Spider-Man Comics Weekly
Encyclopedia
Spider-Man Comics Weekly was a Marvel UK
publication which primarily published black-and-white
reprint
s of American Marvel four-color Spider-Man
stories. Marvel UK's second-ever title, Spider-Man Comics Weekly debuted in 1973, initially publishing "classic" 1960s Spider-Man
stories (as well as Thor
backup stories).
The title proved to be a great success. Along with Marvel UK's flagship title, The Mighty World of Marvel
, Spider-Man Comics Weekly helped Marvel gain a foothold in the (at the time) vast UK
weekly comic market, allowing the company to cross-market and later introduce non-superhero UK-reprint titles such as Planet of the Apes and Star Wars
.
Although it changed its title name several times over the years (mostly due to other less successful Marvel UK comics merging with it), the Spider-Man weekly comic eventually became the longest-running Marvel UK publication, publishing 666 issues from 1973-1985.
as:
, Spider-Man
was made the star of his own weekly comic in early 1973. The monthly format of the American source material was adapted to fit the British weekly format, with stories being split up over several weeks. The backup strip featured Thor
reprints, with Iron Man
joining him from issue #50. The first issue also promoted the UK branch of Marvel's new in-house fan club, FOOM
.
In addition to the continuing stories of Spider-Man, Thor, and Iron Man, Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes started out with X-Men
backup stories. It soon, however, continued The Super-Heroes comic’s tradition of rotating less-popular characters like Doctor Strange
, Tales of Asgard, and Moon Knight
; before settling with The Invaders
. Also from The Super-Heroes came reprint stories from Marvel Two-in-One
starring the Thing
, which had been running in later issues of the comic before the merger (as well as Spider-Man stories from Marvel Team-Up
).
In late 1976, the Spider-Man weekly comic absorbed another cancelled Marvel UK title into its pages: The Titans. Following the precedent of the earlier merger with The Super-Heroes, with issue #199 the book changed its title again, to Super Spider-Man and the Titans. A line-up of Spider-Man, Thor
, Iron Man
, Invaders
, Captain America
, and the Avengers
meant that some weeks Captain America
appeared in three different strips. The book continued using the landscape orientation until the penultimate edition of Super Spider-Man and the Titans (#229), when it reverted to the traditional "portrait" format — just in time for the next merger.
In 1976 Marvel UK had debuted its first original weekly series, starring the homegrown British superhero Captain Britain
. Captain Britain Weekly lasted 39 issues, to July 6, 1977. With Super Spider-Mans July 13, 1977, issue, #231, it absorbed Captain Britain Weekly and changed its title again, to Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain.
The title's main features were now black-and-white reprints of stories from the American The Amazing Spider-Man
comic, with new eight-page black-and-white Captain Britain
stories, continuing from the cancelled Captain Britain solo comic. Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain lasted 22 issues; the highlight of the run was the six-issue finale (issues #248-#252), written by Chris Claremont
with art by John Byrne, featuring both Spider-Man and Captain Britain, and the debut of the villain Arcade
. (The storyline originated in Marvel Team-Up
#65 & #66.)
As well as Spider-Man and Captain Britain, Thor
and the Avengers
continued from Super Spider-Man and the Titans while the Fantastic Four
joined from Captain Britain weekly, only to depart after a few months to headline their own comic, The Complete Fantastic Four. With issue #254 (Dec. 21, 1977), the Captain Britain feature was dropped and the Captain America
stories continued; the book's title became simply Super Spider-Man, retaining that name until issue #310.
was hired by Stan Lee
to revamp the now ailing Marvel UK. Skinn revamped all of Marvel UK's titles, including Super Spider-Man. He changed the title to Spider-Man Comic and gave it a new look, more similar to the outward appearance of "traditional" British comic books. In addition to Spider-Man, the title featured five backup strips, starring the Fantastic Four
, the Avengers
, Thor
, the Sub-Mariner, and Nova
. (The Avengers went on to become the longest-running backup series in the weekly Spider-Man comic.)
