Hatch, Match & Dispatch – August 2023

Regular readers might well be aware that I don’t normally promote my own comics work on this blog, but today I will… My blog, my rules!

2023 has not been my favourite year so far, so it was something of a shock and very much a pleasant surprise to discover that I’ve been shortlisted for this year’s Tripwire Awards in the Best Writer category.

The other nominees are all hugely accomplished and successful so I suspect that I’m the equivalent of the redshirt who beams down with the bridge crew.

Still, it’d be nice for the redshirt to come out on top for once, eh? Voting is open until Sept 12th — you can find out more on the Tripwire site!

I’m very flattered to have been chosen, but I’m still a tad baffled by it and not quite sure that it’s real. My Imposter Syndrome is a tad concerned that this might be like that time Carrie White was voted prom queen…

If you’re a fan of one of the other nominees and you’re torn between voting for me or for them, remember that they those other folks have talent: it’s not fair that they should also have awards. It’s all part of the cosmic balance, dude!

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Blog News: Not much to report this time either, folks. Sorry. Work and real-life situations have kept me too busy. Besides, it’s kinda hard to keep going when you know you’ve already written The World’s Most Perfect Comic Blog Column. Maybe I’m getting too old and jaded for all this. Or it could just be that I need a boost. Some sort of affirming pick-me-up that’ll encourage me to get back into the thing of swings and continue to produce my usual high-quality comics-related ramblings. Something like, oh, I don’t know… winning an award, maybe?

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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, Dec
2023: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul

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30 years ago:

August – Battletide (1993) launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Aug 1993
To: Nov 1993
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 4

August – Death’s Head II and the Origin of Die-Cut launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Aug 1993
To: Sep 1993
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 2

August – Warheads: Black Dawn final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Jul 1993
To: Aug 1993
Duration: 1 month
Issues: 2

August – Warheads final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Jun 1992
To: Aug 1993
Duration: 1 year, 2 months
Issues: 14

21 August – The Beezer and Topper final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: 22 Sep 1990
To: 21 Aug 1993
Duration: 2 years, 11 months
Issues: 153

The Beezer and The Topper — two classic DC Thomson comics that ran for thirty-four and thirty-seven years respectively — merged for this great title that sadly disappeared with little fanfare. Unofficially it was absorbed by The Beano: although not announced, some of this title’s strips ended up there.

35 years ago:

August – Bacchus final issue.
Publisher: Harrier Comics
From: Mar 1988
To: Aug 1988
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 2

August – Ewoks final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Nov 1987
To: Aug 1988
Duration: 9 months
Issues: 10

August – Nightbird final issue.
Publisher: Harrier Comics
From: May 1988
To: Aug 1988
Duration: 3 months
Issues: 2

August – Visionaries final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Apr 1988
To: Aug 1988
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 5
Absorbed into The Transformers.

13 August – Gary Lineker’s Hot-Shot! launched.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 13 Aug 1988
To: 28 Jan 1989
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 25

40 years ago:

August – Blake’s 7 final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: Oct 1981
To: Aug 1983
Duration: 1 year, 10 months
Issues: 23

06 August – Buddy final issue.
Publisher: DC Thomson
From: Feb 1981
To: 06 Aug 1983
Duration: 2 years, 6 months
Issues: 130
Absorbed into The Victor.

10 August – Worzel Gummidge (1983) final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 09 Mar 1983
To: 10 Aug 1983
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 23
Absorbed into Rupert Weekly.

17 August – The Original X-Men final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 27 Apr 1983
To: 17 Aug 1983
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 17
Absorbed into The Mighty Thor.

45 years ago:

12 August – True War final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 17 Jun 1978
To: 12 Aug 1978
Duration: 2 months
Issues: 3

18 August – Target (1978) final issue.
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
From: 14 Apr 1978
To: 18 Aug 1978
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 19
Absorbed into TV Comic.
See Friday Flashback: Target

50 years ago:

25 August – Countdown final issue.
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
From: 20 Feb 1971
To: 25 Aug 1973
Duration: 2 years, 6 months
Issues: 132
Absorbed into TV Comic.
See Pocket-Money Comics: Countdown

55 years ago:

31 August – Tell Me Why launched.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 31 Aug 1968
To: 21 Mar 1970
Duration: 1 year, 7 months
Issues: 82

70 years ago:

19 August – Captain Marvel Adventures (1953) launched.
Publisher: L. Miller and Son, Ltd.
From: 19 Aug 1953
To: 27 Jan 1954
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 24
In the lead-up to the character’s transformation into Marvelman with issue #25, issue #23 was titled The Captain Marvel Man, and #24 was titled The Marvelman Captain Marvel. Read Poisoned Chalice by Pádraig Ó Méalóid for an excellent and in-depth exploration of the character’s history!

19 August – Captain Marvel Jr. (1953) launched.
Publisher: L. Miller and Son, Ltd.
From: 19 Aug 1953
To: 27 Jan 1954
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 24
Issues #23 and #24 were subtitled The Young Marvelman in advance of the series being relaunched as Young Marvelman with #25.

90 years ago:

05 August – The Ranger (1931) final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 14 Feb 1931
To: 05 Aug 1933
Duration: 2 years, 6 months
Issues: 130
Relaunched as The Ranger (1933) — see below.

12 August – The Nelson Lee Library final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 12 Jun 1915
To: 12 Aug 1933
Duration: 18 years, 2 months
Issues: 948
Absorbed into The Gem.

12 August – The Ranger (1933) launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 12 Aug 1933
To: 28 Sep 1935
Duration: 2 years, 1 month
Issues: 112
Relaunch of: The Ranger (1931) — see above

19 August – Dazzler launched.
Publisher: Target Press
From: 19 Aug 1933
To: 08 Apr 1939
Duration: 5 years, 8 months
Issues: 294

19 August – Rattler launched.
Publisher: Target Press
From: 19 Aug 1933
To: 15 Oct 1938
Duration: 5 years, 2 months
Issues: 269

120 years ago:

01 August – The Boys’ Herald (1903) launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 01 Aug 1903
To: 18 May 1912
Duration: 8 years, 9 months
Issues: 461
Renamed The Herald on 10 Feb 1912, then relaunched as Cheer Boys Cheer in May 1912. Note: No connection with the The Greyfriars Herald (1919) which was later renamed The Boys’ Herald.

140 years ago:

29 August – Scraps launched.
Publisher: James Henderson
From: 29 Aug 1883
To: 30 Apr 1910
Duration: 26 years, 8 months
Issues: 1394
Later relaunched as The Merry-Thought & Scraps.