Hatch, Match & Dispatch – Jan 2021

Here we go again. You know the drill by now: British comics, important anniversaries, coming month.

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

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25 years ago:

10 January – The Ren and Stimpy Show final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 19 Oct 1994
To: 10 Jan 1996
Duration: 1 year, 3 months
Issues: 16
Published every four weeks.

12 January – X-Men final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 14 Oct 1994
To: 12 Jan 1996
Duration: 1 year, 3 months
Issues: 34
Relaunhced as: The Amazing X-Men

30 January – Space Precinct final issue.
Publisher: Manga Entertainment
From: 31 Oct 1995
To: 30 Jan 1996
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 6

30 years ago:

January – Police Academy launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Jan 1991
To: Apr 1991
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 4
Monthly. Lasted for at least four issues. More info, please!
Update: Thanks to Richard Sheaf for clarification on the issue-count: “Denis Gifford’s ACE newsletter #122 (volume 14, issue) for May/June 1991 has issue 4 of Police Academy as the final issue.”

January – Revolver final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: Jul 1990
To: Jan 1991
Duration: 6 months
Issues: 7
Absorbed into Crisis.

January – Starblazer final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: Apr 1979
To: Jan 1991
Duration: 11 years, 9 months
Issues: 281

January – The Best of Whoopee! Monthly final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: Jun 1985
To: Jan 1991
Duration: 5 years, 7 months
Issues: 68
Dates and issue-count for this one are unconfirmed.

12 January – Thundercats final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 21 Mar 1987
To: 12 Jan 1991
Duration: 3 years, 10 months
Issues: 129
Absorbed Galaxy Rangers along the way.

35 years ago:

January – Redfox (1986) launched.
Publisher: Harrier Comics
From: Jan 1986
To: Jul 1987
Duration: 1 year, 6 months
Issues: 10
Continues in Valkyrie Press’s Redfox (1987).

January – She-Ra launched.
Publisher: London Editions
From: Jan 1986
To: Mar 1987
Duration: 1 year, 2 months
Issues: 14
Fortnightly. Retitled She-Ra: Princess of Power from #11.

40 years ago:

21 January – Forces in Combat final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 15 May 1980
To: 21 Jan 1981
Duration: 8 months
Issues: 37
Absorbed into Future Tense.

24 January – The New Hotspur final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 24 Oct 1959
To: 24 Jan 1981
Duration: 21 years, 3 months
Issues: 1110
Absorbed into The Victor.
Title reverted to The Hotspur with issue #174 (16 Feb 1963), then became Hotspur with issue 882 (11 Sep 1976)

45 years ago:

24 January – Donald Duck (1975) final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 27 Sep 1975
To: 24 Jan 1976
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 18
Absorbed into Mickey Mouse.
A US-sized comic, which was a unusual for the UK.

24 January – Little Star final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 29 Jan 1972
To: 24 Jan 1976
Duration: 4 years
Issues: 209
Absorbed into Twinkle.

30 January – Toby launched.
Publisher: IPC
From: 30 Jan 1976
To: 30 Sep 1978
Duration: 2 years, 8 months
Issues: 88
Absorbed into Jack and Jill (1954)

31 January – Magic Comic (1976) launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 31 Jan 1976
To: 24 Feb 1979
Duration: 3 years, 1 month
Issues: 161
Absorbed into Twinkle.
A revival (in name only) of one of DCT’s earliest comics… see below!

50 years ago:

01 January – Wild West Picture Library final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 01 May 1966
To: 01 Jan 1971
Duration: 4 years, 8 months
Issues: 114

09 January – Look-In launched.
Publisher: ITP/IPC
From: 09 Jan 1971
To: 12 Mar 1994
Duration: 23 years, 2 months
Issues: 1210
See also: Pocket-Money Comics: Look-In

16 January – Treasure final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 19 Jan 1963
To: 16 Jan 1971
Duration: 8 years
Issues: 418
Absorbed into World of Wonder.
Rebranded as The New Treasure around issue #320 (February or March 1969).

60 years ago:

January – Battle Picture Library launched.
Publisher: Fleetway/IPC
From: Jan 1961
To: Dec 1984
Duration: 23 years, 11 months
Issues: 1706
The comic that gave its name to IPC’s hugely influential Battle Picture Weekly.

14 January – Adventure final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 17 Sep 1921
To: 14 Jan 1961
Duration: 39 years, 4 months
Issues: 1878
Absorbed into The Rover.
Adventure was the first of DC Thomson’s publications.

65 years ago:

21 January – The Beezer launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 21 Jan 1956
To: 15 Sep 1990
Duration: 34 years, 8 months
Issues: 1809
Replaced by The Beezer and Topper

70 years ago:

January – Dynamic Thrills launched.
Publisher: Swan
From: Jan 1951
To: 1952
Duration: 1 year, 5 months
Issues: 10
The actual end date and number of issues are unconfirmed (as is par for the course with most Swan publications).

January – New Funnies final issue.
Publisher: Swan
From: Feb 1940
To: Jan 1951
Duration: 10 years, 11 months
Issues: 42
Again, the number of issues is unconfirmed: the British Library notes “4 special issues” but it’s unclear whether those four are included in the regular issue-count.

January – Topical Funnies final issue.
Publisher: Swan
From: Apr 1940
To: Jan 1951
Duration: 10 years, 9 months
Issues: 36
The British Library notes five special issues: Spring 1941, Autumn 1941, Summer 1942, Winter 1942, and “Double” (1946).

80 years ago:

01 January – Tip Top Comics final issue.
Publisher: L. Miller and Son, Ltd.
From: 01 Dec 1940
To: 01 Jan 1941
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 2
Unfortunately I can’t find a cover for this one — it’s a reprint of the US comic of the same name and has no connection with Amalgamated Press’s Tip Top (1934 – 1954, 737 issues)/

25 January – The Magic Comic (1939) final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 22 Jul 1939
To: 25 Jan 1941
Duration: 1 year, 6 months
Issues: 80
As mentioned above, in the 1970s DC Thomson revived the title for a nursery comic.

90 years ago:

24 January – The Bullseye launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 24 Jan 1931
To: 21 Jul 1934
Duration: 3 years, 6 months
Issues: 183
An adventure-serial story-paper that was later absorbed into Film Picture Stories.

31 January – The Penny Popular (1919) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 25 Jan 1919
To: 31 Jan 1931
Duration: 12 years
Issues: 628
Relaunched as The Ranger (1931).
A revival – after a gap of almost a year – of The Penny Popular (1912), the name was changed to The Popular on 28 Aug 1920.

110 years ago:

21 January – The Favorite Comic launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 21 Jan 1911
To: 31 Mar 1917
Duration: 6 years, 2 months
Issues: 324
Absorbed into: Merry & Bright the Favorite Comic

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