(changed since the Skinn era to Marvel Comic), and the cancelled weekly was merged into Spider-Man Comic. The new title was called The Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly and Marvel Comic for three issues, and then reverted to the shorter Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly for the rest of its 41 issues. Backup stories now featured Daredevil
(who moved over from the defunct Marvel Comic), but no longer included the Avengers
(who moved to the new Marvel UK monthly title, Marvel Superheroes Monthly).
was another Marvel character with great popularity in the UK. After co-starring for many years in the pages of The Mighty World of Marvel
, the green goliath was given his own weekly title, Hulk Comic, in 1979. However, with the May 1980 cancellation of Hulk Comic after 63 issues, it was merged into the Spider-Man title, which became Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly from issues #375–449. Backup stories featured the two main characters' female counterparts, Spider-Woman
and She-Hulk
, as well as The Defenders
(which was continued from Hulk Comic). Spider-Woman
and The Defenders
were later replaced by Spider-Man team-up stories and Showcase (a strip that spotlighted superheroes who had not had a solo strip before) after the Marvel Team-Up UK weekly merged with the Spider-Man weekly comic. The cover initially indicated the merger by being titled Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly Incorporating Marvel Team-Up, but this was later abbreviated to Spider-Man and Hulk Team-Up.
live-action television series inspired yet another title change, in October 1981; the Spider-Man weekly also changed to more of a magazine format, with photo essays, reader comments, contests, and the like (as well as the obligatory reprints of Marvel US material). The format also changed to 28 pages with 8 pages of colour - a marked difference to others titles when almost all UK comics were still black and white except for their covers and perhaps the centre spread. The colour pages were printed on a glossier paper. Only the Spider-Man strip ran during these issues.
following the merger of the second volume of The Incredible Hulk Weekly into Spider-Man. Spider-Woman
backup stories returned with issue #517 and the Fantastic Four
returned in issue #529.
The debut of the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
(1981–1983) on BBC One
inspired the latest title change in October 1983. The logo remained the same, but the words "and His Amazing Friends" were added around it. Initially the back-up strips were an adaption of the first episode of the cartoon (co-starring Iceman
and Firestar
) and the continuing Fantastic Four
strips. Later these were replaced by Thor
, and the X-Men
from issue #567 (Jan. 1984). With issue #578, the title again reverted to Spider-Man and eventually began continuing stories from the short-lived Marvel UK title The Thing is Big Ben (referring to Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing
).
Issues #607–#610 featured original Spider-Man stories by Mike Collins and Mark Farmer
. The stories took place in London and featured Spider-Man battling Assassin-8.
from the Marvel US children's imprint Star Comics
. These were supplemented by short comedy strips by Lew Stringer
, such as Snail-Man. Later issues also featured reprints of the two-page The Dukes of Hazard strip from TV Comic
coinciding with repeats of the TV series being aired in the UK.
Marvel UK published 28 issues of a digest-sized book titled Spider-Man Pocket Book between March 1980 and July 1982. Following that title's cancellation, the early Spider-Man stories it was then reprinting continued for a few months in the pages of the short-lived Marvel UK title The Daredevils
.
. Spider-Man and Zoids was notable for featuring early work by Grant Morrison
, including the epic and apocalyptic Black Zoid storyline. The new title lasted only 51 issues until February 16, 1987.
's adjectiveless Spider-Man
title in the US.
and Motormouth
reprints.
, all of Marvel UK's titles were acquired by Panini UK, which now holds the license to publish comics under the Marvel name in the UK. Panini UK added several biweekly and monthly titles, including The Spectacular Spider-Man
(for younger readers), Ultimate Spider-Man (later Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men
after a merger), and Spider-Man and Friends (for very young readers). The Spectacular Spider-Man
, was launched to accompany Spider-Man: The Animated Series
, which began broadcasting in the UK in the mid-90s. Initially, the stories were simply reprints of the US comics based on the series, but eventually the title moved to all-new UK-originated stories, marking the first Marvel UK material featuring classic Marvel characters to be produced since early 1994.
