thoughts on sexism in comics.
He then gives us a three-page article on the links between music and comics.
And then he reviews some fanzines.
Egads! Is there no stopping the man?
There's certainly no stopping Ben Urich who confronts the hospitalised Daredevil, with knowledge of his origin and true identity...
Somewhat oddly, we round off the issue with a picture strip called Star Death, reprinted, seemingly randomly, from the pages of Doctor Who Monthly.
There's certainly no stopping Ben Urich who confronts the hospitalised Daredevil, with knowledge of his origin and true identity...
Somewhat oddly, we round off the issue with a picture strip called Star Death, reprinted, seemingly randomly, from the pages of Doctor Who Monthly.
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20 comments:
Inevitably, here I am with - again - the gushing and tedious account of how a young Alan Moore obsessive who’d discovered Warrior magazine in Jan of 1983 came across DDs5 and 7 by chance in a provincial newsagent. Without any idea another Moore-heavy mag existed. He was blown away.
This was a serious gateway mag for me. My first exposure to Frank Miller, which led me to American comics in general.
And it’s a really accomplished bit of storytelling. It feels like Moore & Davis have both just relaxed and let things flow more easily.
I have that Starburst too (with Sam Raimi’s name prominently misspelled on the cover). I was heavily into the Evil Dead at this point. I’d seen it on VHS at my cousin’s house (and then had to walk down a country lane beside a dark wood at night to get home) and taken the cod-Lovecraftian stuff quite seriously. It took me another 5 years to actually discover Lovecraft himself, but this definitely sowed the seeds.
XTRO I didn’t see until 1989, and wow it’s a weird one. They don’t make them like that any more.
Yeah, this month's Captain Brexit episode is a big improvement, and much more obviously the work of the same two geezers who were also wrapping up the first Marvelman 'book' in Warrior around the same time.
My suspicion is that there was some delay in launching Daredevils, causing Moore and Davis to take a break after the first 4 episodes (but I have no actual evidence of this, other than the relative quality of their work).
Steve, the interdimensional beings invading Braddock Manor were the Special Executive. There were more than four of them - that's them in the larger inset on the Daredevils cover - but maybe we don't learn more of their names til the next part?
Anyway, they first appeared - well, some of them - in the Time War stories Alan Moore wrote for the Dr Who mag, which started with 'Star Death', so the reprint here isn't particularly odd or random (although the connection won't be obvious til '4-D War' next issue).
https://forgottenawesome.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-4-d-war-cycle-from-dr-who.html
-sean
Interesting, that X-Men cover replaces Sprite with a blonde headed Jean Grey (I think that's who that is) in the corner box. Had she not yet appeared on that side of the Atlantic?
Killraven, I think Kitty Pryde had appeared by this point. The comic had been using that corner box image since Jean's last appearance in it. So, I can only assume the editorial staff forgot to change it after her death.
Sean, thanks for Star Death explanation.
Matthew, I still haven't got round to seeing Xtro. I think the Legend channel has recently taken to showing it. The next time it's on, I shall take a look at it.
Not seen 'Xtro' either.
Or 'Tenebrae', although I do have an old copy of the soundtrack lp by 3/4 of hairy Europrog geezers Goblin (credited as Simonetti, Morante & Pignatelli). Its a bit disappointing. Their earlier 'Suspiria' and 'Profondo Rosso' soundtracks for Dario Argento are great, but unfortunately by the early 80s they were starting to go a bit Italo-disco.
I have seen 'Island at the Top of the World'. An airship, a lost society of Vikings in the Arctic... I thought it was fantastic. But I was nine at the time, so don't quote me on that.
-sean
Ah, thanks for the answer Steve.
Alex Ferguson was the manager of Aberdeen when they won that trophy (even I know that).
Has anyone seen the 1996 film 'The Whole Wide World' about Robert E. Howard starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Renee Zellweger? I haven't but I've watched clips from the film on YouTube.
Sean -
I haven’t seen ‘Tenebrae’ either.
Still heretical even in this day and age, but I’m not a massive Argento fan. Not even completely sold on ‘Suspiria’, which is amazing for its first two thirds then very poor for its final act. And watching women get sliced up isn’t a favourite pastime of mine - though it seemed to be all the rage from 1979-1983.
I have those Goblin soundtracks too, though, they’re good in isolation. Did you hear their album proper, ‘Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark’?
The Aberdeen v Real Madrid final was the last Euro final that Real Madrid lost and one of only a few in their history of any cup final at that point. Aberdeen went on to beat Buern Munich in the final of European Super Cup a few weeks later as well. Strangely I don't associate Bowies Lets Dance albumn from the era Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners Cup, seemed to me to be after that. A different time unlikely any team Aberdeen will ever win a Euro final now without massive multi millions to buy players.
From this list of comocs, I only ever had that issue of Marvel Superheroes
So it was farewell to Marvel Superheroes with its' crazy numbering which had continued from Marvel Comic which had continued from MWOM but why? Both the Rampage and Savage Sword Of Conan monthlies had started at No.1 despite being weeklies previously with no continuation of the numbering.
