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THE MiGHTY MARVEL CHECKLiST: WEEK 27

28 January 2026 Phil Boyce Leave a comment

SATURDAY 28th JANUARY 1989

We couldn’t really have two more different covers this week, could we? While Andrew Wildman’s Transformers and Action Force #203 cover represents a rather bleak moment in the Time Wars saga, Brian Williamson and Bambos Georgiou’s cover for The Real Ghostbusters #34 is, well, rather more light-hearted.

That cover relates to a very funny prose story inside, in which a job in Russia proves more difficult than the team thought when every time they bust the ghost it splits in two and another, smaller one pops out. Linking in with this, Spengler’s Spirit Guide becomes Popov’s Spirit Guide for one week only. Across the way and 20 years into the future Marvel UK had some explaining to do for its young readers.

The comic had to explain how they broke off from the American epic Underbase Saga (which also killed off a lot of characters) because they wanted their own strip to run through the 200th issue celebrations. Thing is, all of Time Wars takes place after that story, which would only finish after Time Wars. A suitably confusing bit of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimpy given the tale currently being told.

There’s a particularly funny answer to a query on Dreadwind’s letters page too. A reader asks when Secret Wars III will come out and suggests getting the Thundercats and Ghostbusters involved in the story. Dreadwind explains that after mentioning this in the office he had to talk Ian Rimmer, Simon Furman and Richard Starkings down from the window ledge!

As you can see, three of the six comics on this week’s checklist have featured before and the only new one besides the two in my collection is Thundercats which contained… a Valentine’s Day story? Okay then. Advert-wise, a teaser for a new Marvel UK monthly took up a full page in The Real Ghostbusters this week, and although there wasn’t enough room in Transformers the two brothers Sleeze still managed to squeeze themselves in.

The first issue of The Sleeze Brothers wouldn’t appear until the fourth week of June and would only run for six issues, meaning the adverts hyping it up ran for almost as long as the comic itself. I remember seeing this ad for so long in the pages of my comics that I began to lose all interest in ever wanting to find out who they were. That was, until the first issue actually appeared and I just had to buy it to find out what all the fuss was about.

I’d only buy that first edition as a kid but many years later I rectified that mistake for the blog and read the whole series in real time back in 2024. At the time of writing there’s a special edition of the comic coming to the OiNK Blog later this year too, an issue that’s been sitting on my shelves for a few years now without being opened. So I’ll be seeing this trailer advert all the way until then for a bit of poetic symmetry.

Until next week.

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WEEK 26 < > WEEK 28

THE MiGHTY MARVEL CHECKLiST: WEEK 26

21 January 2026 Phil Boyce Leave a comment

SATURDAY 21st JANUARY 1989

Brian Williamson and Cam Smith’s cover to The Real Ghostbusters #33 would have you thinking recurring villain Ponquadragor had returned (last seen in #21) or at least the similar-looking Grim Reaper from #18. But as usual with this comic you could never successfully guess what it was up to.

As it turned out the story involved Winston and Ray being taken on a tour around a haunted house by its owner who recounts the hundreds of ghosts who have lived there, only for them to realise he doesn’t want anything busted and thought they were the heat repairmen. Strip Spook Alley is only two pages long and has barely any dialogue but it’s a hoot, showing the genius of this unique comic and there’s even a solo strip for the best Ghostbuster, Winston! A winner of an issue.

In #202 of Transformers and Action Force, Andy Wildman’s cover must’ve excited everyone who had read Galvatron and Megatron’s first meeting in the recent annual. Dan Reed was on artistic duties for the latest part of the Time Wars epic, and he makes the end of the world look truly apocalyptic! As if that wasn’t exciting and shocking enough, Lew Stringer’s Combat Colin turns evil in his strip.

As you can see, Marvel UK weren’t offering up any new issues of their other titles. I’m not sure why the Thundercats from last week got the ‘Don’t Miss’ treatment instead of one of the comics above. I’ve already spoken about how I’d like to collect Action Force’s own comics and in fact I’ve covered these issues of Death’s Head and Dragon’s Claws the past two weeks! With no new comics adverts either (Betty Boop gets another outing) this is a somewhat light week in our checklist series.

Next week, both comics feature teaser adverts for a new title that wouldn’t even see the light of day for half a year. It’s a fan favourite that’s already had a real time read through on the blog so it’s a bit strange for me to see the teaser pop up now. You can find out which comic I’m talking about in seven days. In the meantime, did you own any of the issues in this week’s checklist?

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WEEK 25 < > WEEK 27

THE MiGHTY MARVEL CHECKLiST: WEEK 25

14 January 2026 Phil Boyce Leave a comment

SATURDAY 14th JANUARY 1989

The first post-holidays issue of The Real Ghostbusters (with cover by Brian Williamson and Dave Harwood) and the first post-200th Transformers and Action Force (with its cover by Dougie Braithwaite and Dave again) were ready to welcome me to Saturday after the first full week of the new school term back in 1989.