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
publication which primarily published black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
reprint
Reprint
A reprint is a re-publishing of material that has already been previously published. The word reprint is used in many fields.-Academic publishing:...
s of American Marvel four-color Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
stories. Marvel UK's second-ever title, Spider-Man Comics Weekly debuted in 1973, initially publishing "classic" 1960s Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
stories (as well as Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
backup stories).
The title proved to be a great success. Along with Marvel UK's flagship title, The Mighty World of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel was Marvel UK's first-ever title, debuting in 1972, and is also the name of a similar current comic printed by Panini Comics, which bought the Marvel UK titles....
, Spider-Man Comics Weekly helped Marvel gain a foothold in the (at the time) vast UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
weekly comic market, allowing the company to cross-market and later introduce non-superhero UK-reprint titles such as Planet of the Apes and Star Wars
Star Wars (comics)
Comic books based on Star Wars have been published by Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics.-Marvel:The Marvel published a series of Star Wars comic books from 1977 to 1986, lasting 107 issues and 3 annuals....
.
Although it changed its title name several times over the years (mostly due to other less successful Marvel UK comics merging with it), the Spider-Man weekly comic eventually became the longest-running Marvel UK publication, publishing 666 issues from 1973-1985.
Publication history
During the course of its run, the book was successively known in the indiciaIndicia
In philately, indicia are markings on a mail piece showing that postage has been prepaid by the sender. Indicia is the plural of the latin word indicium, meaning distinguishing marks, signs or identifying marks...
as:
- Spider-Man Comics Weekly — issues #1–#157 (Feb. 10, 1973 – Feb. 14, 1976)
- Super Spider-Man issues #158–#310 (Feb. 21, 1976 – Jan. 17, 1979)
- Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes — issues #158–#198 (Feb. 21, 1976 – Nov. 24, 1976)
- Super Spider-Man and the Titans — issues #199–#230 (Dec. 1, 1976 – July 6, 1977)
- Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain — issues #231–254 (July 13, 1977 – Dec. 21, 1977)
- Super Spider-Man — issues #255–310 (Dec. 28, 1977 – Jan. 17, 1979)
- Spider-Man Comic — issues #311–333 (Jan. 24, 1979 – July 25, 1979)
- Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly — issues #334–#375 (Aug. 1, 1979 – May 1980)
- Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly — issues #376–#449 (May 1980 – Oct. 1981)
- Super Spider-Man TV Comic — issues #450–#499 (Oct. 1981 – Oct. 1982)
- Spider-Man — issues #500–#633 (Oct. 1982 – April. 1985)
- Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends — issues #553–#606 (Oct. 12, 1983 – Oct. 19, 1984)
- Spider-Man — issues #607–633 (Oct. 26, 1984 – May 20, 1984)
- The Spider-Man Comic — issues #634–#651 (May 27, 1984 – Aug. 1985)
- Spidey Comic — issues #652–#666 (Aug. 1985 – Dec. 1985)
Spider-Man Comics Weekly
Due to the character's popularity in Marvel UK's first title, The Mighty World of MarvelThe Mighty World Of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel was Marvel UK's first-ever title, debuting in 1972, and is also the name of a similar current comic printed by Panini Comics, which bought the Marvel UK titles....
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
was made the star of his own weekly comic in early 1973. The monthly format of the American source material was adapted to fit the British weekly format, with stories being split up over several weeks. The backup strip featured Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
reprints, with Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
joining him from issue #50. The first issue also promoted the UK branch of Marvel's new in-house fan club, FOOM
FOOM
FOOM was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled Marvelmania and preceding Marvel Age. Running 22 quarterly issues FOOM (also written as F.O.O.M.) was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled Marvelmania and...
.
Super Spider-Man
In early 1976 the short-lived Marvel UK title The Super-Heroes was merged into Spider-Man Comics Weekly, which at that point changed its title to Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes. The book also changed orientation to become a landscape-format comic, following the lead of another relatively new Marvel UK title, The Titans. Although this format allowed two pages of Marvel US artwork to fit onto one (magazine-sized) Marvel UK page, reader reaction was mixed, as it made the text small and oftentimes difficult to read.In addition to the continuing stories of Spider-Man, Thor, and Iron Man, Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes started out with X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
backup stories. It soon, however, continued The Super-Heroes comic’s tradition of rotating less-popular characters like Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Tales of Asgard, and Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
; before settling with The Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
. Also from The Super-Heroes came reprint stories from Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
starring the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, which had been running in later issues of the comic before the merger (as well as Spider-Man stories from Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
).