The two SSOCs were two different comics with the same title, Colin - Marvel UK mags that actually switched from weekly to monthly generally did carry the numbering forward e.g. Dr Who, Star Wars, Future Tense. So really you should be asking why Rampage restarted as a #1, not why MSH didn't.
Matthew, I'm not a massive Argento fan either. I like 'Suspiria' - the look and sound of it - but yeah, it is a bit over-rated. Love the soundtrack though, which is the best thing Goblin did.
In fact, now I think about it, I might have got the lp after reading about it in Starburst... Didn't they have a (semi-regular) column reviewing soundtrack records? Or am I misremebering, and getting it mixed up with something else?
I find 'Il Fantastico Viaggio... " a bit bland tbh. Possibly having done a few soundtracks they were unsure of their identity as a band without a film to work around? They definitely should have stuck to instrumental music, or hired a decent vocalist...
-sean
Sean -
I don’t remember Starburst reviewing the soundtrack (though yeah, they definitely had a soundtracks column as I used to want a lot of the ones they reviewed positively, like Altered States).
But I remember they reviewed the VHS release of Suspiria and suggested hooking the VCR up to your stereo and turning it up loud for maximum effect. Which is an awesome idea but would have sounded punishingly bad.
Sean, Marvel Superheroes had a different name from Marvel Comic which had a different name from MWOM yet they all shared the same numbering despite being THREE DIFFERENT COMICS which is madness I tells ya, MADNESS.
The Radio 4 programme I mentioned (Does The Irish Republic Want Reunification?) was very interesting by the way.
Wasn't " Marvel Comic " just a rebranding of MWOM when Des Skinn changed it to look like a a "traditional" British comic\ format, the early issues still had Daredevil and the Hulk etc. When that failed a further rebrand to Marvel Superheros was instigated . The "Marvel" logo remained the same only the word "weekly" and "superheroes"changed. The original MWOM changed its title numerous times when incorporating other Marvel weeklies but was the same comic...kinda!
Isn't MWOM monthly (launching from #1) about to debut? Certainly it can only be few months away. Complete Avengers and X-men stories was a very strong offering in MSH, but I suspect a lot of their target market had caught up with the US monthlies by this point. X-men was selling record numbers at the time, but will disappear from Marvel UK within a few months.
I agree that this issue of the Daredevils really raises the stakes. I still disagree that there was a publishing delay but do suspect this is the point at which Alan Davis gave away his factory job to become a full-time artist. Presumably he simultaneously had Captain Britain, Marvel Man and Harry Twenty at this time.
DW
Paul, merely keeping the word "Marvel" in the title doesn't make MWOM, Marvel Comic and Marvel Superheroes the same entity in my opinion and yes, MWOM changed its' title over the years but it always kept the basic title of THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL so it was always the same comic as far as I'm concerned.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one Colin .For myself the basic title was "Marvel" and more importantly I had to endure buying every issue of Marvel weekly in an silly attempt to stay loyal to the comic despite barley scanning the comic since around 1977 and binning almost every issue as soon as the monthly relaunched ended .
The MWOM monthly revamp did indeed appeared " next" momth in June DW.
DW, its not just Alan Davis' work that improved dramatically between Daredevils #4 and #5 - Moore's writing is much more assured too. The first four CB episodes are of a piece with the last two in MSH, but suddenly the quality of the series is on a par with Marvelman?
Like I said, I have no knowledge of any pause in the work behind the scenes, but the sudden leap forward is suggestive...
-sean
Sean
I actually think Moore's first two chapters in MSH, plus his added page to David Thorpe's final chapter are better than the first four Daredevil's stories, which I agree are less assured. A bit like his Swamp Thing, he brilliantly burned everything we knew, and then took a few issues to start re-building. With hindsight he should have jumped straight into the Special Executive stuff but easy to look back...
Perhaps the (clear) jump in the quality of the art better serviced the story. Post Warrior Miracle man certainly reinforced how less impressive the scripts appeared when poorly illustrated. Either way I'm enjoying revisiting a highpoint in Marvel UK's output.
DW
DW, presumably you enjoyed the game against Leeds too. 3-I, eh?
Anyway, yeah, Moore did a better job on the last couple of CB episodes in MSH than in Daredevils #sI-4, but the difference wasn't as great as the leap forward in #5 imo. With Davis also doing noticeably better work, it just reads to me like the first four of this run were probably done carrying on from MSH but then for some reason it was put on hold for a couple of months or something.
In support of this I would suggest Davis work in Daredevils #4 is closer to the look of those Marvelman pages he did in Warrior #4, but the next episode looks more like what he was doing as regular artist from #7
Not that it matters that much really. The main thing is CB got better, and we all appear to agree on that.
Apologies to anyone who doesn't have an obsessive interest in the work of the domestic comic biz in the early '80s, and the work of Alan Moore. No doubt normal service will be resumed under the next Steve Does Comics post.
-sean
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