Marvel UK – Genesis '92: Part 06 – Unpublished Projects Developed during 1992 – 1993
Developed during 1992
Owing to increasing amount of information discovered about the later years of Marvel UK, our "Genesis 1992" section has now been broken up into more pages
Part 1 – Published Comics 1992 | Part 2 – Published Comics 1993 -1994 | Part 3 – Published Comics 1994 – 1995 | Part 4 – Frontier Comics | Part 5 – Unpublished Projects Developed during 1990 – 1991 | Part 6 – Unpublished Projects Developed during 1992 – 1993 | Part 7 – Other Unpublished Projects Developed during 1993 | Part 8 – Unpublished Projects Developed during 1994 | Part 9 – 1994 (Marvel UK branded) Core Relaunch | Part 10 – Final Unrealised Projects 1994 – and a Postscript
Doctor Who/Doctor Strange Crossover
Writer: Andrew Cartmel Artist: Lee Sullivan
While Steve Moore's project unfortunately went nowhere, this didn't dampen my enthusiasm for trying to get spin-off Doctor Who projects off the ground. That included the Doctor Who newspaper strip pitched at the Daily Express, and a story by Andrew Cartmel featuring a Doctor Who and Doctor Strange crossover. It was at this point I learnt of Who's disfavour by Marvel US, even though Tom deFalco was a fan of the show).
Andrew's story involved an ageing rock band who had made a deal with a demon to ensure their success. Lee Sullivan drew a promotional image for the proposed series. There's a little more information on this abandoned project here.
Developed during 1993 – Red Mist 20-20 line
Red Mist 20-20
Writer: Alan Cowsill and Simon Jowett
Artist: Andrew Currie, Charlie Adlard (Dougie Braithwaite created a series of trading cars to promote this series)
Alternatively written as 20/20 in some places, the press adverts went with the 20-20 version of the title. A six-part crossover planned for selected October and November 1993 titles. The participating titles were all cancelled and the crossover abandoned. Had it been published the stories would have run in this sequence:
"Red Mist: 20-20 was a crossover made up of the first two issues of three four-issue mini-series," Simon Jowett tells us. "Roid Rage (written by Alan Cowsill, art by Andrew Currie), Death Duty (also written by Alan) and Bloodrush (written by me with art by Charlie Adlard). Each mini-series concluded in their two post-crossover issues. Art for all four issues of Blood Rush was completed (because that Adlard is a machine), but I have no idea how much was lettered or where the pages may have ended up."
Had the crossover not been pulled, it would have played out in the following sequence: Wild Thing #8, 'Death Duty' #1, ''Roid Rage' #1, 'Bloodrush' #1, Wild Thing #9, Super Soldiers #9, 'Death Duty' #2, ''Roid Rage' #2, 'Bloodrush' #2, Wild Thing #10 and Super Soldiers #10.
The stories in Wild Thing and Super Soldiers were described as Red Mist 'Touchdowns' in a Marvel Age magazine feature.
In addition, 'Death Duty', ''Roid Rage' and 'Bloodrush' would all have been promoted with a set of inter-locking covers across their debut issues. As with some of their previous releases (such as the Gene Pool comics), they would also have been bagged with another set of trading cards featuring art by Dougie Braithwaite and Andy Lanning, complete with descriptive text on the rear of each card".
Bloodrush art by Charlie Adlard for a solicited but unpublished Marvel UK series written by Simon Jowett. With thanks to Adrian Clarke
Bloodrush
Writer: Simon Jowett
Art: Charlie Adlard
Solicited but cancelled, Charlie Adlard had completed art on this series, but it wasn't published.
A number of pages from the project have been posted on ComicArtFans.
Death Duty
Writer: Alan Cowsill
Art: José Fonteriz
Sharing a title with the later published Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty one-shot comic featuring Night Raven, a comic also using the Death Duty title was first promoted in Body Count and solicited in Marvel Age #130 (November 1993), with the artist José Fonteriz attached, but was subsequently delayed (as reported in Comic World Issue 22, December 1993). Designed as a prequel to the Red Mist saga, it was cancelled along with the rest of the line. Fonteriz did draw Nocturne, published by Marvel US (see above).
• More info here on the Starlogged blog
The Cover of Roid Rage #1 – which was at the printers when the book was cancelled. With thanks to Alan Cowsill
Sample pages from the unpublished Roid Rage. Art by Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch. The series was cancelled just as the first issue reached the printers.
The cover of Roid Rage #3 by Andrew Currie
Art: Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch
A Super Soldiers spin off Marvel UK were planning back in the day that, former editor Alan Cowsill reports "got canned as the book was at the printers!"
"It was all part of the Red Mist saga. It's also the first time Agent Keller, a character who re-surfaced in Revolutionary War, appeared… he didn't last long though!"
Chris Halls, who was production designer on Alien 3, did some promotional art for the series.
Marvel UK: Useful Links
• It Came From Darkmoor: itcamefromdarkmoor.blogspot.co.uk
Terrific blog about Marvel UK and British Marvel heroes
• Starlogged: starlogged.blogspot.co.uk
Charting the history of many British comics, including their promotion. The site has a fantastic list of every Marvel UK title published, in chronological order, here
• A Distant Beacon
The web presence of author Rob Kirby, who's working on a book on the history of Marvel UK, From Cents to Pence
• Comics Pending – January 1993
This document compiled by John Freeman outlines some of the unpublished comic strips planned for Overkill, and his thoughts on the future of some of the company's title such as Motormouth and Warheads, in January 1993, when he was in the process of leaving the company to take up life as a freelancer.
The hand-written notes refer to "Paul" – Paul Neary, Marvel UK's Editorial Director; and editors Tim Quinn, Jacqui Papp and Bambos Georgiou.
This section is compiled with thanks to: Adrian Clarke, Alan Cowsill, Andrew Currie, David Elliott, Carl Flint, Glenn Dakin, Alan Green, Richard Green, Rob Kirby, David Leach, Carlos Pacheco, Tim Quinn, Simon Jowett, Mark Roberts, John Ross, Cam Smith, and others