Back Up Strips

[fuzzchile]

Any one remember the back up stories? Combat Colin by Lew Stringer and the Awesome Master of Kung Fu .. with art by Paul Gulacy and I think Gene Day .. that was my fave (Sid Vicious favourite comic too )I think Shang Chi actually had a relation in Action Force, if I get to re reading these stories again ..once Master ended though began to lose interest in title as it didn't seem like Battle .. but I did enjoy the first 10-15 issues ..Master of Kung Fu though would be perfect for Tarrantino to direct .

[DAMartin]

I have read some Combat Colin strips from Transformers UK scans. The main problem is that some issues were scanned with the strips and others without them, so there are Combat Colin sagas whose end I have never seen

[fuzzchile]

Did Transformers and Action Force become one title eventually? I know they had some team ups ..there's a great Larry Hama line about "Twisted Sister" in the first story lol ..but did the two comics become one? ..if so glad Combat Colin survived..did they keep Grim Grams? or did another Transformer take over letters page?(I liked Soundwave the best though "putupp!" )

[DAMartin]

The covers of the TF UK scans said "Transformers and GI Joe the Action Force" so I guess the comics effectively became one. After Grim Grams, Dreadwind took the letters page, this time as "Dread Tidings", and later, near the end of the series, Action Master Blaster took the page, but I don't remember which name had it then.

[Sundance]

Action Force weekly was canned after #50. The US reprints were merged with Transformers becoming 'Transformers and Action Force' subsequently 'Transformers and GI Joe: The Action Force' and then 'Transformers and GI Joe'.

UK original stories were run in Action Force Monthly, along with reprints of UK stories from weekly, and the 'Ancient Relics' crossover. It died at #15.

Combat Colin moved to Transformers, where he remained until it died.

Grim Grams became 'Dread Tidings', hosted by Dreadwinid, with the advent of the Powermasters, followed by 'Darn 'n' Blast' hosted by Blaster's Action Master variant.

Shang Chi was actually a Marvel 616 character who was hamfistedly made into a Joeverse character by having a tacked-on prologue and epilogue with Quick-Kick meditating on his 'cousin', Shang Chi.

i suppose they're cousins to some extent since they're both Bruce Lee knock-off/Kung-Fu exploitation characters...

[The Baron]

What Sundance said, except for the nonsense about the Shang-Chi epilogue.

Also, no title "Transformers and GI Joe" as the reprints stopped before the final toyline transition. Transformers #305 was the last to contain GI Joe material.

Oh look: http://www.bloodforthebaron.com/comics/maf/index2.html

I believe Transforce used to run a site containing the complete Combat Colin collection.

[Sundance]

you didn't think the Quick-Kick prologue and epilogue was jarring?

someone seriously needs to buy the rights and make a goddamn Combat Colin movie...

[The Baron]

I don't think the Quick Kick epilogue exists!

[Sundance]

coulda swore that there was an epilogue like 'meditations in red'...

[fuzzchile]

Master of Kung Fu ..well of course it's a cash in on Bruce Lee as was Deadly Hands of Kung Fu(Which featured in one issue a comic strip version of Bruce Lees life ..way better than Dragon movie lol ) but it created a new genre in comics ..without which Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes may of never existed .. also loved "The Fists of Jimmy Chang" which was Battles rip off of Brucey but that was great too lovely Eric Bradbury artwork ..the only adventure strip in Battlei I enjoyed... thought that Hunters storywas a bit gay ..just like the Professionals ..I prefer The Sweeney lol