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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
DMG Takes Valiant Comics Titles


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DMG Entertainment (“Looper,” “Chappaquiddick”) has acquired comic publisher Valiant Entertainment which boasts the third-largest universe of superhero characters.

DMG already had a 57% stake in Valiant, but have now taken whole ownership in an effort to make a concerted push into film, television and other media platforms.

Top Valiant Comics titles include “X-O Manowar,,” “Shadowman,” “Archer & Armstrong,” and “Ninjak” along with “Bloodshot” and “Harbinger” which are getting film adaptations at Sony Pictures, and both “Quantum and Woody” and “Dr. Mirage” which are being lined up for television.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Starblazer - Space Fiction Adventure in Pictures was a British small-format comics anthology in black and white published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.


History
The comic book magazine was launched in response to the popularity of science fiction in the 1970s at the cinema and on television. A science fiction comic had first been considered by Ian Chisholm and Jack Smith, editors at DC Thomson, in 1976. A decision was made to launch the comic in September 1978. Smith was the first editor. His successors in the role were Bill Graham and Bill McLoughlin.[1]

Issues were 281, the first published in April 1979, and the last published on 1 January 1991. The front cover was printed in colour while the back page featured an ongoing subject that was relevant to the space programme. This included pictures of astronautsand brief details of the missions they were on, other subjects were satellites and the planets and planetoids of the solar system. Issues 1 - 3 were issued with monthly periodicity. From issue 4, there were two issues a month; this periodicity continued until the series reached its end in 1991.

Partway through its run, from issue 168 onwards, the anthology changed format. Instead of a single front cover and a black and white subject on the back, a new all-colour 'wrap around' cover was instituted, most of the time showing a collage of subjects from that issue's storyline. The subject matters also appeared to have a more adult emphasis and there was a heavier focus on fantasy storylines. The cover title also changed format slightly to Starblazer - Fantasy Fiction in Pictures; despite the title change, there were still a considerable number of science fiction storylines up till the final issue.
The later style of Starblazer cover from Issue 200, which had a wrap around effect. Also showing an emphasis on Fantasy storylines, this was the first appearance of the Kingdom of Anglerre.
Prior to the new format, there had been several issues that had been classed as interactive fiction, with the title Starblazer - Space (or Fantasy) roleplaying game in pictures[2] similar in idea to the then popular Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf gamebooks, but this idea was quietly dropped after a few issues when it proved unpopular.

The Starblazer issues suffered from poor distribution, being rare in parts of Scotland and almost unknown in the rest of the United Kingdom. Due to a downturn in the general comic market, many newsagents never stocked them, or later would only take subscriptions. This contrasts sharply with the Commando comics from the same publisher that have enjoyed countrywide widespread distribution since their origin in the 1960s. Also, a slump in the science fiction genre affected the sales.

In May 2007 Cubicle 7 Entertainment announced that they were producing a licensed Starblazer role-playing game using the FATE 3.0 system. The game was released by Cubicle 7 in August 2008, at Gen Con Indianapolis,[3] followed by a hard-cover edition in June 2009.[3] In July 2009 it was nominated for three Ennies.

An exhibition was held in Dundee in 2009 to mark the 30th anniversary of the title and attracted comics creators like Alan Grant and Warren Ellis.[4]

Featured artists and writers
British comics creators to have worked on Starblazer include Grant Morrison,[1] Walter Cyril Henry Reed, John Smith, Mike Chinn, Mike McMahon, Colin MacNeil, Cam Kennedy, John Radford and John Ridgway. There were also a number of European and South American artists who did other work in British comics, such as Enrique Alcatena.[1] Also Mike Knowles. Before the comic was launched he was one of a group of writers selected by D. C. Thomson to come up with stories for the comic.

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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
STARBLAZER was around forever, it seemed, and I definitely read it at some point.

But I can't remember a thing about it, beyond the covers.

It just struck me at the time as generic space opera, and marine combat in space.

I don't remember a single interesting character, although apparently there were recurring characters here and there, including Grok and Zero.

Maybe this lack of interest is my loss?

Will (re)read a copy if I ever find one kicking about.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Captain Britain (Brian Braddock) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly #1 (October 1976), the beginning of a serial best-remembered for runs by writer Chris Claremont, artist Alan Davis, and writer Alan Moore.

The character was initially intended exclusively for the British comics market. Endowed with extraordinary powers by the legendarymagician Merlyn and his daughter Roma, Captain Britain is assigned to uphold the laws of Britain.


Born and raised in the small town of Maldon, Essex and educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh, Brian was a shy and studious youth, living a relatively quiet life and spending a lot of time with his parents and siblings (older brother Jamie and fraternal twin Elizabeth). The family was an aristocratic one that was no longer rich enough to fraternise with their former academic peers, leaving Brian (too proud to fraternise with lower classes) a lonely child who immersed himself in the study of physics.[10]

After the death of his parents (Sir James and Lady Elizabeth) in what seemed to be a laboratory accident, Brian takes a fellowship at Darkmoor nuclear research centre. When the facility is attacked by the technological criminal Joshua Stragg (alias "The Reaver"), Brian tries to find help by escaping on his motorcycle. Although he crashes his bike in a nearly fatal accident, Merlyn and his daughter, the Omniversal Guardian Roma, appear to the badly injured Brian. They give him the chance to be the superhero Captain Britain. He is offered a choice: the Amulet of Right or the Sword of Might. Considering himself to be no warrior and unsuited for the challenge, he rejects the Sword and chooses the Amulet. This choice transforms Brian Braddock into Captain Britain.[



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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Captain Britain has had a chequered history, but seems to keep popping up for further adventures.

Alan Moore writing him did much for his profile and longevity I think.

Only a matter of time until Marvel gets around to him, either on the big screen or television, I think.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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The first comic that I ever collected in earnest, before making the leap to both Marvel and 2000AD.

I already had fallen in love with UNIVERSAL MONSTERS, so "Frankie-Stein" had me hooked, along with "Gums", a spoof of JAWS.


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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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This was the only USA issue of WEREWOLF BY NIGHT that I owned, back in 1977, Usually I relied on black and white reprints in the UK comic DRACULA LIVES....

There was an open air market stall in our town, where you could get second hand comics and magazines, USA and UK ones, which was like an oasis of genres, with many hidden treasures, so almost certainly the above WEREWOLF one came from there.


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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
I remember this one....

Poor quality paper, in larger format black and white reprints of American Marvel strips...

Barely lasted 20 or so issues, which seemed to be the fate of a lot of UK Marvel titles back then. They were really struggling against 2000AD and the like.


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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Issue 1 of the British UK Dracula Comic (top of that pile) had that nice poster to the right that came free with it.

I also had that "Special Edition" bottom left, that was printed on much higher quality paper, but was still black and white reprints..
 
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