Hatch, Match & Dispatch – December 2022

Welcome again, “Rusty Staples” readers, to our regular look at all the British comics that will be celebrating or commiserating or ignoring an important anniversary in the coming month.

I say “all” but the truth is that there’ll always be a few comics missing from the list because often we just don’t know the exact dates on which those comics were launched or cancelled. Sometimes we can’t even confirm the year, let alone the month. So, please, if you’re a comics-industry person in the past who happens to have access to a future-viewer, please keep better records, and encourage your colleagues to do the same.

In fact, here’s an idea: every week you go to your local newsagent’s, buy one copy of every comic, and store them carefully in a large, secure vault (actually, better make it two copies because I’m sure my mate James will want one as well). Before you die, just put the keys (and the address of the vault, of course!) in an envelope inside a watertight tin box and bury it where my back garden will be! I’ll write the exact location down now: check it out with your future-viewer…

OK, great, thanks! Hold on a minute while I’ll go dig up the box!

…

Huh. It’s not there. Well, I have to say that is hugely disappointing — after all the hard work I did coming up with that brilliant idea, the least you people in the past could do is leave me a few hundred thousand comics. Tch. It’s a sad day when you can’t rely on your ancestors to do something as simple as going to the shops.

Back in the real world… Not a lot of comics on the list this time, folks, but we do have a few classics in there, most notably the eighty-fifth anniversary of launch of The Dandy (which is also noting the tenth anniversary of its demise on the same day). See our recent article The Dandy, Ten Years Gone for more on this very topic. Next month, though, is kind of a busy one — look out for that around the last Monday of the month (or Boxing Day, as only people in the UK call it even though there’s almost never any boxing taking place. Not officially, anyway.)

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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

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25 years ago:

31 December – Casper (1997) final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK/Panini UK
From: 08 Oct 1997
To: 31 Dec 1997
Duration: 2 months
Issues: 4

Every four weeks. This was Marvel UK’s second regular Casper title following the 11-issue edition that ran from September 1995 to June 1996.

30 years ago:

December – Battletide (1992) launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Dec 1992
To: Mar 1993
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 4

December – Digitek launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Dec 1992
To: Mar 1993
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 4

01 December – Doctor Who Classic Comics launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 01 Dec 1992
To: 07 Dec 1994
Duration: 2 years
Issues: 27

Reprints from TV Comic, Countdown, TV Century 21 and Doctor Who Weekly.

04 December – Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) final issue.
Publisher: Phoenix Press Ltd.
From: 20 Nov 1992
To: 04 Dec 1992
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 2

Possibly lasted for more than two issues… but I’ve never been able to verify that. If you have any more info on this one, please let me know!

11 December – Bucky O’Hare final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 20 Mar 1992
To: 11 Dec 1992
Duration: 9 months
Issues: 20

This fortnightly is a rare example of a licensed comic from DC Thomson. The first six issues reprinted material from the five-issue US edition published by Continuity Comics, thereafter, apparently, all the material was original.

35 years ago:

December – Grun final issue.
Publisher: Harrier Comics
From: Jun 1987
To: Dec 1987
Duration: 6 months
Issues: 4

A spin-off from Avalon.

December – Heartbreak Hotel launched.
Publisher: Willyprods/Small Time Ink Ltd.
From: Dec 1987
To: Nov 1988
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 6

A bi-monthly anthology that described itself as “Where Music and Comics Meet.” Date of the first issue is unconfirmed: Some on-line sources state that it was launched in January 1988, but issue #1 features a subscription ad that reads, in part, “Offer valid until January 1, 1988” which strongly implies that the comic was at least expected to be in the stores before the end of 1987. So until I receive confirmation otherwise, I’m assuming that it was published in December 1987.

December – Sboncyn final issue.
Publisher: Cyhoeddiadau Mei
From: May 1980
To: Dec 1987
Duration: 7 years, 7 months
Issues: 92

Welsh language comic. The title translates as ‘Grasshopper.’ Relaunched as Penbwl (Tadpole) 1989. Issue-count and end date are unconfirmed: the Grand Comics Database suggests that only 54 issues were published, but in 2018 an anonymous commenter on Lew Stringer’s excellent comics blog claimed to be in possession of issue #92, dated December 1987 — that’s the most recent/highest-numbered issue I’ve seen mentioned.

