Most Popular Posts of 2023!

Happy new year, folks!

So, remember in last year’s round-up of 2022 when I commented that I hadn’t been a fan of that year and I was glad to see the back of it? The lesson I have since learned is that I should not say such things aloud lest the universe consider my comments to be a challenge.

In terms of visits to the blog, 2023 was Rusty Staples’ third-best year (very close to being second-best!). Let’s take a gander back at some of the year’s most popular features (not including the monthly Hatch, Match & Dispatch posts) of the year. But please note that these are just the most popular of the articles posted in 2023: some of the blog’s older articles are still regularly receiving a lot of attention, such as the DC Thomson Comics Timeline, Dateline: 26 Feb 1977 and Oddities: Superman’s Boots.

10. Friday Flashback: DC Action!
Friday Flashback was a new series in 2023: each week I’d pretend-randomly pick a British comic and post a brief look at it. I only managed to post fifteen articles in the series, and some of them (as you’ll see below) turned out not to be so brief. Still, they’re worth a look… The DC Action! episode is one of my favourites.

9. Even More Advanced Comic Storage!
This is the latest in my series based on the simple premise that If you’ve got comics then you’ve got to have somewhere to keep ’em, right? (And with a bit of luck there’ll be another new one coming in 2024 — I’ve got plans!)

8. Comics on TV: Call the Midwife Again!
Once again, we’re off to Buckles’ newsagent in 1960s London to see which comics are gracing their shelves! (Spoiler: nine times out of ten they’re gonna be DC Thomson titles.)

7. March 8th
I originally posted this one with no comment. I now do the same. (Except for that comment, I mean).

6. Friday Flashback: Misty
Misty only lasted a couple of years, but by crikey there was some good stuff in this classic spooky girls’ comic that wasn’t just for classic spooky girls!

5. Friday Flashback: Target (1978)
Ah, Target! The garish, cheap, often-horribly-drawn substitute for when you’ve been deemed too young to watch the tough cop shows on TV!

4. Mob-Run Censorship: The Angry, Ugly Face of Cancel-Culture in Comics
Unfortunately due to some extremely adverse reactions from a small number of very vocal readers I was left with no choice but to remove this article.

3. Friday Flashback: The Daredevils
Back when this was posted, my tag-line was “Was this Marvel UK’s finest hour?” Judging by the readers’ reactions, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

2. Friday Flashback: Warrior
A rather comprehensive look at one of the most important and influential British comics of all time!

1. Before Marvel UK
The most popular feature on the blog in 2023 was a sequel/prequel to the Marvel UK 1900s Timeline: a look at all those British comics that reprinted Marvel strips before Marvel UK was established.

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Thank you all for your support throughout 2023, readers! If you’ve enjoyed this blog, you might also like its younger sibling blog From Mars, which is less comics-focused and more silly.

I hope that the coming year brings you very much happiness, peace, health, wealth, and, as always, an insatiable desire to buy my books! Sorry to come across as pushy and/or needy, folks, but it costs money to keep this blog and From Mars ad-free.