As those of us of a certain age know as we grow older it can feel like time goes by faster and faster with each passing year. But as fast as the years may pass how can it be possible that on the 30 September 2022 it will have been 50 years since the first issue of the “Mighty World of Marvel” (MWOM) comic appeared on the shelves of newsagents up and down the land? Unbeknown to myself the first issue of MWOM had been advertised on British TV on Saturday 30 September 1972 with Stan himself providing the voice over. However, I missed this advert and it was only due to an unscheduled visit to my local R S McColl’s newsagent after school on Wednesday 4 October that I spied that iconic ”Marvel” logo and the specially drawn John Buscema cover poking out between some newspapers. I immediately purchased it.
Unlike most UK home grown weekly comics that contained around 32 pages the MWOM had 40 pages which housed three strips featuring the earliest adventures of the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man . In addition MWOM printed their stories with green spot colour and pale green paper (for a short time) and featured 5 pages of full colour art which was a major attraction for a UK comic as most were only printed in black and white.
The centre pages were a fanboy delight as they featured a special mneesage from Stan Lee and a teaser for the 'The World's Greatest Free Gift Offer' which required the reader to clip out coupons over an 11 week period. Although I was never going to mutilate my comics the free gift in this case was the excellent John Buscema illustrated poster below (Image from Marvel Wiki).
As was the practice with all new UK comics at the time the first 3 or so issues always featured a free gift. MWOM was no exception and issue 1 featured an amazing “Green-Skinned Monster T-Shirt Transfer" - issue 2 had a Spider-Man transfer and issue 3 featured a set of “fun” Marvel character stickers.
British reprints of Marvel comics were not new as these had appeared in Alan Class comics, and of course in the legendary Odhams comics of the 1960s in titles like Fantastic, Terrific, Wham!, Smash! and Pow! But now Marvel had set up shop in the UK and more exciting titles were to appear over the years including Spider-Man Comics Weekly, The Avengers, Planet of the Apes, Dracula Lives, Savage Sword of Conan, the Superheroes , the Titans and many more. Over the years since 1972 many of the items of my youth have been given away, lost, or binned but the first 30 issue of MWOM have always remained with me as an instant reminder of an exciting time when I was a 12 year old comic book fan - where did the time go?
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Indeed, good question. I think it sneaked off when we weren't looking. Actually, you only needed 8 coupons for the poster, but they gave a couple (I think) of extra ones for those who might've missed any. I well remember buying the first issue from a wall rack outside a newsagent's in Glasgow, on the way into the Barras on the 30th of September. I bought a second copy in Hamilton 6 days later, for no other reason than I was always a greedy boy. Not only do I have all the paper-covered issues of MWOM (and SMCW), I also have the free gifts. They're not my originals, but replacements I acquired decades ago. In fact one of my 3 or 4 copies of #1 I got back in 1980, only 8 years after the fact.
ReplyDeleteMy copy of MWOM didn't have the Hulk iron on transfer but my dad bought me another copy that did but I never used the transfers. I have a few other scattered issues of the paper covers for MWOM and SMCW and everytime I see them they bring a smile to my face . I still can't belive it was 50 years ago though.
DeleteWow! Thanks for that delightful look at a comic book I've never seen from an era when comic book packages were intended to be mild sensations. That stuff lingers neatly.
ReplyDeleteTsk, tsk, shame on you RJ (he said, jokingly). If you'd been paying more attention to my blog you'd have seen them several times over long before now.
DeleteMWOM was a great comic in the early years abd seemed to have been influential for future stars like Grant Morrison and Mark Miller. Its memory certainly lingers Rip, and I'm glad about that
ReplyDeleteI was only 6 when MWOM #1 came out and I didn't discover Marvel comics until Planet Of The Apes #5 in November '74 but the first issue of MWOM is a classic without a doubt - the origins of Hulk, Spidey and the FF all in one comic!
ReplyDeleteI only bought the first 2 issues of PoTA Colin but in hindsight it's a comic I wish I had followed as I really liked some of the back up strips like Ka-Zar etc.
DeleteI remember that week buying MWOM #1 - can hardly believe it is 50 years ago. 1972 was a fantastic year for comic collecting. I got my Mum to Iron the Hulk transfer onto one end of my pillow-case and the Spider-Man transfer onto the other end. I would then lie there in bed with my head placed between these two transfers afraid to move as I feel asleep, that I'd spoil the transfers if I rolled onto them in the night!
ReplyDeleteGreat memory baggsey. I don't know why I didn't use my transfers but not sure why, maybe I thoughtxat 13 I was too old ( daft I know) wierd now you see loads of 60 plus year olds with Marvel etc t shirts.
ReplyDelete