40 years ago:

December – Worzel Gummidge (1981) final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Oct 1981
To: Dec 1982
Duration: 1 year, 2 months
Issues: 15

Monthly. Relaunched as a weekly title in March 1983.

30 December – Rampage Monthly final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 01 Jul 1978
To: 30 Dec 1982
Duration: 4 years, 5 months
Issues: 54
Absorbed into The Mighty World of Marvel (1972).

Retitled Rampage Magazine Starring The Hulk from issue #6 (Dec 1978), then Rampage Magazine Starring The All-New, All-Different X-Men from issue #28 (Oct 1980), then simplified to Rampage Magazine: X-Men from #45 (Mar 1982).

55 years ago:

December – Buster Adventure Library final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: Jul 1966
To: Dec 1967
Duration: 1 year, 5 months
Issues: 36

I’ve occasionally seen references to a Buster Adventure Picture Library but I’m fairly certain that it’s this series.

65 years ago:

28 December – Mickey Mouse Weekly final issue.
Publisher: Willbank Publications/Odhams
From: 08 Feb 1936
To: 28 Dec 1957
Duration: 21 years, 10 months
Issues: 920
Relaunched as Zip.

Discontinued when the publisher lost the rights to use Disney characters. Continued by Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse (Disney-Holding). The non-Disney characters were given a new home in Zip (specially launched for that purpose). See also: Zip’s Secret Origin.

85 years ago:

01 December – Young England final issue.
Publisher: Sunday School Union
From: 03 Jan 1880
To: 01 Dec 1937
Duration: 57 years, 11 months
Issues:

End date for this one is unconfirmed.

04 December – The Dandy launched.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 04 Dec 1937
To: 04 Dec 2012
Duration: 75 years
Issues: 3610

Check out our recent look back at this classic comic!

90 years ago:

17 December – Scorcher Novels final issue.
Publisher: Shurey’s Publications
From: 20 Apr 1932
To: 17 Dec 1932
Duration: 8 months
Issues: 18

The data is a little unclear for this one…

95 years ago:

December – Children’s Companion final issue.
Publisher: Religious Tract Society
From: Jan 1923
To: Dec 1927
Duration: 4 years, 11 months
Issues: 60
Absorbed into Every Girl’s Paper.

29 December – Every Girl’s Paper final issue.
Publisher: Religious Tract Society
From: 01 Jan 1927
To: 29 Dec 1927
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 50
Absorbed into Girl’s Own Paper.

31 December – The Boys’ Friend final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 29 Jan 1895
To: 31 Dec 1927
Duration: 32 years, 11 months
Issues: 1717
Absorbed into The Triumph.

100 years ago:

23 December – Merry Moments (1919) final issue.
Publisher: Newnes
From: 12 Apr 1919
To: 23 Dec 1922
Duration: 3 years, 8 months
Issues: 194

105 years ago:

29 December – Sparks (1914) final issue.
Publisher: Henderson/Amalgamated Press
From: 21 Mar 1914
To: 29 Dec 1917
Duration: 3 years, 9 months
Issues: 198
Absorbed into The Big Comic.

115 years ago:

01 December – The Nugget Library (1905) final issue.
Publisher: James Henderson
From: 01 Oct 1905
To: 01 Dec 1907
Duration: 2 years, 2 months
Issues: 108
Relaunched as The Nugget Library (1908).

130 years ago:

10 December – Cartwright’s Lady’s Companion launched.
Publisher: Newnes
From: 10 Dec 1892
To: 27 Feb 1915
Duration: 22 years, 2 months
Issues: 1160
Weekly story-paper. Relaunched as Leach’s Lady’s Companion.

180 years ago:

17 December – Family Herald launched.
Publisher:
From: 17 Dec 1842
To: 01 Jul 1940
Duration: 97 years, 7 months
Issues: 4616
Very possibly the first British story-paper. The issue-count is unconfirmed, but probably not far off. Publication was initially weekly, but switched to monthly from Feb 1929.

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