In late 1976, the Spider-Man weekly comic absorbed another cancelled Marvel UK title into its pages: The Titans. Following the precedent of the earlier merger with The Super-Heroes, with issue #199 the book changed its title again, to Super Spider-Man and the Titans. A line-up of Spider-Man, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
, Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, and the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
meant that some weeks Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
appeared in three different strips. The book continued using the landscape orientation until the penultimate edition of Super Spider-Man and the Titans (#229), when it reverted to the traditional "portrait" format — just in time for the next merger.
In 1976 Marvel UK had debuted its first original weekly series, starring the homegrown British superhero Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
. Captain Britain Weekly lasted 39 issues, to July 6, 1977. With Super Spider-Mans July 13, 1977, issue, #231, it absorbed Captain Britain Weekly and changed its title again, to Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain.
The title's main features were now black-and-white reprints of stories from the American The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
comic, with new eight-page black-and-white Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
stories, continuing from the cancelled Captain Britain solo comic. Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain lasted 22 issues; the highlight of the run was the six-issue finale (issues #248-#252), written by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
with art by John Byrne, featuring both Spider-Man and Captain Britain, and the debut of the villain Arcade
Arcade (comics)
Arcade is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Arcade first appeared in Marvel Team-Up, vol...
. (The storyline originated in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
#65 & #66.)
As well as Spider-Man and Captain Britain, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
and the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
continued from Super Spider-Man and the Titans while the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
joined from Captain Britain weekly, only to depart after a few months to headline their own comic, The Complete Fantastic Four. With issue #254 (Dec. 21, 1977), the Captain Britain feature was dropped and the Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
stories continued; the book's title became simply Super Spider-Man, retaining that name until issue #310.
Spider-Man Comic
In 1978, British editor Dez SkinnDez Skinn
Derek "Dez" Skinn is a British comic and magazine editor, and author of a number of books on comics. As head of Marvel Comics' operations in England in the late 1970s, Skinn reformatted existing titles, launched new ones, and acquired the BBC license for Doctor Who Weekly...
was hired by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
to revamp the now ailing Marvel UK. Skinn revamped all of Marvel UK's titles, including Super Spider-Man. He changed the title to Spider-Man Comic and gave it a new look, more similar to the outward appearance of "traditional" British comic books. In addition to Spider-Man, the title featured five backup strips, starring the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, the Sub-Mariner, and Nova
Nova (comics)
Nova is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the galaxy's Nova Corps , the youth gained enhanced strength, flight, injury resistance, and a specialized uniform with life support.In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic...
. (The Avengers went on to become the longest-running backup series in the weekly Spider-Man comic.)
Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly
The summer of 1979 saw the demise of the weekly comic formerly known as The Mighty World of MarvelThe Mighty World Of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel was Marvel UK's first-ever title, debuting in 1972, and is also the name of a similar current comic printed by Panini Comics, which bought the Marvel UK titles....
(changed since the Skinn era to Marvel Comic), and the cancelled weekly was merged into Spider-Man Comic. The new title was called The Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly and Marvel Comic for three issues, and then reverted to the shorter Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly for the rest of its 41 issues. Backup stories now featured Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
(who moved over from the defunct Marvel Comic), but no longer included the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
(who moved to the new Marvel UK monthly title, Marvel Superheroes Monthly).
Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly
The HulkHulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
was another Marvel character with great popularity in the UK. After co-starring for many years in the pages of The Mighty World of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel
The Mighty World Of Marvel was Marvel UK's first-ever title, debuting in 1972, and is also the name of a similar current comic printed by Panini Comics, which bought the Marvel UK titles....
