HERE COME THE SUPER-HEROES...

Back in March of 1975, MARVEL UK released two new weekly comics on an unsuspecting British public - THE SUPER-HEROES and SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN. We'll turn our attention to the Conan mag another time because, for the moment, we're going to take a look at the more successful of the two titles.

Initially, The Super-Heroes reprinted THE SILVER SURFER tales from NORRIN RADD's eighteen issue US monthly comic mag from the '60s. Taking up the slack in the back pages were THE X-MEN, their adventures being split in two and continued the following week. (Seeing those early X-Men adventures was just like having the late, lamented FANTASTIC back again.) In fact, as the Surfer's first seven American mags were double-sized, the same approach was adopted for his adventures also, until such time as his regular-sized tales were featured.

The Super-Heroes lasted for just under a year, bowing out with issue #50 (Conan only lasted eighteen issues) and being merged with the weekly SPIDER-MAN comic. In its time it managed to showcase GIANT-MAN, THE CAT, DOC SAVAGE, and some MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE tales of THE THING and various guest stars. It was never better 'though, than in its early issues, and it was sad to see it go when it eventually faded from the scene. The name (sans hyphen) was later revived for a British monthly mag called MARVEL SUPERHEROES in 1979, but it was never quite the same. There were even two (at least) hardback annuals by GRANDREAMS before the title disappeared yet again, this time for the final time.

 

Fifty issues? Is that all? Funny how, when I look back, it seems that the comic lasted far longer than a mere forty-nine weeks of my life. Surely it was around for a couple of years at least? (Nope, I guess not.) I still have my original issues and, sometimes, whenever I want to revisit yesteryear, I dig them out yet again and savour the sight, smell and touch of these classic comics from nearly forty years ago. Then, somehow, I'm magically back in the past and sixteen years old once more, reliving the thrill of settling down with the latest Mighty Marvel mag from the House of Ideas! What more could anyone want?

Anyway, as I'm feeling nostalgic, here's the first three covers to give you a taste of what I'm taliking about. Enjoy.