2000AD - Why Never a DCT equivalent?

[SID]

I know that this may have been discussed before, I have always been slightly puzzled about something.

IPC and DCT were great rivals in the 70s.

When DCT launched Warlord, IPC launched Battle Picture Weekly.

The two companies then brought out Action and Bullet in the same week.

They even brought out two obvious rivals in Plug and Cheeky Weekly around the same time.

So how come when IPC launched 2000AD, DCT didn't counter?

Okay you could say that they eventually did two years later with The Crunch and Starblazer. But one was not Sci-Fi and other was not direct competition.

So why DCT didn't do an equivalent of 2000AD?

[Lew Stringer]

I know that this may have ben discussed before, I have always been slightly puzzled about something.

IPC and DCT were great rivals in the 70s.

When DCT launched Warlord, IPC launched Battle Picture Weekly.

The two companies then brought out Action and Bullet in the same week.

They even brought out two obvious rivals in Plug and Cheeky Weekly around the same time.

So how come when IPC launched 2000AD, DCT didn't counter?

Okay you could say that they eventually did two years later with The Crunch and Starblazer. But one was not Sci-Fi and other was not direct competition.

So why DCT didn't do an equivalent of 2000AD?

Good question. A few suggestions:

Perhaps they expected 2000AD to fail? (As did IPC management but thankfully they were proved wrong.)

Or perhaps a rival comic was planned but never got the green light? (So many comics only reached the 'dummy issue' stage.)

IPC brought out Star Lord and it didn't last. Perhaps Thomsons considered that to mean that the market couldn't support two sci-fi weeklies?

[SID]

A few suggestions:

Perhaps they expected 2000AD to fail? (As did IPC management but thankfully they were proved wrong.)

But would they have known prior to the launch? With Bullet and Plug, they came out at the same time as their rivals. Also DCT wasn't afraid to bring out new comics after that even if there were no guarantee they would survive (The Crunch, Buddy, Spike and Champ).

Or perhaps a rival comic was planned but never got the green light? (So many comics only reached the 'dummy issue' stage.)

*Nodding*. Would be interesting to know what it would have been called if there was going to be one.

IPC brought out Star Lord and it didn't last. Perhaps Thomsons considered that to mean that the market couldn't support two sci-fi weeklies?

But then Starlord was a third of the price dearer than 2000AD. DCT could have brought out one out a lot cheaper and, therefore, affordable. Also Star Wars came out later that year so I would have thought that would have been encouraging.

[Lew Stringer]

IPC brought out Star Lord and it didn't last. Perhaps Thomsons considered that to mean that the market couldn't support two sci-fi weeklies?

But then Starlord was a third of the price dearer than 2000AD. DCT could have brought out one out a lot cheaper and, therefore, affordable. Also Star Wars came out later that year so I would have thought that would have been encouraging.

Perhaps they just dithered too long and missed the boat.

[Lew Stringer]

A few suggestions:

Perhaps they expected 2000AD to fail? (As did IPC management but thankfully they were proved wrong.)

But would they have known prior to the launch? With Bullet and Plug, they came out at the same time as their rivals. Also DCT wasn't afraid to bring out new comics after that even if there were no guarantee they would survive (The Crunch, Buddy, Spike and Champ).

Word gets out. They'd have known somehow that 2000AD was coming. At the time, sci-fi wasn't such a safe bet as a war or traditional adventure comic. My guess is that Thomsons waited to see how it fared, expecting it to fail, then still didn't want to risk doing a weekly. Starblazer was their 2000AD in the end. Different format to 2000AD, but, to their mind, aimed a similar market. (Although personally I never liked Starblazer. It seemed very dated compared to 2000AD.)

[SID]

I always thought that The Crunch was DCT's eventual answer to 2000AD. They may have been too scared to bring out a completely Sci-Fi comic but The Crunch had its offerings. Plus I seemed to me that the Mantracker was very like Strontium Dog including that the main characters were both outsiders of society

I agree that Starblazer was a little old-fashioned but I loved its stories.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

DCT put out Starblazer, the pocket-sized Commando-format sci-fi series from around 1979 onwards.It ran until the following decade I think but I need to check.

Often overlooked in overall comics History, these quirky items are well worth seeking out and I am glad I sought them out.

[SID]

DCT put out Starblazer, the pocket-sized Commando-format sci-fi series from around 1979 onwards.It ran until the following decade I think but I need to check.

Often overlooked in overall comics History, these quirky items are well worth seeking out and I am glad I sought them out.

Thanks, Ispy. I can't remember when it stopped (I would have to check the last issue) but I loved the comic and used to get it at the time & kept all the issues.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

its a shame Starblazer seems all but forgetten in UK Comics History, Sid.

[SID]

its a shame Starblazer seems all but forgetten in UK Comics History, Sid.

Though someone did bring a Starblazer calendar featuring some of its covers a few years back.

[colcool007]

its a shame Starblazer seems all but forgetten in UK Comics History, Sid.

I've got to disagree with you on that one Rab. Almost every time any conversation starts about picture libraries, someone mentions Starblazer. And as Mr Kennedy has some high grade prints that he will autograph, I know that he is doing his bit to keep the dream alive.

And it did not do too badly in running from 1979 until 1991. For further information, pop over to Down The Tubes for our article series on Starblazer.

As to a DCT equivalent of 2000AD, it may be simply the fact that DCT did not have the printing capacity to produce an additional comic of that size at the time.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I am glad to hear that Starblazer at least gets appreciated by the cult aficianado set, Col.

[paw broon]

I don't know if I'm part of the, "cult aficianado set" (ISPYSHHHGUY) but I am a fan of Starblazer. And it's not only Colin, me and a few others who are interested in what some might consider odd, all but forgotten titles, because I have some contacts in N. America who have an acquaintance with and growing enjoyment of the comic, in many ways because of some of the artists who worked on it.
There is so much to be discovered and enjoyed in the wealth of comics published in the UK and Starblazer is a small part of that.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I am just putting this into some sort of perspective , Paw:

If a population of well over 60 million 'enjoys' sales of the BEANO at around 35, ooo---then how many folks have heard of a [now] long-defunct niche specialist title like Starblazer?

Yes the enthusiasts are certainly aware of Sarrblazer, but what percentage of the population are we actually talking about here?

For the general masses, Starblazer is largely forgotten along with many other defunct titles.

I am not cheering this sad fact I am simply lamenting it.

[paw broon]

Yes, you're right. And it is sad. Going back some decades, British comics sold barraloads of a huge range of titles and genres and were in every newsagent and bookstall. As that situation has changed dramatically, it's why there are a lot of fans trying to keep those cult/forgotten comics alive in various archives. Please excuse my mentioning this as I don't want to start another discussion, or worse, a rammy, about digital archiving.