Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2019 3:42:53 GMT -5
In 1988, with two DC UK titles on the shelves, and various annuals, it felt like London Editions Magazines, part of Egmont, were on a roll. Would it ever end?
It certainly did in 1995. But kudos to LEM for what they did during their fine stewardship of the DC licence. With Titan woefully 'serving' the DC licence from 2006-2018, one is reminded of the good job Egmont/LEM did.
LEM had began publishing Superman and Batman titles in 1988. Before we cover what happened to those titles in the 90s, let's look at some other things LEM tried.
First up was DC Action, a bi-monthly title which started in 1990. Sadly, it lasted a mere six issues. It reprinted The New Teen Titans, Secret Origins and Animal Man. Here's the first issue cover:
Were LEM spreading themselves thin? I don't think so. As a bi-monthly title, and one with a very different flavour to the Superman and Batman titles, it offered something fresh.
However, Zones might have been a little bit too esoteric. Debuting in 1990, it only managed four issues, reprinting the darker DC characters like Swamp Thing and The Shadow. Here's the first issue cover:
It seems the failure of Zones didn't deter LEM. They tried again, in 1991, with Shockwave, which also only lasted four issues:
I appreciate what they were trying to do. I managed to speak to one of LEM's editors, Brian M. Clarke, at a convention years ago. I knew what he was trying to do, and I know they were aiming to get some of the more obscure DC characters onto UK shelves, but I guess it was a lot to expect the market to support titles featuring characters that simply didn't have the name recognition or interest that the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight had.
In 1991, Heroes began publication. It reprinted DC tales that bad been published in the US several years prior, including The Brave and The Bold, Blue Devil, and Legion of Super-Heroes. There were fact files in each issue. It only lasted eight issues. Here's the first issue cover:
So, what of the Superman and Batman Monthly titles that had began in 1988? What became of them?
Sadly, sales declined. Superman became bi-monthly at one point (as in every two months, not twice a month, damn the English language!!!). Batman Monthly "rebooted" a couple of times. Dare I say it, things became a tad juvenile with some of the reboots and their cover gifts.
Anyway, the Batman and Superman titles merged to become, well, Batman & Superman. The Superman portion reprinted "The Death of Superman" whilst the Batman portion reprinted "Knightfall". After 11 issues, it ended. Covers are hard to come by, but here's the cover for the 9th issue:
Though it pains me, I'll cover the 2000s/2010s earlier, despite Titan's woeful mishandling of the licence. And it's not just me saying that:
www.bleedingcool.com/2016/04/29/concern-over-titans-uk-reprints-of-dc-comics-titles/
It certainly did in 1995. But kudos to LEM for what they did during their fine stewardship of the DC licence. With Titan woefully 'serving' the DC licence from 2006-2018, one is reminded of the good job Egmont/LEM did.
LEM had began publishing Superman and Batman titles in 1988. Before we cover what happened to those titles in the 90s, let's look at some other things LEM tried.
First up was DC Action, a bi-monthly title which started in 1990. Sadly, it lasted a mere six issues. It reprinted The New Teen Titans, Secret Origins and Animal Man. Here's the first issue cover:
Were LEM spreading themselves thin? I don't think so. As a bi-monthly title, and one with a very different flavour to the Superman and Batman titles, it offered something fresh.
However, Zones might have been a little bit too esoteric. Debuting in 1990, it only managed four issues, reprinting the darker DC characters like Swamp Thing and The Shadow. Here's the first issue cover:
It seems the failure of Zones didn't deter LEM. They tried again, in 1991, with Shockwave, which also only lasted four issues:
I appreciate what they were trying to do. I managed to speak to one of LEM's editors, Brian M. Clarke, at a convention years ago. I knew what he was trying to do, and I know they were aiming to get some of the more obscure DC characters onto UK shelves, but I guess it was a lot to expect the market to support titles featuring characters that simply didn't have the name recognition or interest that the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight had.
In 1991, Heroes began publication. It reprinted DC tales that bad been published in the US several years prior, including The Brave and The Bold, Blue Devil, and Legion of Super-Heroes. There were fact files in each issue. It only lasted eight issues. Here's the first issue cover:
So, what of the Superman and Batman Monthly titles that had began in 1988? What became of them?
Sadly, sales declined. Superman became bi-monthly at one point (as in every two months, not twice a month, damn the English language!!!). Batman Monthly "rebooted" a couple of times. Dare I say it, things became a tad juvenile with some of the reboots and their cover gifts.
Anyway, the Batman and Superman titles merged to become, well, Batman & Superman. The Superman portion reprinted "The Death of Superman" whilst the Batman portion reprinted "Knightfall". After 11 issues, it ended. Covers are hard to come by, but here's the cover for the 9th issue:
Though it pains me, I'll cover the 2000s/2010s earlier, despite Titan's woeful mishandling of the licence. And it's not just me saying that:
www.bleedingcool.com/2016/04/29/concern-over-titans-uk-reprints-of-dc-comics-titles/
Theat cover copy sounds like a Monty Python sketch.
