Post by MacNimon on Jun 24, 2011 6:25:56 GMT
After a four year gap after the cancellation of Odhams Power Comics line, Marvel finally reappeared in Britain in October 1972 with the introduction of what would become their flagship title, The Mighty World Of Marvel. Here are the covers for the first 19 issues which all featured the line-up of the Hulk, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.
MWOM also featured specially commissioned new covers with original artwork, rather than simply adapting US covers as required which was what happened later. And not just any old artists either; Big John Buscema provided the cover for the first issue, and many (if not all) of those in the following few months were by the artist/inker team of Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott, just shortly before Starlin became one of the biggest names of the time in the comics world.
Big name American artists weren't the only ones involved in the creation of these early issues. It was edited in America by Marvel writer Tony Isabella; the inclusion of an editorial from Stan Lee, combined with the specially commissioned cover, had the intention of making this title stand out as being a seperate entity from those Odhams Power Comics - this time it was going to be the real thing.
It wasn't only new covers which appeared in this title...because of the fact that the contents of one monthly (or bi-monthly) US comic was cut up into two (or in later issues, more) weekly installments necessitated the need for the creation of more full page 'splash' pages (used to recap the previous installments): sometimes they would simply blow up an individual panel to full page size, but othjer times they would have specially drawn material (by an uncredited artist) which was usually not up to the standard of the remainder of the story.
MWOM ran from 1972 until 1980; with the exception of a few later issues of the then-renamed Marvel Comic, the Incredible Hulk appeared in all issues, and was on the covers of 90% of those issues. Many have unique UK Covers NOT seen in USA, some made from enlarged interior panels, others are original UK art. Known original UK Only Jim Starlin cover art on most issues from #2 thru #27, plus #44; possibly others.
MWOM also featured specially commissioned new covers with original artwork, rather than simply adapting US covers as required which was what happened later. And not just any old artists either; Big John Buscema provided the cover for the first issue, and many (if not all) of those in the following few months were by the artist/inker team of Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott, just shortly before Starlin became one of the biggest names of the time in the comics world.
Big name American artists weren't the only ones involved in the creation of these early issues. It was edited in America by Marvel writer Tony Isabella; the inclusion of an editorial from Stan Lee, combined with the specially commissioned cover, had the intention of making this title stand out as being a seperate entity from those Odhams Power Comics - this time it was going to be the real thing.
It wasn't only new covers which appeared in this title...because of the fact that the contents of one monthly (or bi-monthly) US comic was cut up into two (or in later issues, more) weekly installments necessitated the need for the creation of more full page 'splash' pages (used to recap the previous installments): sometimes they would simply blow up an individual panel to full page size, but othjer times they would have specially drawn material (by an uncredited artist) which was usually not up to the standard of the remainder of the story.
MWOM ran from 1972 until 1980; with the exception of a few later issues of the then-renamed Marvel Comic, the Incredible Hulk appeared in all issues, and was on the covers of 90% of those issues. Many have unique UK Covers NOT seen in USA, some made from enlarged interior panels, others are original UK art. Known original UK Only Jim Starlin cover art on most issues from #2 thru #27, plus #44; possibly others.
