Tales From The Crypt ...And All Through The House

The Vault of Horror issue 24, published by EC comics in 1950 featured two christmas horror stories. Shoe Button Eyes and ...And All Through The House. The latter of which has been adapted into a movie and tv episode.

 

The issue itself was reprinted in Tales From The Crypt Presents The Vault Of Horror issue 4 in 1992 by Russ Cochran.

The first live action adaptation was Amicus films Tales From The Crypt movie in 1972 starring Joan Collins and set in England rather than America.

 

Then in 1989 the HBO TV series of Tales From The Crypt again adapted the story to the screen, this time setting it in America as it is in the comic. 

Transmasters UK Transformers the Continued Generation 2

 

Transformers The Continued Generation 2 issue 29 published by Transmasters UK, a UK based Transformers fan group back in the 90s features a christmas wrap around cover. A tradition harking back to the Marvel UK days in the 80s where every 50 issues the title would feature a wrap around poster cover.

Batman Monthly 6

London Editions Batman Monthly issue 6 features two christmas stories. First off is 1979's Have Yourself A Deadly Little Christmas from the US Batman issue 309 featuring Blockbuster. Next up is Silent Night, Deadly Night, originally published in the US Batman issue 239 from 1971.

Spider-man Annual 1994

The Marvel UK Spider-man annual 1994 features a christmassy cover and feature story 'The Big X-mas Blackout' where we see Spider-man save christmas from Electro!

The Astonishing Spider-man 35

Marvel UK/Panini's Collectors Edition Astonishing Spider-man issue 35 features a christmassy cover. not only reprinting the cover and story from the Marvel US Spider-man/Deadpool issue 12 but also featuring Spider-man sprting a Santa hat and snow covering the title. A common sight on comic book covers of the 80s but rare now, especially in the UK.

An American Batman in London

Batman Monthly issue 35 reprints the Detective Comics 590 story An American Batman in London. Where we see Batman on a rare trip outside Gotham but to a similarly appropriate city, London in England. After preventing an attack in Gotham by two criminals shouting ' Allahu Akbar!' Batman has tracked down a islamic terrorist organization to the England capital and tries to prevent them from doing what Guy Fawkes failed to by blowing up the houses of parliment on the 5th of November.

 At the end of the story, Batman is faced with a possible uncomfortable truth that our Western society may well provoke some of these terrorist attacks and attitudes. 
Even though this story is over 25 years old, it still holds relevance today. With islamic terrorist attacks on London and other major Western cities still prevelant. Though with our cultural sensitivity, the depiction of someone shouting Allahu Akbar whilst commiting a crime would probably never appear in a modern comic book.

Zodiac Toy Store Comics

In the late 60s a toy store emerged in the UK known as Zodiac. By the mid 80s it was one of the largest and most successful chain of toy stores in the UK. Unfortunately in 1990 the company closed down due to mismanagement.

During it's heyday in the 1980s the store started to produce it's own comic book and sticker albums featuring unique characters to spread brand awareness of the store and engage children more.

The comics featured such characters as the Miami Mice (a take on Miami Vice, but with mice) and the Star Bears, a team of teddy bears that each had a super power based on one of the signs of the zodiac.

One of note is the Scare Bears, created by Werebear creator George Nicholas and very similar to the Werebears but covering all classic monsters in the form of teddy bears.

The Real Ghostbusters Frightful Four

When people think of the Frightful Four, they tend to think of the supervillain group who would oppose the Fantastic Four in Marvel comics. Howeverthere is another Frightful Four from Marvel. Marvel UK's The Real Ghostbusters issue 118 introduced readers to a group of ghosts based on the classic universal monsters but wearing uniforms similar to the Ghostbusters. This quartet were sent to capture and punish the Ghostbusters for their crimes against the spirit world. Basically, Ghostbuster Busters. The team consisted of Frank (the Frankenstein monster), Arnold the Werewolf, Wilbur the Mummy and Vigor the Vampire the leader of the group. Their first appearance was in a text only story but in their second outing in issue 136 they would get a full comic strip story.

Combat Colin

 

Combat Colin was created by Lew Stringer and originally featured as a half page comedy strip in Marvel UK's Action Force comic, the UK version of G.I Joe, starting from issue 5. Once that title was cancelled at issue 50, Colin moved along with G.I Joe to the successful Transformers comic with issue 153 and stayed with that title till it ended with issue 332. Now Colin and his side kick Semi-automatic Steve return with their own title. Available from Lew Stringer's site the series will last six issue until every story from the Action Force and Transformers era have been collected and published together.

He-man and the Masters of the Universe UK Comics

 

 Published in the UK by London Edition Magazines, the fortnightly comic series lasted for 72 issues with an additional monthly comic (Masters of the Universe Adventure) running for 28 issues and featured The New Adventures of He-Man for the last part of it's run before reprinting classic MOTU strips from the fortnightly comic. The 'Secret Files of Scrollos' strip featured origin stories for many characters including Sy-Klone, Rio Blast and Snout Spout, and the series included the characters Horde Prime and Scrollos. There was also a short-lived She-Ra comic title, that lasted for 14 issues.

