Hatch, Match & Dispatch – May 2024

A look at some of the British comics celebrating (or commiserating) an important anniversary in the coming month.

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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!

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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, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2024: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

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25 years ago:

01 May – Fireman Sam final issue.
Publisher: Marvel UK/Redan
From: 11 Nov 1989
To: 01 May 1999
Duration: 9 years, 6 months
Issues: 227

30 years ago:

May – Jurassic Park final issue.
Publisher: Dark Horse International/Manga Publishing
From: Jul 1993
To: May 1994
Duration: 10 months
Issues: 16
Issues #1 to #13 were published by Dark Horse International, the remainder by Manga Publishing.

01 May – Stingray the Comic final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 10 Oct 1992
To: May 1994
Duration: 1 year, 7 months
Issues: 32
Fortnightly until #24, monthly thereafter, with the issue numbers reset to Volume 2, #1, and the title changed to Stingray Monthly.

06 May – Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 23 Oct 1993
To: 06 May 1994
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 14
Absorbed into Thunderbirds the Comic.
Fortnightly.

35 years ago:

May – Smut launched.
Publisher: Art Cartoons
From: May 1989
To: 2007
Duration: 18 years, 1 month
Issues: 153
The end date and issue count are highly suspect for this one. It was possibly relaunched as Twisted – Incorporating Smut in July 2007. See the HM&D episode for January 2023 for more info.

13 May – Smooshees final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 19 Sep 1988
To: 13 May 1989
Duration: 8 months
Issues: 18
Don’t know much about this fortnightly nursery-age comic… In fact, I never even heard of Smooshees before I encountered a reference to the comic in Denis Gifford’s newsletter. Issue-count is estimated.

20 May – It’s Wicked! launched.
Publisher: Marvel UK
From: 20 May 1989
To: 09 Sep 1989
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 17

40 years ago:

26 May – School Fun final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 15 Oct 1983
To: 26 May 1984
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 33
Absorbed into Buster.
See also: Enfari’s Syndrome: School Fun

45 years ago:

05 May – Jackpot launched.
Publisher: IPC
From: 05 May 1979
To: 30 Jan 1982
Duration: 2 years, 8 months
Issues: 141

50 years ago:

11 May – Goofy final issue.
Publisher: IPC
From: 20 Oct 1973
To: 11 May 1974
Duration: 7 months
Issues: 29
Absorbed into Donald and Mickey.

11 May – Jinty launched.
Publisher: IPC
From: 11 May 1974
To: 21 Nov 1981
Duration: 7 years, 6 months
Issues: 393
A classic girls’ comic — see the excellent blog A Resource on Jinty: Artists, Writers, Stories for more info.

18 May – Lion final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press/Fleetway/IPC
From: 23 Feb 1952
To: 18 May 1974
Duration: 22 years, 3 months
Issues: 1156
Absorbed into Valiant.

55 years ago:

May – Lion Picture Library final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: Oct 1963
To: May 1969
Duration: 5 years, 7 months
Issues: 136

May – Valiant Picture Library final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: Jun 1963
To: May 1969
Duration: 5 years, 11 months
Issues: 144

60 years ago:

04 May – Harold Hare’s Own Paper final issue.
Publisher: Fleetway
From: 14 Nov 1959
To: 04 May 1964
Duration: 4 years, 6 months
Issues: 230
Absorbed into Playhour.

65 years ago:

May – Young Lovers Picture Library final issue.
Publisher: Pearson
From: 1958
To: May 1959
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 21
Launch date unknown.

14 May – Boyfriend launched.
Publisher: City Magazines
From: 14 May 1959
To: 17 Jun 1967
Duration: 8 years, 1 month
Issues: 428
Early issues of this weekly contained romance comic strips, but the title was rebranded as a magazine, Trend and Boyfriend, from #352 (19 Mar 1966 to 7 May 1966), then Boyfriend & Trend from #360 (15 May 1966). Ultimately absorbed into Petticoat magazine, which was branded as Petticoat/Trend for the following year before reverting to Petticoat. (Dates estimated!)

70 years ago:

May – Blue Bolt Series final issue.
Publisher: Swan
From: Aug 1952
To: May 1954
Duration: 1 year, 9 months
Issues: 22

29 May – Jingles final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 13 Jan 1934
To: 29 May 1954
Duration: 20 years, 4 months
Issues: 741
Absorbed into TV Fun (1953).

29 May – Tip Top final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 21 Apr 1934
To: 29 May 1954
Duration: 20 years, 1 month
Issues: 727
Absorbed into TV Fun (1953).
Happy Andy and his Playful Pets soon ditched Andy and carried on as Our Playful Pets. Not to be confused with Tip Top Comic from Ransom or Tip Top Comics from L. Miller.

75 years ago:

17 May – The Comet (1946) final issue.
Publisher: J.B. Allen
From: 20 Sep 1946
To: 17 May 1949
Duration: 2 years, 8 months
Issues: 70
Relaunched as Comet (1949) — see below.

24 May – Comet (1949) launched.
Publisher: J.B. Allen/Amalgamated Press
From: 24 May 1949
To: 22 Mar 1952
Duration: 2 years, 10 months
Issues: 122
Relaunch of The Comet (1946) — see above.
Fortnightly until #96, weekly thereafter.

85 years ago:

20 May – Schoolgirl’s Weekly final issue.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 21 Oct 1922
To: 20 May 1939
Duration: 16 years, 7 months
Issues: 865
Absorbed into Girls’ Crystal.

90 years ago:

01 May – The Captain (1934) launched.
Publisher: Rolls
From: 01 May 1934
To: 27 Oct 1934
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 1

95 years ago:

04 May – Boys’ Favourite launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 04 May 1929
To: 22 Feb 1930
Duration: 9 months
Issues: 43
Relaunch of The Football Favourite

105 years ago:

01 May – The Nugget Library (1919) launched.
Publisher: James Henderson/Amalgamated Press
From: 01 May 1919
To: 01 Mar 1922
Duration: 2 years, 10 months
Issues: 70

03 May – Picture Show launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 03 May 1919
To: 31 Dec 1960
Duration: 41 years, 7 months
Issues: 2170
Issue-count estimated. Absorbed Film Star Weekly, Film Pictorial, TV Mirror

03 May – The Boy’s Weekly launched.
Publisher: James Henderson
From: 03 May 1919
To: 13 Sep 1919
Duration: 4 months
Issues: 29

10 May – The Sunday Fairy launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 10 May 1919
To: 25 Oct 1919
Duration: 5 months
Issues: 25
Renamed The Children’s Sunday Fairy with #23 (11 Oct 1919)
Relaunched as The Children’s Fairy (01 Nov 1919).

15 May – Peg’s Paper launched.
Publisher: Pearson
From: 15 May 1919
To: 10 Aug 1940
Duration: 21 years, 3 months
Issues: 1114
Weekly story-paper.

17 May – Cheerio launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 17 May 1919
To: 17 Apr 1920
Duration: 11 months
Issues: 49
Relaunched as Kinema Comic.

17 May – The School Friend (1919) launched.
Publisher: Amalgamated Press
From: 17 May 1919
To: 28 Feb 1925
Duration: 5 years, 9 months
Issues: 303
Relaunched as The School Friend (1925)

140 years ago:

03 May – Ally Sloper’s Half-Holiday (1884) launched.
Publisher: Dalziel Brothers
From: 03 May 1884
To: 09 Sep 1916
Duration: 32 years, 4 months
Issues: 1679
Title simplified to Ally Sloper from 6 Jun 1914.