Back-up strips
You are the editor of Marvel UK's brand new Transformers comic. You need to run the US issues in smaller chunks, in order to keep a fortnightly (later weekly) frequency without running out of stuff. But... what are you going to run in the rest of the comic? Features alone won't grab the kiddies! You need more strip! You need...
Back-up strips!
Marvel UK
A great way of padding out the comic while not taking the mick, back-up strips ran throughout the entire Marvel UK run. These would almost always be reprints of other Marvel titles.
Action Force
Ran from issue 99 through to issue 102, then as a special preview in issue 122 and again from issue 153 through to issue 181. It ran again from issue 191 through to 212. It reappeared as the back-up once again from issues 220 through to 305, albeit rebranded as G.I. Joe - The Action Force from issue 249 onwards.
Action Force was the European equivalent of G.I. Joe, for more details see those articles here on this very wiki.
Chromobots
An in-house strip created by Mychailo "Mike" Kazybrid.
Combat Colin
Ran from issue 153 all the way through to issue 332
A humor strip by Lew Stringer, for more information, see the Combat Colin article.
Hercules
Ran from issue 70 through to issue 85.
Hercules is a Demi-God. He is the son of Zeus and a mortal women, and eventually a member of the pantheon of Olympus.
External links
The Inhumanoids
Ran from issue 103 through to issue 118
Based on another Hasbro property with the obligatory tie in Sunbow Productions cartoon and Marvel Comics series, the Inhumanoids were a group of subterranean monsters who were sealed beneath the Earth until accidentally released by humans. The Inhumanoids were opposed by a group of humans known as the Earth Corps, together with a race of good mutants known as the Mutores.
For their counterpart from a parallel universe, see Inhumanoids.
External Links
- The Inhumanoids at Wikipedia
Iron Man
Ran from issue 43 through to issue 50 then again from issue 119 through issue 125 as The Iron Man of 2020, before returning as the present day Iron Man in issues 126 through issue 129. Iron Man returned as a back up strip once again in issues 146 through 152
Tony Stark is an industrialist playboy who fights crime in a powered suit as Iron Man.
External links
Machine Man
Ran from issue 1 to issue 25, and again from issue 27 to issue 42, this time set in the year 2020. Machine Man was also the back-up strip from issue 309 through to issue 312 and resuming once more for issues 318 through 329.
Machine Man aka 2ZP45-9-X-51, was a robot built from a durable titanium alloy, trying to live as a human and carry on the dream of his creator, Dr. Able Stack.
External links
Matt and the Cat
An in-house humor topic created by Mychailo "Mike" Kazybrid, featuring a man named Matt a cat. Based on Kazybrid's characters in newspaper strips for the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and The Manchester Evening News.
Planet Terry
Often regarded as the worst of the UK back-up strips, Planet terry was pitched at younger readers and starred the eponymous Terry, who is searching for his parents after being accidentally jettisoned off their ship.
External Links
- Planet Terry at Wikipedia
Robo-Capers
Ran from issue 15 to issue 152
A humor strip by Lew Stringer, for more information, see the Robo-Capers article.
Robotix
Robotix was a Hasbro toyline about two warring robotic races which had a tie in cartoon by Sunbow Productions and a comic series by Marvel Comics. As this is a completely ludicrous idea that could never catch on, it was short-lived.
External Links
- Robotix at Wikipedia
Rocket Raccoon
Ran from issue 55 through to issue 69
Ranger Rocket Raccoon is a genetically-engineered raccoon who is a law enforcement officer on Halfworld.
External Links
- Rocket Raccoon at Marvel Database
Spider-Man
Appeared as a special on "stranger danger" in issue 132
Bitten by a radioactive spider, geeky high school student Peter Parker acquires the proportionate strength and agility of a spider, becoming The Amazing Spider-Man
External Links
- Spider-Man at Marvel Database
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters
Ran from issue 86 through to issue 98
One of Marvel Comics New Universe titles. Professor Jenny Swenson dons the Man-Assisted eXperimental armor, she takes the codename Spitfire and a group of her college students did the same, becoming The Troubleshooters. They fought crime
External Links
- Spitfire at Marvel Database
Visionaries
Appeared as a preview in issue 158, reappeared as a back up strip from issues 183 through 190 and again from issues 213 through to 219.
Set on the planet Prysmos, Visionaries depicted the struggle between the heroic Spectral Knights and the villainous Darkling Lords at the dawn of a quasi-feudal age of magic.
Visionaries was another Hasbro property. It had short-lived cartoon and comic tie-ins but is mostly remembered for the toys colorful hologram gimmick used on the figures chests and weaponry.
See the main Visionaries article for details.
Other Series
Panini's Armada and Titan's movie series comic have both used the same tactic, Panini with original Transformer strips, and Titan with IDW reprints and unused Transformers Animated strips (and one new one).
