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Classic Covers Calendar

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In 1989, as part of its blowout 200th issue, the Transformers comic by Marvel UK introduced the "Classic Covers Calendar". This feature would celebrate the history of the comic by printing the inks of a classic cover with new (uncredited) colours in a two-page spread, centrefold style, paired with a portion of that year's calendar. All the dumb stubbies had to do was print one instalment in the comic once a month. What could go wrong?

What went wrong

January's instalment didn't even spell "calender" correctly. An inauspicious start.

The main problem was that the Classic Covers Calendar was plagued with scheduling issues. With the understanding that contemporary cover dates reflected the seventh day after release, we can estimate each issue's publication date. The pattern emerges that over half of the calendars were published after their corresponding month was already underway, usually about four days late, with the January calendar dropping on the 7th. April's calendar was the first and only instalment to actually release on the first day of the month.

This was followed by calendar for June, published erroneously in place of May (and in what would have been good time, too!) before the May calendar arrived 27 days too late, far beyond its usefulness. July and August's calendars were released in advance of their months beginning, though by September things had once again started turning up slightly belated.

Readers were encouraged to remove their Classic Covers Calendars from their comics to display as posters; this would have been fine if they had kept being printed as regular centrefolds, but by halfway through the year the calendars weren't actually printed in the centre pages. This was because of rising production costs; from issue 225 onwards, the middle eight pages of the comic were printed on a cheaper paper and only in black ink, pushing the calendars outward. This necessitated the comic's editorial give instructions on how to remove and replace staples.[1] A non-zero amount of calendars were printed overleaf from the main strip; pulling them out for use would divorce the comic story from its closing page(s). The calendar would also push other features out of the book, with Dread Tidings getting the chop on five occasions, much to the consternation of its host.

More subjectively, the Classic Covers Calendars were just... not good? The calendars reused the original inks of each cover, paired with new colours by an uncredited artist. Due to the limitations of the printing process, this meant that the new colours were much flatter than the painted front covers that were the norm when they were originally published. Barry Kitson's March page and both of Robin Smith's contributions were particular casualties of the loss of painted details. Naturally, the calendars also removed the trade dress and speech bubbles present on the original covers, altering each image's composition – and even context in some cases, with Starscream's shouted defiance of the festive spirit in "Stargazing" being more of an angry shrug in a snowstorm. (Incidentally, December 31st is presented as being on the same Saturday as December 30th.) Additionally, the variety of covers was lacking, given it was an opportunity to revisit the book's history, with "Headhunt", "Enemy Action!", and "Grudge Match!" each represented twice.

The calendar did not return in 1990.

Gallery

January February March April June May
Calendar Classic Covers Calendar 200.jpg
Issue 200
Classic Covers Calendar 204.jpg
Issue 204
Classic Covers Calendar 208.jpg
Issue 208
Classic Covers Calendar 212.jpg
Issue 212
Classic Covers Calendar 216.jpg
Issue 216
Classic Covers Calendar 220.jpg
Issue 220
Cover date January 14, 1989 February 11, 1989 March 11, 1989 April 8, 1989 May 6, 1989 June 3, 1989
Approx.
publication
January 7, 1989 February 4, 1989 March 4, 1989 April 1, 1989 April 29, 1989 May 27, 1989
Original
cover
MarvelUK-117.jpg
Issue 117,
"Hunters"
MarvelUK-134.jpg
Issue 134,
"Headhunt"
MarvelUK-138.jpg
Issue 138
"Ladies' Night"
MarvelUK-152.jpg
Issue 152,
"Enemy Action!"
MarvelUK-133.jpg
Issue 133,
"Headhunt"
MarvelUK-136.jpg
Issue 136,
"Grudge Match!"
Original
artist
Geoff Senior Lee Sullivan Barry Kitson Lee Sullivan Dave Gibbons Robin Smith
July August September October November December
Calendar Classic Covers Calendar 224.jpg
Issue 224
Classic Covers Calendar 229.jpg
Issue 229
Classic Covers Calendar 234.jpg
Issue 234
Classic Covers Calendar 237.jpg
Issue 237
Classic Covers Calendar 243.jpg
Issue 243
Classic Covers Calendar 247.jpg
Issue 247
Cover date July 1, 1989 August 5, 1989 September 9, 1989 September 30, 1989 November 11, 1989 December 9, 1989
Approx.
publication
June 24, 1989 29 July, 1989 September 2, 1989 September 23, 1989 November 4, 1989 December 2, 1989
Original
cover
MarvelUK-129.jpg
Issue 129,
"Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom"
MarvelUK-142.jpg
Issue 142,
"Child's Play"
MarvelUK-130.jpg
Issue 130,
"Worlds Apart!"
MarvelUK-153.jpg
Issue 153,
"Enemy Action!"
MarvelUK-135.jpg
Issue 135,
"Grudge Match!"
MarvelUK-145.jpg
Issue 145,
"Stargazing"
Original
artist
Robin Smith Dan Reed Geoff Senior Lee Sullivan Jeff Anderson Barry Kitson

Notes

  • The Combat Colin strip in issue 220 'explains' the June/May gaffe by blaming the evil genius Professor Madprof, whose time machine had mixed up the seasons (riffing on the then-recent mild winter and cold spring weather in real life).
  • Re-use your calendars! It might be too late for 2023, but set a reminder for 2034!

References

  1. On the Transformation page in both issue 224 and issue 229, fact fans!
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