Marvel Heroes (UK Magazine) #9 (Story 1)

Background

Marvel Heroes is the third UK Spider-Man/Marvel Magazine title from the Panini stable. The others are Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine) for early teens, and Spider-Man & Friends (UK Magazine) for the pre-school market. Marvel Heroes is a recent replacement for the relatively short-lived Rampage (UK) which was also aimed at the mid-late teen market.

This magazine features 36 glossy pages. As the title indicates, the content is 100% Marvel related, and most of the major Marvel Heroes get a look-in from time to time. The audience is clearly early/mid-teens, with plenty of DVD, movie and video-game link-in. Over time, the excessive self-promotion which marred earlier issues was gently scaled back to more acceptable levels.

Black Panther and The Hulk feature on this issue's cover, and duly each appears in their own standard 7-page story, as well as in much of the advertising and filler material.

Story 'Rumble in the Jungle'

In the first seven page headline story, The Frightful Four (The Wizard, Hydro-Man, Titania and The Trapster) go to Wakanda (home of the Black Panther) to steal some Vibranium for the Wizard's latest invention. Black Panther fights and defeats them, then sends them home.

No, seriously, that's it for seven pages. Nothing more happens.

General Comments

The usual mix of filler is included... posters, puzzles, coloring, "Fact Files", a competitions page, and a letters page with fan art.

Most notable is that there are only two pages peddling Marvel products this time. Last issue featured six pages of shameless self-marketing. It's nice to see the ratio come down to more sensible levels.

Overall Rating

I know these stories are only seven pages long. But is that really a sufficient excuse for such simplicity.

I've always believed that writing is all about ideas. If you don't have an idea for a story to tell, then you shouldn't write. Then again, these magazines have a deadline and a page count. So you get filler like this.

Two webs.