Hatch, Match & Dispatch – Mar 2021

This time around we’ve got a nice mixture: a couple of Disney comics, some Marvel UK titles, a couple of photo-strip comics, and a handful of reprint titles!

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

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25 years ago:

01 March – Classics from the Comics launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 01 Mar 1996
To: 01 Oct 2010
Duration: 14 years, 7 months
Issues: 175
Monthly. Reprints from The Beano, The Dandy, The Beezer, The Topper, Nutty, Sparky, Cracker, Buzz, The Victor, The Wizard, The Rover, The Hotspur, The Hornet and Hoot

30 years ago:

06 March – The Disney Weekly launched.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 06 Mar 1991
To: 14 Oct 1992
Duration: 1 year, 7 months
Issues: 85
Issue 0 was a special preview issue: there were 84 regular weekly issues. Replaced with Mickey and Friends. (Not to be confused with London Editions’ Disney Weekly which ran from 17 May 1990 to 30 Aug 1990 for 16 issues.)

07 March – Heroes launched.
Publisher: London Editions
From: 07 Mar 1991
To: 25 Apr 1991
Duration: 2 months (rounded up)
Issues: 8
Reprinted assorted DC titles such as Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, Batwoman and Blue Devil.

16 March – Blue Jeans final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 22 Jan 1977
To: 16 Mar 1991
Duration: 14 years, 2 months
Issues: 740
Absorbed into Jackie.

28 March – Toxic! launched.
Publisher: Apocalypse Ltd.
From: 28 Mar 1991
To: 24 Oct 1991
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 31
With stories by an assortment of 2000AD alumni — including Alan Grant, Kevin O’Neill and John Wagner — Toxic! was aimed at much older readers. Strips included “Accident Man,” “Bogie Man,” “The Driver,” “Marshal Law” and “Mutomaniac.”

35 years ago:

01 March – Photo-Love Monthly launched.
Publisher: IPC
From: 01 Mar 1986
To: [1990]
Duration: 4 years, 3 months
Issues: Unknown.
Any information on this one would be welcome!

01 March – Masters of the Universe launched.
Publisher: London Editions
From: 01 Mar 1986
To: 01 Dec 1988
Duration: 2 years, 9 months
Issues: 72
Fortnightly.

08 March – Spider-Man and Zoids launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 08 Mar 1986
To: 21 Feb 1987
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 51
See also: Marvel UK 70s & 80s Leftovers Timeline

40 years ago:

February – All-War Monthly launched.
Publisher: Byblos
From: Mar 1981
To: Mar 1982
Duration: 1 year
Issues: 13
Following the standalone All-War Holiday Special and All-War Autumn Special in 1980, Byblos launched this regular monthly title, which itself spawned four more specials (Summer 1981, Winter 1981, Spring 1982 and Summer 1982).
Thanks to Richard Sheaf of the brilliant Boys Adventure Comic Blog for clarifying this comic’s history!

04 March – Marvel Team-Up final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 11 Sep 1980
To: 04 Mar 1981
Duration: 6 months
Issues: 25
Absorbed into Spider-Man Comics Weekly.
See also: MWOM & SMCW Timeline

11 March – Valour final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 05 Nov 1980
To: 11 Mar 1981
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 19
Absorbed into Future Tense.

28 March – Mickey Magazine final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 06 Dec 1980
To: 28 Mar 1981
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 17

50 years ago:

03 March – Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes (1971) launched.
Publisher: Thorpe & Porter
From: 03 Mar 1971
To: 1975
Duration: 4 years, 3 months
Issues: 116
Relaunch of: Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes (1970)
Dates are unconfirmed. This was a relaunch of the previous year’s similarly-titled comic, which lasted only seven issues.

12 March – Thunder final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 17 Oct 1970
To: 12 Mar 1971
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 22
Absorbed into Lion.
See also: Enfari’s Syndrome: Thunder

27 March – Sally final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 14 Jun 1969
To: 27 Mar 1971
Duration: 1 year, 9 months
Issues: 94
Absorbed into Tammy.
“Sue and Prue, the Clueless Two” was a reprint of “Cloris and Claire, the Sporting Pair” from June.

60 years ago:

18 March – Bimbo launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 18 Mar 1961
To: 22 Jan 1972
Duration: 10 years, 10 months
Issues: 567

18 March – June launched.
Publisher: Fleetway/IPC
From: 18 Mar 1961
To: 15 Jun 1974
Duration: 13 years, 3 months
Issues: 690
“Cloris and Claire, the Sporting Pair” was later reprinted in Sally as “Sue and Prue, the Clueless Two.”

100 years ago:

05 March – Nugget Weekly final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 17 Jul 1920
To: 05 Mar 1921
Duration: 8 months
Issues: 34
Absorbed into The Marvel.

05 March – Leach’s Lady’s Companion final issue.
Publisher: Newnes
From: 06 Mar 1915
To: 05 Mar 1921
Duration: 6 years
Issues: 315
Weekly story-paper. Relaunched as Lady’s Companion (see below).

12 March – Lady’s Companion launched.
Publisher: Newnes
From: 12 Mar 1921
To: 10 Aug 1940
Duration: 19 years, 5 months
Issues: 1012
Relaunch of Leach’s Lady’s Companion (see above)
Weekly story-paper.

18 March – Pluck (1904) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 12 Nov 1904
To: 18 Mar 1916
Duration: 11 years, 4 months
Issues: 594
Absorbed into The Boys’ Realm (1902).

18 March – The Greyfriars Herald (1915) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 20 Nov 1915
To: 18 Mar 1916
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 18
First version of the paper: the second appeared in 1919 – too late for it to be considered a relaunch!

25 March – The Boys’ Realm (1902) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 14 May 1902
To: 25 Mar 1916
Duration: 13 years, 10 months
Issues: 721
Relaunched as The Boys’ Realm (1919).

115 years ago:

13 March – The New Boy’s World launched.
Publisher: Cassell & Company
From: 13 Mar 1906
To: 30 Mar 1907
Duration: 1 year
Issues: 55

17 March – Lot-O’-Fun launched.
Publisher: Henderson/Amalgamated Press
From: 17 Mar 1906
To: 16 Feb 1929
Duration: 22 years, 11 months
Issues: 1196

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I usually post these on the last Monday of the month in question but of course this month it clashed with International I’m Pretty Sure I’ve Forgotten Something Day, so we’re a tad late. No one has noticed, which is a little disheartening (and another strong hint from the universe that this feature serves no good purpose… could be time to drop it!)