Pow!
Encyclopedia
Pow! was a weekly British comic published by Odhams Press
in 1967 and 1968 from their headquarters at 64 Long Acre, London. Part of their Power Comics
imprint, it was printed on newsprint stock, in black-and-white except for its colour front and back covers, and initially comprised 28 pages.
Pow! first appeared on 21 January 1967. With its 53rd issue, dated 13 January 1968, it merged with its sister title Wham!
to form Pow and Wham. The 86th and final issue appeared on 7 September 1968, after which it merged into Smash!, another of the Power Comics line.
It is unrelated to POW! Entertainment, an American
media production company.
, a company formed in 1963 by Cecil Harmsworth King, chairman of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Pictorial (now the Sunday Mirror), through a series of corporate mergers. All of the comics published by IPC were under the control of one or other of the subsidiary companies which King had brought together to form IPC, including Fleetway Publications Ltd and Odhams Press
.
The Power Comics
, including Pow!, were published by IPC's Odhams Press division, and were controlled by a three man editorial team, known as Alf, Bart, and Cos. Alfred Wallace ("Alf") was the Managing Editor at Odhams, and supervised the entire Power Comics line. Under his direction, Bart and Cos were the staff Editors who handled the individual titles. Bart was the Editor directly responsible for Pow!.
, including Spider-Man
(from issue #1), and (after the merger with Wham! in issue #53) the Fantastic Four
.
Apart from the Marvel reprints of Spider-Man (drawn by Steve Ditko) and Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD (drawn by Jack Kirby), both of which began in issue #1, prior to the merger with Wham it principally featured humour strips. These included The Dolls of St Dominic's, The Group, Kicks, Wee Willie Haggis: The Spy from Skye, Dare-a-Day Davy, and (from issue #3) The Cloak. It also featured some adventure strips, including The Python and Jack Magic.
British artists whose work appeared included Leo Baxendale
(who drew The Dolls of St Dominic's and The Group), Ken Reid (who drew Dare-a-Day Davy, in colour, for the back page), and Mike Higgs (who drew The Cloak).
Odhams Press
Odhams Press was a British publishing firm. Originally a newspaper group, founded in 1890, it took the name Odham's Press Ltd in 1920 when it merged with John Bull magazine. By 1937 it had founded the first colour weekly, Woman, for which it set up and operated a dedicated high-speed print works...
in 1967 and 1968 from their headquarters at 64 Long Acre, London. Part of their Power Comics
Power Comics
Power Comics was an imprint of the British comics publisher Odhams Press that was particularly notable for its use of material reprinted from American Marvel Comics. Appearing chiefly during the years 1967 and 1968, the Power Comics line consisted of five weekly titles: Wham!, Smash!, Pow!,...
imprint, it was printed on newsprint stock, in black-and-white except for its colour front and back covers, and initially comprised 28 pages.
Pow! first appeared on 21 January 1967. With its 53rd issue, dated 13 January 1968, it merged with its sister title Wham!
Wham! (comic)
Wham! was a weekly British comic published by Odhams Press. It ran for 187 issues from 20 June 1964 to 13 January 1968, when it merged into its sister title Pow!...
to form Pow and Wham. The 86th and final issue appeared on 7 September 1968, after which it merged into Smash!, another of the Power Comics line.
It is unrelated to POW! Entertainment, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
media production company.
History of POW
Pow! was owned by IPC, the International Publishing CorporationIPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
, a company formed in 1963 by Cecil Harmsworth King, chairman of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Pictorial (now the Sunday Mirror), through a series of corporate mergers. All of the comics published by IPC were under the control of one or other of the subsidiary companies which King had brought together to form IPC, including Fleetway Publications Ltd and Odhams Press
Odhams Press
Odhams Press was a British publishing firm. Originally a newspaper group, founded in 1890, it took the name Odham's Press Ltd in 1920 when it merged with John Bull magazine. By 1937 it had founded the first colour weekly, Woman, for which it set up and operated a dedicated high-speed print works...
.
The Power Comics
Power Comics
Power Comics was an imprint of the British comics publisher Odhams Press that was particularly notable for its use of material reprinted from American Marvel Comics. Appearing chiefly during the years 1967 and 1968, the Power Comics line consisted of five weekly titles: Wham!, Smash!, Pow!,...
, including Pow!, were published by IPC's Odhams Press division, and were controlled by a three man editorial team, known as Alf, Bart, and Cos. Alfred Wallace ("Alf") was the Managing Editor at Odhams, and supervised the entire Power Comics line. Under his direction, Bart and Cos were the staff Editors who handled the individual titles. Bart was the Editor directly responsible for Pow!.
Strips and Characters
Like the other Power Comics, Pow! supplemented its British content with reprints from American Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, including Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
(from issue #1), and (after the merger with Wham! in issue #53) the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
Apart from the Marvel reprints of Spider-Man (drawn by Steve Ditko) and Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD (drawn by Jack Kirby), both of which began in issue #1, prior to the merger with Wham it principally featured humour strips. These included The Dolls of St Dominic's, The Group, Kicks, Wee Willie Haggis: The Spy from Skye, Dare-a-Day Davy, and (from issue #3) The Cloak. It also featured some adventure strips, including The Python and Jack Magic.
British artists whose work appeared included Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum , Minnie the Minx , The Bash Street Kids and The Three Bears .Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he...
(who drew The Dolls of St Dominic's and The Group), Ken Reid (who drew Dare-a-Day Davy, in colour, for the back page), and Mike Higgs (who drew The Cloak).