, the green goliath was given his own weekly title, Hulk Comic, in 1979. However, with the May 1980 cancellation of Hulk Comic after 63 issues, it was merged into the Spider-Man title, which became Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly from issues #375–449. Backup stories featured the two main characters' female counterparts, Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Marvel Comics' then-publisher Stan Lee, said in 1978, shortly after Spider-Woman's debut in Marvel Spotlight #32 Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters...
and She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
, as well as The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
(which was continued from Hulk Comic). Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Marvel Comics' then-publisher Stan Lee, said in 1978, shortly after Spider-Woman's debut in Marvel Spotlight #32 Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters...
and The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
were later replaced by Spider-Man team-up stories and Showcase (a strip that spotlighted superheroes who had not had a solo strip before) after the Marvel Team-Up UK weekly merged with the Spider-Man weekly comic. The cover initially indicated the merger by being titled Spider-Man and Hulk Weekly Incorporating Marvel Team-Up, but this was later abbreviated to Spider-Man and Hulk Team-Up.
Super Spider-Man TV Comic
The 1977–1979 The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...
live-action television series inspired yet another title change, in October 1981; the Spider-Man weekly also changed to more of a magazine format, with photo essays, reader comments, contests, and the like (as well as the obligatory reprints of Marvel US material). The format also changed to 28 pages with 8 pages of colour - a marked difference to others titles when almost all UK comics were still black and white except for their covers and perhaps the centre spread. The colour pages were printed on a glossier paper. Only the Spider-Man strip ran during these issues.
Spider-Man (and His Amazing Friends)
With issue #500, the title changed its name again, to just Spider-Man, with the page count now increased to 36. Back-up stories returned, as well; initially this was the HulkHulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
following the merger of the second volume of The Incredible Hulk Weekly into Spider-Man. Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Marvel Comics' then-publisher Stan Lee, said in 1978, shortly after Spider-Woman's debut in Marvel Spotlight #32 Spider-Woman is the codename of several fictional characters...
backup stories returned with issue #517 and the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
returned in issue #529.
The debut of the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions starring established Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and Iceman and an original character, Firestar...
(1981–1983) on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
inspired the latest title change in October 1983. The logo remained the same, but the words "and His Amazing Friends" were added around it. Initially the back-up strips were an adaption of the first episode of the cartoon (co-starring Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
and Firestar
Firestar
Firestar is a fictional mutant superhero in the . Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she has the ability to generate and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to generate intense heat and flames, and to fly...
) and the continuing Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
strips. Later these were replaced by Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, and the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
from issue #567 (Jan. 1984). With issue #578, the title again reverted to Spider-Man and eventually began continuing stories from the short-lived Marvel UK title The Thing is Big Ben (referring to Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
).
Issues #607–#610 featured original Spider-Man stories by Mike Collins and Mark Farmer
Mark Farmer
Mark Farmer is a British comic book artist. He is best known as an inker, often working with Alan Davis.-Biography:Farmer got his start in the UK comics industry before becoming part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK creators that were an integral part of the DC Comics "new look" of the...
. The stories took place in London and featured Spider-Man battling Assassin-8.
The Spider-Man Comic
At the time, in late 1984, the British audience for the comic was skewing younger, just as the readers of the American Spider-Man comics were skewing older. With issue #631, the series began reprinting stories featuring Spider-Man's controversial black costume, and fearful of losing readers, Marvel shortly thereafter stopped running reprints of the American material. Initially the title reprinted Spider-Man stories from give-away issues in US newspapers — starting with the 1983 Spider-Man, Firestar and Iceman comic from the Denver Post — but shortly after these stories were replaced with tales for younger readers from the pages of the American title Spidey Super Stories, backed up by strips such as Wally the Wizard — renamed Willy the Wizard for the UK — and Fraggle RockFraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...
from the Marvel US children's imprint Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
. These were supplemented by short comedy strips by Lew Stringer
Lew Stringer
-Biography:Stringer began his career from the late 1970s with a series of fanzines, many featuring his popular Brickman character; these were read by several pro creators who encouraged Stringer to try comics as a profession and Stringer recalls that "Alan Moore actually introduced me to one of...
