February 1986 - Marvel UK monthlies, 40 years ago this month.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

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CGI? Ubiquitous as it is, there was a time when it was a mere twinkle in the eyes of its creators.

But that twinkle grew a little brighter in February 1986 when Pixar was founded by John Lasseter and Steve Jobs.

Elsewhere, President Jean-Claude Duvalier was having a less optimistic future, as he fled Haiti, bringing an end to his family's 28 years of rule.

Up above us, Halley's Comet reached its closest point to the sun, thanks to its second 20th Century tour of the Solar System. The previous one having been in 1910.

Also in the heavens, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station.

And, strangely, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot dead on his way home from a Stockholm cinema.

When it came to the UK singles chart, there was only one man to watch, and that was Billy Ocean who spent the entire month at the top, thanks to his latest hit When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going. Ironically, neither he nor his song were showing any signs of going.

Also refusing to budge were Dire Straits whose Brothers in Arms album spent the whole of February at Number One on the LP sales rankings.

But what can this madness be?

An era comes to an end when Captain Britain's mag folds, after just fourteen issues!

But does it go out in the style that only the UK's greatest hero can muster?

I don't remember but I do know it exits with Cap and Meggan helping Chief Inspector Dai Thomas find out who's been killing gangsters.

That's followed by the Black Knight in sensational solo action against The Stone Killer, as reprinted from the pages of 1979's Hulk Comic #4 & #5.

Night-Raven's also in reprint action, thanks to Flashpoint. A tale which first appeared in Hulk Comic #13 & #14.

And we conclude the issue and the publication with the Cherubim in Part 4 of Playgrounds and Parasites!

No such doom awaits Doctor Who Magazine which is proving to be as unstoppable as its hero.

In this immortal issue, we encounter a look at villains of the 80s, an interview with writer and script editor Chris Bidmead, an analysis of the serial Logopolis, a look at the role of Production Assistant, an interview with Davros actor Terry Molloy and ponder upon whether Doctor Who is a threat to my morals.

I'm feeling that it probably isn't.

Of course, there's a comic strip - this one being Revelation by Alan McKenzie. And there's a selection of reader's drawings to send us to bed happy.

But I do feel the loss of Captain Britain's book brings us to a pivotal moment in time.

As Marvel UK is now down to just one monthly title - Doctor Who Magazine - and it looks like it won't be launching any new ones until the 1990s, this seems a good time to bring this feature to an end.

Doing it has been an educational experience. Especially when the company was publishing something like 25 titles a month, which taught me never to do anything like that again.

So, goodbye, Marvel UK monthlies. May you rest in peace.