A look at some of the British comics that will be celebrating (or commiserating) an important anniversary in July 2024.
Standard disclaimer: unless I decide otherwise, these are only the “big” anniversaries (25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90 & 100+ years); dates are cover-dates where known; monthly comics with no confirmed day of launch default to the start of the month; and this list is accurate only to the best of my knowledge, so do please let me know of any important errors or omissions!
Previous episodes of Hatch, Match & Dispatch:
2019: Oct, Nov, Dec
2020: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2021: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2022: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2023: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2024: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun
30 years ago:
July – Best of Rainbow launched.
Publisher: London Editions
From: Jul 1994
To: Unknown
Duration: Unknown
Issues: Unknown
As I’ve mentioned many times before, the nursery-age comics are very hard to pin down!
01 July – Conan the Adventurer launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 01 Jul 1994
To: 29 Jul 1994
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 3
Retitled Conan with #3 (the final issue: see below).
Fun trivia: The cover of #1 — drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith and inked by John Verpoorten — originally appeared on issue #1 of Marvel US’s Conan the Barbarian in October 1970, and it’s the third time Marvel UK have reprinted it as a cover, first with #1 of Savage Sword of Conan (8 Mar 1975), then with #1 of Conan the Barbarian Pocket Book (Nov 1980).
July – Judy Picture Story Library for Girls final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: May 1963
To: Jul 1994
Duration: 31 years, 2 months
Issues: 375
08 July – Care Bears final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 14 Jan 1985
To: 08 Jul 1994
Duration: 9 years, 6 months
Issues: 302
Absorbed Get Along Gang with issue #69 (31 Jan 1987), Popples from issue #118 (9 Jan 1988), Lady Lovely Locks with issue #152 (8 Oct 1988).
29 July – Conan the Adventurer final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 01 Jul 1994
To: 29 Jul 1994
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 3
Retitled Conan with #3 (the final issue). See above. (It’s not often that we get a comic launched and cancelled in the same month!)
29 July – Joe 90 launched.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 29 Jul 1994
To: 09 Sep 1994
Duration: 2 months
Issues: 7
Fortnightly.
29 July – Postman Pat Play and Learn launched.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 29 Jul 1994
To: Unknown
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 9
fortnightly. At least 9 issues. (There’s also Postman Pat Comic, Postman Pat Picture Paper, Postman Pat Weekly, Postman Pat Fun-to-Learn and Postman Pat Fun-to-Do… some of which might well be the same comics with new titles… There’s very little info on-line about any of them!)
35 years ago:
July – Alf final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: May 1988
To: Jul 1989
Duration: 1 year, 2 months
Issues: 15
06 July – Mickey Mouse and Friends launched.
Publisher: London Editions
From: 06 Jul 1989
To: 1990
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 27
This title was apparently put on hiatus after #23 (10 May 1990): when it returned later in 1990, issues had increased in price and were undated. At least 27 issues were published.
12 July – Count Duckula launched.
Publisher: Celebrity
From: 12 Jul 1989
To: 01 Feb 1990
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 30
Weekly until at least issue #25.
22 July – The Marvel Bumper Comic final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 01 Oct 1988
To: 22 Jul 1989
Duration: 9 months
Issues: 31
40 years ago:
25 July – The Thing is Big Ben final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 28 Mar 1984
To: 25 Jul 1984
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 18
Absorbed into Spider-Man Comics Weekly. See Branding: Spider-Man Comics Weekly
50 years ago:
July – Top Secret Picture Library launched.
Publisher: IPC
From: Jul 1974
To: Feb 1976
Duration: 1 year, 7 months
Issues: 40
60 years ago:
11 July – Poppet final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 05 Oct 1963
To: 11 Jul 1964
Duration: 9 months
Issues: 41
Absorbed into June.
85 years ago:
22 July – The Magic Comic (1939) launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 22 Jul 1939
To: 25 Jan 1941
Duration: 1 year, 6 months
Issues: 80
90 years ago:
21 July – The Bullseye final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 24 Jan 1931
To: 21 Jul 1934
Duration: 3 years, 6 months
Issues: 183
Relaunched as Film Picture Stories. See below.
28 July – Film Picture Stories launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 28 Jul 1934
To: 16 Feb 1935
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 30
Relaunch of The Bullseye. See above.
28 July – The Pioneer final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 10 Feb 1934
To: 28 Jul 1934
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 25
Absorbed into The Ranger (1933).
95 years ago:
July – Tales for Little People (1929) launched.
Publisher: Aldine House
From: Jul 1929
To: 1933
Duration: 4 years(ish)
Issues: 64
27 July – The School Friend (1925) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 07 Mar 1925
To: 27 Jul 1929
Duration: 4 years, 4 months
Issues: 229
Relaunched as The Schoolgirl (1929)
105 years ago:
05 July – Girls’ Own Stories launched.
Publisher: Hulton
From: 05 Jul 1919
To: 04 Nov 1922
Duration: 3 years, 4 months
Issues: 172
115 years ago:
29 July – Jack and Jill (1909) launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 29 Jul 1909
To: 17 Sep 1909
Duration: 2 months
Issues: 3
120 years ago:
30 July – Puck launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 30 Jul 1904
To: 11 May 1940
Duration: 35 years, 10 months
Issues: 1867
Rusty Staples 