The Real Ghostbusters image looks more like a new range of Action Force figures rather than our New York firehouse residents, and for once it refers to a strip inside rather than the prose story. Also inside, Ozbusters isn’t a tale set Down Under, it’s about Egon’s haunted dream in which he’s the tin man, Winston’s the scarecrow and Ray’s the cowardly lion. Can’t fault the imagination in that comic.

Part Three of Transformers’ epic Time Wars may have some printing errors across its pages resulting in some strange colours but that doesn’t blunt its impact one iota, although it’s almost upstaged by Larry Hama’s incredible Hush Job strip in the back up spot, which may have no dialogue but has plenty of drama! Both of my comics were absolute winners this week but what else did Marvel UK have to offer us? Let’s check the checklist.

Thundercats sounds like a regular issue, the likes of which fans enjoyed for most of its run, until that “games and fun” bit at least. The comic’s relaunch for a younger audience was probably inspired by the success of The Real Ghostbusters, even if Marvel’s top-seller didn’t have to rely on such gimmicks. Some of the best issues of Death’s Head and Dragon’s Claws were covered last week, leaving only our ‘Don’t Miss’ comic.

Action Force Monthly lasted 16 issues, so technically longer than the weekly time-wise, and it and its weekly always sounded great. Especially now that I’m reading the G.I. Joe originals I must make it my mission to get caught up with all of the UK stories too. Finally, our only new comic advertisement this week can’t make its mind up whether it even is a comic!

I was never a fan of the Betty Boop cartoons growing up, but many were and I remember she was always on the telly, her merchandise seemed popular and of course she popped up in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. It’s strange to find out there were only two new cartoon specials in the 80s and the rest were reruns. She’s even had a Broadway musical which only closed in 2025!

I don’t remember this comic/card combo at all, I didn’t even recall the adverts when reading these comics again all these years later. Do you remember Betty’s Valentine special? Did you perhaps receive it from a secret admirer? Or send it to one? As usual, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or on socials, the links to which are just below.

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WEEK 24 < > WEEK 26

THE MiGHTY MARVEL CHECKLiST: WEEK 24

7 January 2026 Phil Boyce Leave a comment

SATURDAY 7th JANUARY 1989

It didn’t really matter what was on the cover of The Real Ghostbusters this week, did it? Your attentions were always going to be drawn to Transformers, which has lost the “The” permanently and Action Force temporarily for the week to make way for the celebrations.

Lee Sullivan’s gorgeous wraparound cover poster deserves a photo all of its own and you can check it out at the link at the bottom of this post as per usual. This was my first milestone issue as a kid and boy did it make an impact! Time Wars really picked up the pace and looked incredible thanks to Robin Smith’s art, the extras were great fun and the highlight in that free booklet surprisingly wasn’t the info on the Transformers for new readers, it was the self portraits of the comic’s artists. Definitely check them out below too!

What a way to start 1989, eh? Not that the Ghostbusters team were resting on their laurels. Phil Elliott and none other than Cam Smith provided the cover of another all matte paper finish for a lovely weighty feel in the hands, Spengler’s Spirit Guide to monsters included The Big Gurgler, The Wigglesbro’ Wyrm and The Not-really-quite-nasty-enough-monster of Chatham, and in a story set on Wall Street the team met a ghost who was the embodiment of greed. The prose story was a Winston’s Diary entry, not ‘Jaws of the Beast‘ (below) which was the name of Nick Abadzis’ story in the recent annual.

Of course Transformers was always going to be the must-buy comic of the week and it more than deserved the accolade. Captain Britain was hanging on in there too and I’ve had so many people sing its praises to me on socials these past few months I might track a copy down someday. Almost as exciting as the 200th edition of one of their comics, the first week of the month (and of the year) brought brand new issues of two certain Marvel UK monthlies too.

The dystopian nature of the shared Death’s Head/Dragon’s Claws future came to the fore in our Freelance Peacekeeping Agent’s third issue with some great depictions of the Los Angeles of the year 8162. This was also one of the funniest issues in his whole run and in Dragon’s Claws little did we know we were two months from the end. The scope of the story was so big, the pace so frantic and the shocks so… shocking, that with hindsight it’s obvious, but at the time readers must’ve been left breathless.

Just the one advert and it’s for another change to Thundercats, albeit a bit late. First the comic was fortnightly, then weekly for the majority of its run, then Galaxy Rangers temporarily merged into it. Upon their departure the comic became fortnightly again with #84 on Saturday 15th October 1988, and that week’s checklist told us the comic was now full of games, puzzles and posters. Sounds like a comic refocusing to aim for a younger audience, doesn’t it? Yet this is the first advert I’ve seen for it in either of these comics.

Well folks, that’s us one checklist into 1989 and you can expect another checklist post every single Wednesday all the way through to Christmas 2026! In fact, the festive checklist of ’89 would end up being the last of the series. Before that we’ve a full year of reminiscing and of feeling old to look forward to. We’re off to a flying start, but what other memorable moments will there be? Let’s find out together. See you in seven.

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TRANSFORMERS 200 (Instagram)

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WEEK 23 < > WEEK 25