Spellbound was a girls horror weekly published from 1976 to 1977 by DC Thomson. It lasted for 69 issues before merging into Debbie. In those days boys wouldn’t be seen dead buying girl-targeted comics but there were some really good strips in there, which as adults, we can all appreciate. It clearly prompted rival publisher IPC to launch a similar girls' horror comic, the cult-classic Misty. The free gifts were with issue #1 a Mystic Sun Pendant, and in issue #2 a Your Supercats Secret Diary, and #3 was a Black Cat Cameo brooch.
The is the cover to issue #8…
And some pages from that issue. The artwork is superb…
A very collectable title - expect to pay around £10 per issue, with the first three, including free gifts, about 5 times that amount.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
This weeks birthday comic covers from 14-20 April…
Spider-Man Weekly was the longest running UK Marvel title, lasting 666 issues - whereas Buster had the most mergers during its run (12), it was Spiderman Weekly that had most title changes - 5 mergers and another 10 more titles - the one below is the second that has been presented in this feature and by the year end I hope to have posted all 15 titles…
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
BATMAN #110 - September 1957 - Crime-Of-The-Month Club - In which The Joker makes his Silver Age debut…
There were 3 stories in this issue and the editor chose to go with the least interesting story as the cover art - very odd. The other story is about Alfred, and is both interesting and very good, so that comes up tomorrow - same website, same thread, just about the same time 😁
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
History is history, what happened can’t be changed, now. But, what if other events intervened to change the world as we know it today? This comic explores an alternate history of events of what might have happened if…
WARNING: This comic contains strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition - if in doubt, do not read.
D-Day - Russians On The Moon - Part One
Continues tomorrow…
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
WHIZZER AND CHIPS 18th Oct 1969-27th Oct 1990 (1,038 issues)
IPC Magazines launched Whizzer and Chips in 1969 boasting the unique selling point of it being "Two comics for only 6d", - 16 page Chips comic was inside 16 page Whizzer. As with most comics of the period, Whizzer and Chips No.1 was promoted on television with ten second advertisements and within other comics (such as Smash!) with four page pull-out leaflets.
Whizzer and Chips was only ever one comic of course. At the time D.C. Thomson's Dandy and Beano each had 16 pages for 4d and IPC knew they couldn't compete on that level, so the illusion of two comics for 6d worked, as Whizzer and Chips seemed better value for money as "two" comics than it would have as one. Being a rival to Dandy and Beano was obviously the intention, and IPC's clever and original "two-in-one" marketing technique ensured the success of the comic right from the start. Whizzer and Chips had a good lineup of strips. Me and My Shadow, a simple but imaginative concept, can be seen here...
Earlier in the year, IPC had dropped Mike Higgs' very popular strip The Cloak from Smash! but editor Bob Painter asked him to create a new strip for Whizzer and Chips. The result was Space School…
Kings of the Castle was a strip about the working-class King family inheriting a castle, The Space Accident was a science fiction strip, The Spectacular Adventures of Willie Bunk was about a kid with magic glasses, but the standout strip was The Stealer…
So, Whizzer was the outer comic and Chips was found inside in the middle and cover-starred Sid's Snake…
IPC attempted the "two-in-one" gimmick again in the early 1970s with football weekly Score 'n' Roar and humour comic Shiver and Shake. Neither had long lasting success, proving that innovation is better than imitation. Along the way Knockout and Whoopee! were merged into the seemingly invincible Whizzer and Chips. But eventually the title folded in 1990, by which time a drop in sales and budget cuts meant that it contained a lot of reprint and had reduced its total page count from 32 pages to 24, phasing out the Chips insert. Yes, in the end Whizzer and Chips merged into itself, before being swallowed up by the long-running Buster.
21 years and 1038 issues is no mean feat and WhizzerandChips can hold its head up high in the annals of British comics.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
@Barbel Yes, the first series of TheWizard (1922-1963) was text only stories with intermittent sketches of some of the action. It merged into Rover which was a similar style comic but this had some adventure strip cartoons in it as well. In 1970, a second incarnation of Wizard was launched with strip cartoon stories. This ran until 1978 when it merged into TheVictor and ran for a short while as VictorandWizard before Wizard was dropped and the title was lost forever.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Comments
Seconded 👏🏻
Indeed, I will, gentlemen…
SAUCER COUNTRY Part 11 - 2 of 2
WARNING: This story may contain strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition.
More from Saucer Country next weekend…
I'll be waiting; I'm caught up in this.
Spellbound was a girls horror weekly published from 1976 to 1977 by DC Thomson. It lasted for 69 issues before merging into Debbie. In those days boys wouldn’t be seen dead buying girl-targeted comics but there were some really good strips in there, which as adults, we can all appreciate. It clearly prompted rival publisher IPC to launch a similar girls' horror comic, the cult-classic Misty. The free gifts were with issue #1 a Mystic Sun Pendant, and in issue #2 a Your Supercats Secret Diary, and #3 was a Black Cat Cameo brooch.
The is the cover to issue #8…
And some pages from that issue. The artwork is superb…
A very collectable title - expect to pay around £10 per issue, with the first three, including free gifts, about 5 times that amount.
