Where did it all go wrong for British comics?

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There used to be loads of British comics -war, adventure, sport, SF, girls' stuff, humour, etc. - and now there seems to be only 2000AD, a sad pathetic shadow of its former self.

Where did it all go wrong? do kids not like reading about robots having amazing adventures any more?

― DV, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought this thread was going to be about Bobby Davro.

― N., Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

fucking kids.

― DV, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ask Ewing Minor who has just had a 2000AD commission. He can wax lyrical on this subject.

― Pete, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

paper prices, video games, the interweb, mobile phone theft, glue and carjacking are to blame. "This is the one enemy even *I* cannot defeat....DRUGS!!!"

― Tom, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought this thread was going to be about Bobby Davro fucking kids.

― Alan T, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hello future googlers!

― Tom, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Several nails cealed the lid on the comic coffin. Video games and the interenet were undoubtably among them, but the first one was when they started merging comics. So Speed started and then was taken over by Tiger, which was in turn merged with Eagle. 2000AD and Star Lord. Whizzer and Chips. The list goes on.

I can just imagine the top brass at King's Reach Towers sitting in the board room, plotting. "Which comics can we merge next? Think of the cost savings".

― MarkH, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

cealed? I meant sealed....oops.

― MarkH, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Surely when all the 'good' Brit comics creators were snapped up by DC/Marvel and given piddling little things like page rates three times as high as the IPC equivalent, copyright (sometimes), the return of their original artwork etc. etc.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

mark h are you seriously saying that CHIPS when solo was a princeling comic in the golden age ditto!! It merged w.WHIZZER in 1972, long years before 2000AD's heyday — and who the hell remembers WHIZZER solo? (Did it even exist solo?)

actually your main point is probably true, it's just that as a 12-yr-old punter i only even discovered W&C becoz of the free sachet of (in the event undrinkable) orange drink they were touting on the cover of the first issue (which i still have!! gus the gorilla! "you can't make a money out of gus!" no but also you can't make a viable let alone memorable comic character) (they tried to big themselves up by pretending there was a pubs vs bars war within the community of the readers, whizzos (i think) vs chip-ites!!)

― mark s, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pubs vs Bars = Whizz-kids vs Charlie-ites?

― Tom, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought this thread was going to be about Bobby Davro fucking kids.
-- Alan T (Alan.Trewartha@harpercollins.co.uk), February 21, 2002.

Hello future googlers!
-- Tom (ebros@netcomuk.co.uk), February 21, 2002.

OW! MY SIDES (seriously)

― N., Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It was when Battle became Battle action force in some lame minifig tie-in.

And I think Warlord merged with Victor, = sacrilege.

― chris, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark H - merging comics is a practise as old as publishing comics (or 'boys' papers') in the UK. The fantastic book 'BOYS WILL BE BOYS' about the penny dreadfuls and boys' adventure comics has a section on it. GREAT NEWS FOR ALL OUR READERS!

Nick - pains in the sides AND throwing up on your keyboard?? Have you been poking round any illegal nuclear waste dumps recently?

― Tom, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And of course the second comic in the merger, which has fewer of its stories retained, has its logo gradually shrink and shrink until it disappears from the front cover altogether. I don't think Speed lasted more than about 10 issues before it was merged with Tiger, with only the sport-related stories surviving.

― MarkH, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

comics only merge when no one is buying one or both of the merging titels, the publishers don't do it for fun.

― DV, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

there's a v good "vintage" comic and pulp fiction sale on every month somewhere near Russel Square. i went last month (just can't recall exact address -- it's the street that goes off north). some original art on sale, plus piles of old british comics. some vids too (bought Survivors eps, VG) and tons of old penguins and crime books. oh and old annuals too.

― Alan Trewartha, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

now then now then it was cos you see like that there alternative com- eh-deh was like as we all know an alter-na-tive to laugh-ing you see so the wind changed but the greats did not and the woon-an-owwnly mike yarwood you see he was right up the kolly without a kibber owowowowo 18 points you got if you said it was open brackets make me smile come up and see me but on my copy there is no close brackets on the like label so i think i have got you there now then at number 2 patiently queueing up to get to number 1 was the forever guy mr clifford the richard dignified don graham archive uncle ted etc. they can't touch me can they thank fuck for that.

― Jimmi Seville for legal reasons, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do they have those Battle picture library mini books? I used to love them, one of my mates had his photo printed in another comic surrounded by his vast collection. Why another comic would print that I have no idea.

― chris, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I looked for those little Commando books. they had some but not many. i went on a script-writing course with a guy who got a job writing those. jammy git. think i would have enjoyed that, though secretly wanted to write girls comix (as i have banged on about before)

― Alan Trewartha, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Video games and the interenet were undoubtably among them,

Ironically some videogame co. (Rebellion?) bought 2000AD a year or two ago. They're working on cool Dredd/Mega city games. Apparently you'll be able to choose to render the game in the style of your fav. artist. Ezquerra vs. Dillon : FITE!

― Simeon, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ron Smith for fat arsed Dredd action!

― DV, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

current Tharg = ex Doctor Who mag editor.

― Alan Trewartha, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Apparently you'll be able to choose to render the game in the style of your fav. artist."
Christ, time to buy a new hard drive then , that won't be a small game.

― DG, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

current Tharg = ex Doctor Who mag editor.

who? Dez Skinn? or one of the other members of the entire population of Earth who have had a crack at editing the Doctor Who mag?

blimey, I see an Absalom Daak v. Axel Pressbutton thread coming up.

― DV, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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