, such as Snail-Man. Later issues also featured reprints of the two-page The Dukes of Hazard strip from TV Comic
TV Comic
TV Comic was a British comic book published weekly between November 9, 1951 and June 29, 1984 for 1,697 issues. With its bright, eye-catching covers, it featured stories based on television shows running at the time of publication. The first issue had 8 pages and had Muffin the Mule on the cover....
coinciding with repeats of the TV series being aired in the UK.
Spidey Comic
With the August 1985 name change to Spidey Comic, the title solidified its targeting of younger children. Finally, in December 1985, the Spider-Man weekly published its last issue, #666.Annuals and specials
Even after the demise of Spider-Man Comics Weekly, Spider-Man annuals continued to appear on a yearly basis, continuing from their 1974 debut through 1986, and then from 1990–1992, with a Spider-Man and Hulk Omnibus annual in 1983. Spider-Man Summer Specials were published from 1979–1987, and Winter Specials from 1979-1985. A Spider-Man Holiday Special was published in 1992.Marvel UK published 28 issues of a digest-sized book titled Spider-Man Pocket Book between March 1980 and July 1982. Following that title's cancellation, the early Spider-Man stories it was then reprinting continued for a few months in the pages of the short-lived Marvel UK title The Daredevils
The Daredevils
The Daredevils was a comics magazine and anthology published by Marvel UK in 1983.Aimed for a more sophisticated audience than typical light superhero adventures, The Daredevils featured Captain Britain stories by Alan Moore and Alan Davis, as well as new Night Raven text stories, and reprints of...
.
Spider-Man and Zoids
On March 8, 1986, Marvel UK launched a new Spider-Man reprint weekly comic, called Spider-Man and Zoids, with new numbering. In a link with Spider-Man Comics Weekly, Spider-Man and Zoids was described as "volume 2". The only original material featured the Zoids, a tie-in with the toys of the same nameZoids
is a multi-media model-kit-based franchise originating from Japanese toy company Tomy ; though now produced by various companies through licenses. The majority of the franchise is built around and focused on the various model kit series...
. Spider-Man and Zoids was notable for featuring early work by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
, including the epic and apocalyptic Black Zoid storyline. The new title lasted only 51 issues until February 16, 1987.
The Complete Spider-Man
Marvel UK tried other vehicles for Spider-Man, including 1990's The Complete Spider-Man (a US-comic-sized monthly reprinting material from the American monthlies running at the time: Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man). The Complete Spider-Man was launched shortly after the first issue of Todd McFarlaneTodd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
's adjectiveless Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
title in the US.
The Exploits of Spider-Man
The Exploits of Spider-Man was a UK-comic-sized monthly featuring current Spider-Man stories, classic Spider-Man stories, Spider-Man 2099Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Man 2099 is a fictional comic book superhero, created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for Marvel Comics' Marvel 2099 line. His secret alter ego is Miguel O'Hara, a brilliant geneticist living in New York in the year 2099 A.D...
and Motormouth
Motormouth (comics)
Motormouth is a fictional character created by Paul Neary and developed by writer Graham Marks with initial designs by Gary Frank as the titular character of her own series Motormouth , was part of a line of original comics released in the early-to-mid 1990s by Marvel UK...
reprints.
The Astonishing Spider-Man & other Panini UK titles
As from issue six of The Astonishing Spider-ManAstonishing Spider-Man
The Astonishing Spider-Man is a comic book series being published by Panini Comics in the United Kingdom every fortnight as part of Marvel UK's 'Collectors Edition' line...
, all of Marvel UK's titles were acquired by Panini UK, which now holds the license to publish comics under the Marvel name in the UK. Panini UK added several biweekly and monthly titles, including The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
(for younger readers), Ultimate Spider-Man (later Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men
Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men
Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men was a Marvel UK comic book series published by Panini Comics every four weeks. The title reprinted one issue of Ultimate Spider-Man and one issue of Ultimate X-Men in each issue.-History:...
after a merger), and Spider-Man and Friends (for very young readers). The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
, was launched to accompany Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
, which began broadcasting in the UK in the mid-90s. Initially, the stories were simply reprints of the US comics based on the series, but eventually the title moved to all-new UK-originated stories, marking the first Marvel UK material featuring classic Marvel characters to be produced since early 1994.