This weeks birthday comic covers from 14-20 April…
Spider-Man Weekly was the longest running UK Marvel title, lasting 666 issues - whereas Buster had the most mergers during its run (12), it was Spiderman Weekly that had most title changes - 5 mergers and another 10 more titles - the one below is the second that has been presented in this feature and by the year end I hope to have posted all 15 titles…
I probably had that "Terrific". Thanks for those, CHB, and you're right about the boy/girl thing.
I’d never heard of Spellbound before…obviously a girls comic for icky girls 😝🤣
I certainly did.
Strange how they change from icky girls to phwoar! 😂
Strange how they change from icky girls to phwoar! 😂
Indeed ☺️
BATMAN #110 - September 1957 - Crime-Of-The-Month Club - In which The Joker makes his Silver Age debut…
There were 3 stories in this issue and the editor chose to go with the least interesting story as the cover art - very odd. The other story is about Alfred, and is both interesting and very good, so that comes up tomorrow - same website, same thread, just about the same time 😁
That sounds good. Yes, you'd think the Joker's story would have made the front.
The second story from BATMAN #110 - September 1957 - The Secret of Batman’s Butler - In which Alfred hands in his notice!
Enjoyed the Alfred story, and the "Public Service" tale at the end.
History is history, what happened can’t be changed, now. But, what if other events intervened to change the world as we know it today? This comic explores an alternate history of events of what might have happened if…
WARNING: This comic contains strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition - if in doubt, do not read.
D-Day - Russians On The Moon - Part One
Continues tomorrow…
Another one! 🤠
WARNING: This comic contains strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition - if in doubt, do not read.
D-Day - Russians On The Moon - Part Two
To be continued next Thursday…
This is very nicely. A lot of good stuff in this thread, CHB.
Just caught up with this today…nicely, nicely.
SAUCER COUNTRY Part 12 - 1 of 2
WARNING: This story may contain strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition.
Continues tomorrow…
Please!
SAUCER COUNTRY Part 12 - 2 of 2
WARNING: This story may contain strong language and scenes that may cause distress to those of a nervous disposition.
*** I HAVE CENSORED THE LAST PAGE DUE TO A SCENE THAT IS TOO GRAPHIC TO BE POSTED ON THIS SITE ***
To be continued next weekend…
😳
Agreed. This is a grimmer story than it started out to be. Also, I liked the professor and didn't expect this.
WHIZZER AND CHIPS 18th Oct 1969-27th Oct 1990 (1,038 issues)
IPC Magazines launched Whizzer and Chips in 1969 boasting the unique selling point of it being "Two comics for only 6d", - 16 page Chips comic was inside 16 page Whizzer. As with most comics of the period, Whizzer and Chips No.1 was promoted on television with ten second advertisements and within other comics (such as Smash!) with four page pull-out leaflets.
Whizzer and Chips was only ever one comic of course. At the time D.C. Thomson's Dandy and Beano each had 16 pages for 4d and IPC knew they couldn't compete on that level, so the illusion of two comics for 6d worked, as Whizzer and Chips seemed better value for money as "two" comics than it would have as one. Being a rival to Dandy and Beano was obviously the intention, and IPC's clever and original "two-in-one" marketing technique ensured the success of the comic right from the start. Whizzer and Chips had a good lineup of strips. Me and My Shadow, a simple but imaginative concept, can be seen here...
Earlier in the year, IPC had dropped Mike Higgs' very popular strip The Cloak from Smash! but editor Bob Painter asked him to create a new strip for Whizzer and Chips. The result was Space School…
Kings of the Castle was a strip about the working-class King family inheriting a castle, The Space Accident was a science fiction strip, The Spectacular Adventures of Willie Bunk was about a kid with magic glasses, but the standout strip was The Stealer…
So, Whizzer was the outer comic and Chips was found inside in the middle and cover-starred Sid's Snake…
IPC attempted the "two-in-one" gimmick again in the early 1970s with football weekly Score 'n' Roar and humour comic Shiver and Shake. Neither had long lasting success, proving that innovation is better than imitation. Along the way Knockout and Whoopee! were merged into the seemingly invincible Whizzer and Chips. But eventually the title folded in 1990, by which time a drop in sales and budget cuts meant that it contained a lot of reprint and had reduced its total page count from 32 pages to 24, phasing out the Chips insert. Yes, in the end Whizzer and Chips merged into itself, before being swallowed up by the long-running Buster.
21 years and 1038 issues is no mean feat and Whizzer and Chips can hold its head up high in the annals of British comics.
This weeks birthday covers 21-27 April…
Jackie is probably the greatest girls comic in British history and Beatles covers would sell like hot cakes…
I used to get back copies of Whizzer & Chips…probably bought them from other kids…or swap them for my Beano comics 😁
One of my brothers got that one, and I would sneak a look.
CHB, please remind me - was "Wizard " mainly/all text stories (in early editions, anyway) or am I thinking of something else?
@Barbel Yes, the first series of The Wizard (1922-1963) was text only stories with intermittent sketches of some of the action. It merged into Rover which was a similar style comic but this had some adventure strip cartoons in it as well. In 1970, a second incarnation of Wizard was launched with strip cartoon stories. This ran until 1978 when it merged into The Victor and ran for a short while as Victor and Wizard before Wizard was dropped and the title was lost forever.
Much obliged, good sir.
You’re more than welcome, Barbel.
We continue our potted history of Batman with…
DETECTIVE COMICS #254 - April 1958 - One Ounce Of Doom - In which the Bat-copter is added to the gadget list for the first time…