In late 2003 to tie in with the then new Master of the Universe cartoon (now known as 200X) a comic was published by Toontastic Publications reprinting the US MVC MOTU comic which lasted 18 issues.

 

Marvel UK also publsihed two Master of the Universe specials for summer 1985 and winter 1988. The first reprinted the US DC mini series. This was a strange occurance as London Editions had the license to publish DC comics in the UK and published the UK original MOTU comic series so it seems odd that Marvel UK would then reprint the DC MOTU series.  The second special published reprinted the Marvel/Star US adaptation of the 1987 Master of the Universe motion picture but using the traditional cartoon designs for the characters rather than the movie outfits. All except Beast Man who for some reason still sported his movie design.

Batman 465

 Batman issue 465 from July 1991 featured the first outing of Tim Drake as the new Boy Wonder sporting an updated, more modern Robin costume. The cover was later used for the 1993 UK Batman annual though the story from issue 465 was not featured.

Transformers UK 100

Issue 100 of the Marvel UK Transformers comic marked the start of a tradition that would be carried on every 50th issue of having a wrap around cover poster.

Transformers UK 300

Marvel UK's Transformers issue 300 was the last time we would see a wrap around cover poster as the comic was unfortunately cancelled 32 issues later before it could reach 350.

Transformers UK 200

Marvel UK continues it's tradition of a wrap around cover poster every 50 issues of Transformers with issue 200, containing one of the final parts of the epic Time Wars storyline. Inside we see the Autobot Wreckers and Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad combine forces to combat Megatron and his future incarnation, Galvatron. Meanwhile Rodimus Prime with the help of Optimus tries to unite the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons past and present to take on the threat Galvatron poses to the universe.

Transformers UK 150

From issue 100 onwards it was a tradition with Marvels UK Transformers comic that every 50 issues there would be a wrap around poster cover. For issue 150 we see Rodimus Prime unleashing the power of the Matrix as Unicron attacks Cybertron.

Nick Roche's early Transformers work.

 A decade prior to working on the US IDW Transformers comics, artist Nick Roche provided art work for the Transformers UK fan group Transmasters UK and it's continued Generation 2 comic. Pictured are his covers for issues 25 and 26.

Transformers UK 171

Marvel UK's Transformers issue 171 caused somewhat of a stir with it's cover featuring a poster announcing ''Tonight only! From the planet Mil-Wal....Hooligan vs Ultra Magnus''. Fans of Millwall football club took exception to the insinuation that football hooliganism was rife on the terraces at the Den, thought it's track record in this regard was hardley spotless and the club had a reputation for trouble at the time.

Transformers The Definitive G1 Collection

Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection is a fortnightly partwork collection of hardback books published by Hachette Partworks in the UK. The series is made up of 80 volumes which will reprint the entire history of G1 Comics, from the 80s Marvel Uk and US series right through Dreamwave and on to the current IDW series.
Transformers comics have never reached the height in quality the Marvel UK series of the 80s and early 90s did with nothing but short lived (Generation 2) or lackluster (Titan and RID) attempts. This hard back book collection fills the void and finally offers the UK a great ongoing series of Transformers comics strips, many for the first time. 

NECA Terminator Endoskeletons

NECA Terminator Endoskeleton and Heavy Gunner along side the McFarlane Movie Manics Endoskeleton.

Titan All Star Batman

 Titan Comics UK have launched a new Batman title, Rebirth All Star Batman. This is one of two ongoing Batman comics in the UK. The other being Batman Rebirth. All Star Batman is volume 4 in a series that began in 2012 with Batman The Dark Knight to tie in with the then current Nolan Dark Knight Rises movie. This then became Batman Arkham to tie in with the popular game.Volume 3 was retitled Batman Gotham Central to accompany the TV series. Now in it's forth incarnation as All Star Batman it coincides with the Rebirth DC titles hitting the UK.

Titans other Batman series is also in it's forth volume. Starting with the initial Batman Legends published by Panini back in 2003. This was the first Batman comic in the UK for ten years. In 2007 Titan gained the rights to publish DC comic in the UK and continued the Legends series with volume 2. In 2012 as the New 52 hit the UK the title was changed to simply Batman for volume 3. With the recent DC event of Rebirth, the series has entered it's 4th volume with Batman Rebirth.

Alas, poor Bludgeon

 Poor Bludgeon doesn't seem to have much luck. His time to shine finally came at the end of the Marvel Transformers comic when he gained leadership of the Decepticons after Scorponoks death only to have it ripped away by a returning Megatron in the first few issues of Generation 2. As illustrated here on the cover of issue 5 of the Marvel Transformers Generation 2 comic. In the alternate continuation of Marvels original series, Bludgeon didn't fair far better at the hands of Rodimus Prime as we can see with this homage cover to issue 96 of IDWs Transformers Regeneration One.
Below is the UK varient cover of issue 4 featuring far more vibrant colours than it's US counterpart. 

Ghostbusters Valentines Issue

                       The Real Ghostbusters issue 36 Valentines special from February 1989.

The 2016 Ghostbusters remake wasn't the first time we'd seen a female green ghost. The Marvel UK Real Ghostbusters comic featured one back in 1989 in it's Valentines day issue.