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Coming Soon: Marvel UK fan group Avengers UK celebrate “Genesis 1992” project with new zine

By John Freeman on December 16, 2022

The British Marvel-inspired creative team Avengers UK have begun teasing their forthcoming not-for-profit seasonal special, due for release before the end of the year.

“It will be a celebration of 30 years of the ‘Genesis’ era of Marvel UK and 50 years of Marvel UK, from the Mighty World of Marvel era onwards,” co-ordinator Iskander Islam (aka IzzY World) tells downthetubes.

The ‘Genesis’ period of Marvel UK, initiated by Paul Neary, saw an explosion of new superheroes created in Marvel UK’s London office, beginning with the debut of Death’s Head II, but including Dark Angel, Motormouth, Warheads, Genetix, and many, many other fondly-remembered characters. We’ve documented them all here, in our extensive feature on published and “lost” stories, victims to the company’s implosion and eventual transformation into Panini UK.

“We have features on both aspects, new art from the Avengers UK team, articles about all our Avengers UK history and how it connects to the Marvel UK universe and loads more.”

All the features are by Richard Green, who contributed to the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe website, along with writing for various Avengers UK comics.

*Marvel UK heroes assembled, art by Alan Green*

Avengers UK is a ‘just for fun non-profit’ fan based fiction, comprising a friendly community of comic fans and creators who have been publishing a series of comic crossover adventures involving Marvel UK and US characters, and other from various well-known media franchises for several years now.

Across numerous digital publications, including Avengers UK, the greatest heroes from the British corner of the Marvel Universe unite to fight evil – and discuss the weather!

Operating from their secret headquarters on, erm, Facebook, so not really secret all, you can view the complete collection of releases so far here. The order in which to read all their comics is in letters in brackets, for example “A” – simplez! If you’re making your first visit, Chapter One is here.

If you’re a Marvel UK fan, then head over to Avengers UK and check out a group of like minded enthusiasts, pull up a pew, and enjoy!

You definitely should, for example, check out last year’s Avengers UK Selection Box, your guilt-free indulgence of visual delights by a collection of artists old and new to the team of creators, which includes such silliness as a Death’s Head “cut out doll” you can redress in all sorts of costumes. Fun for all the family… go on, indulge yourselves!

**Avengers UK Selection Box** cover by David Hathaway-Price, Death’s Head “Paper Doll” by Chris Holmes

Marvel UK: “Genesis ’92” – Looking Back and What Might Have Been

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

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.