TV21 - ADVENTURE IN THE 20th CENTURY (MARVEL UNIVERSE)...

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Strange as it may seem, many MARVEL fans who bought the

ODHAMS POWER COMICS back in the '60s, tend to think that -

ALAN CLASS monthly mags aside - Marvel reprints in Britain all but

disappeared until The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL was launched 

in 1972.  What they apparently forget (and I include myself) is that TV21

published various Marvel tales within its pages from issue #62 (cover-

dated November 28th 1970) to #105 (cover-dated September 25th

1971), which was its final issue before being merged with IPC's

VALIANT.  (The Marvel strips didn't survive the merger.)

Over a span of 10 months, The SPIDER-MAN, The SILVER

SURFER (with a guest-appearance from The FF), The GHOST

RIDER (that's the one with a horse, not a motorcycle), RINGO KID,

HOMER The HAPPY GHOST, and perhaps one or two other strips,

dominated up to half the comic some weeks - so it's strange that so many

comic fans appear to have forgotten Marvel's continued presence in the

world of U.K. comics between March 1969 and September/October

1972.  (The dates when SMASH! abandoned Marvel reprints

and MWOM went on sale, respectively.)

Perhaps it was the brevity of the period.  After all, 10 months

isn't exactly a long time and, as far as I can recall (without looking

at every issue), none of the Marvel strips were ever featured on the
cover - apart from being mentioned on occasion in the banner , but
certainly never in what could be called a prominent way. 

Anyway, as a little treat, here's a look at the Marvel content

of the first issue (#62, new series) of TV21 to feature such strips.

Cast your eyes carefully over each creatively-crafted page.  Are you

starting to remember?  Are memories, long suppressed, clawing their

way from the back of your brain to burst once more into the warm glare

of welcoming recognition?  Then congratulations!  You are whole once

more and your past is once again your present.  I have done my job

and done it well, so it's time for me to leave you and your joyous

reminiscences to spend some time together alone.  After all,

you know what they say - three's a crowd.

See you next post.

Don't forget - click on image to enlarge, then

click again for optimum size.

Posted in: Cartoons