TV Comic - Notable Issues

Notable Issues

• Issue 1 (9 November 1951) First "Muffin the Mule" (drawn by Neville Main) cover. "Prince Valiant" (drawn by Hal Foster) begins a run that will last until issue 44 (5 September 1952).
• Issue 192 (9 July 1955) "Sooty" (drawn by Tony Hart) takes over full-time on the cover, although it had occasionally appeared there as a "Special number" since earlier in the year.
• Issue 267 (15 December 1956) First Enid Blyton "Noddy" strip begins. It starts off its two-year run on the cover, before finishing with issue 371 (13 December 1958).
• Issue 345 (14 June 1958) First "Lenny the Lion" (drawn by Bill Mevin) cover.
• Issue 384 (14 March 1959). The comic's longest-running strip, "Mighty Moth" (drawn by Dick Millington) appears for the first time (but never in strip form on the cover) and runs until the comic ceases publication.
• Issue 439 (14 May 1960) the strip adaptation of the first of three early Gerry Anderson-produced TV series, "Four Feather Falls" (drawn by Neville Main) begins, running until issue 564 (6 October 1952).
• Issue 444 (18 June 1960) "The Lone Ranger" (drawn by Mike Noble) begins, running until issue 507 (2 September 1961).
• Issue 456 (10 September 1960) First "Popeye" (drawn initially by Chick Henderson) cover. The strip had started with issue 449 (23 July 1960), but even after "Popeye" was dropped from the cover, the strip continued inside the comic into the 1980s.
• Issue 482 (11 March 1961) the last appearance of "Muffin the Mule" in TV Comic as he is quietly dropped from the pages in only a half-page black-and-white strip.
• Issue 483 (18 March 1961) another Gerry Anderson favourite, "Supercar" (drawn initially by H. Watts and later by Bill Mevin) starts. It runs until issue 667 (26 September 1964).
• Issue 508 (9 September 1961) "The Range Rider" (drawn by Mike Noble and Ron Embleton) begins, running until issue 658 (25 July 1964).
• Issue 565 (13 October 1962) the third and last Anderson strip to appear in TV Comic is "Fireball XL5" (drawn by Neville Main), which runs until issue 672 (31 October 1964).
• Issue 619 (26 October 1963) "Telegoons" (drawn by Bill Titcombe) first appears, running until issue 787 (14 January 1967).
• Issue 668 (3 October 1964) "Space Patrol" (drawn by Bill Mevin), always in full colour in the centre pages, makes its first appearance and will run until issue 719 (25 September 1965).
• Issue 674 (14 November 1964) "Doctor Who" comic strip begins (initially drawn by Neville Main). Apart from a brief absence for a few issues at the end of 1969, it runs until issue 999 (6 February 1971) and then moves to Countdown comic.
• Issue 720 (2 October 1965) "The Avengers" (by Pat Williams) begins its first run, which will last until issue 771 (24 September 1966). The first "Doctor Who" colour centrespread appears (drawn by Bill Mevin; from issue 748, by John Canning).
• Issue 788 (21 January 1967) First "Doctor Who" cover (drawn by John Canning). This commenced a six-month period of "Doctor Who and the Daleks" covers, which are perhaps some of the most collectable issues.
• Issue 810 (24 June 1967) First Ken Dodd's "Diddymen" (drawn by Bill Titcombe) cover.
• Issue 877 (5 January 1968) "The Avengers" return, running until issue 1,078 (12 August 1972).
• Issue 909 (17 May 1969) First "Tom & Jerry" (drawn by Bill Titcombe) cover.
• Issue 1,058 (25 March 1972) "Dad's Army" (drawn by Bill Titcombe) begins its first run up to issue 1,100 (13 January 1973), after which it moves to TV Action.
• Issue 1,133 (1 September 1973) TV Action merges with TV Comic. "Dad's Army" returns until issue 1,275 (22 May 1976); "Doctor Who" also returns (drawn by Gerry Haylock and later by Martin Asbury).
• Issue 1,292 (18 September 1976) Re-launch with first tabloid-style issue of Mighty TV Comic. Free Doctor Who "Mighty Midget" comic book. "Star Trek" (Gold Key comics reprints) features until issue 1,382 (9 June 1978).
• Issue 1,377 (5 May 1978) Mighty TV Comic returns to its original format. Cover stars vary from Pink Panther to Charlie's Angels, Buzby and Scooby-Doo, among others.
• Issue 1,393 (25 August 1978) First TV Comic, incorporating Target. "Charlie's Angels" begins (drawn by John Canning), running until issue 1,451 (5 October 1979).
• Issue 1,430 (11 May 1979) Final issue featuring "Doctor Who". Since issue 1,386, the strip had consisted of John Canning reprints with the character of the Doctor re-drawn as his fourth incarnation, as played by Tom Baker in the TV series.
• Issue 1,530 (17 April 1981) "Battle of the Planets" (drawn by Keith Watson) begins, running until issue 1,671 (30 December 1983).
• Issue 1,656 (16 September 1983) "Tales of the Gold Monkey" (drawn by Geoff Campion) begins, finishing in the last issue of TV Comic (1,697), published on 29 June 1984.