Frank Hampson, Marvel Comics and the Landscape Format 1976

In March of 1976 a unique and never to be repeated partnering of the talent of Frank Hampson and the creations of Stan Lee was unleashed. Frank produced a one off pin-up for the popular Marvel weekly 'Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes'.

In issue 162 of the title (cover dated March 20th 1976) a one page feature on the legendary Dan Dare artist was published

(click here for full sized image)

and in the next issue (163 cover dated March 27th 1976) the two page work was printed as a centre spread special.

(click here for full size image)

In case you were wondering, the odd size is because the comic was one of Marvel U.K.'s reformatting experiments in which two U.S.A. comic pages were printed smaller and side by side on one U.K. page, essentially providing twice as much material as usual. To make it easier to read this way the comic was folded and stapled on what would have been the top of a normal U.K. book, essentially turning the comic on its side (see example below)

Although fairly popular, (it had been proven a sales success by the previous launch 'The Titans' in October 1975)

though controversial due to the shrinking of the artwork the format was retired in issue 231 (cover dated July 13 1977) probably because it ate up material too quickly and was rapidly catching up with U.S. monthly titles from which material was sourced. The title merged at this point with the failing Captain Britain weekly.

Marvel U.K. would not produce its own original output until the arrival of 'Hulk Comic' in March 1979.

Comments

John Pitt said…

Thanks Oversear, been searching for that centre spread. Now I've found a new blog too!

10 April 2015 at 04:55

Alan Moore's Essay: Sexism in Comics

I "borrowed" the following scans and text from mechanicaljewel at Live Journal.com. I fondly recall the comic, "The Daredevils" from which they are lifted, it featured reprint comics and new editorial and comic-strip material, notably "Captain Britain". I thought it deserved to go 'viral'. To read the text click on each scan for the larger version. Invisible Girls and Phantom Ladies: How far have we come? Back in 1983, Alan Moore wrote a 10-page article on the portrayal of women in comics and the presence/lack thereof of female creators. It was serialized in Marvel UK's The Daredevils #4-6. It's really interesting to see things like this, written 25 years ago, and to address the question 'how far have we really come?'

Jack Kirby Art UK premiere

The original artwork for this pin up was presented to Mark Haynes as first prize for winning "Marvel Mastermind UK 1976". This version is scanned from the back page of the UK weekly "Super Spider-man and the Titans" issue number 217 cover dated April 6th 1977 but on sale from 30th March 1977. The image was used again over a year later but in black and white line only as the "British Feature Page" in F.O.O.M magazine 19. The information accompanying this piece in the U.S, Hardback collection "The Birth of a Hero" is incomplete and inaccurate and the reproduction of the artwork inferior. This version has been "cleaned up" by me using Photoshop. Characters and Image is copyrighted by Marvel Entertainment and Subs.

Managing Depression

I lived with my depression for as long as I could remember although I didn't know the cause of my distress or that it had a name. In my late 30's I was no longer able to hide the symptoms or their effects and I ended up in Hospital after a second suicide attempt. Thankfully, I was eventually referred to an excellent and forward thinking clinic where a number of treatments were available. Over many years I became well enough to be discharged, which I feel is mainly due to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (D.B.T.) because this allowed me to respond effectively to further treatments offered. I'd recommend others who have similar difficulties to seek the same therapy, it isn't a cure but it makes coping possible and easier. There follows an informative and concise article I found online which explains better than I can the basic principles. There is hope. Innovations in Mental Illness Recovery February 3, 2008 By Robert Yourell, MA The mental health field is like conjoined ...

IS IT A BIRD...IS IT A PLANE!?

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