Scream!
Encyclopedia
Scream! was a British
weekly comic anthology
with a horror theme, running from March 24, 1984 until 30 June 1984, published by IPC Magazines
.
With a tagline of "not for the nervous", Scream! was supposedly edited by the fictional Ghastly McNasty, similar to other British comics of the time which laid claim to fictional editors — such as 2000 AD's
Tharg the Mighty
, Tornado's
Big E, and Starlord
from the magazine of the same name. Ghastly's face was concealed by a hood
, and a regular feature of the comic involved readers sending in drawings of what they believed he looked like.
15 issues were published before the title was cancelled due to a combination of controversy over its horror content, and production strikes at IPC. The cancellation was at such short notice that the final issue's strips contained previews for the next instalment. Scream! was absorbed by Eagle
, with the two most popular strips continuing in that publication. There were also five Summer Specials released, mostly consisting of reprints of horror-themed stories from IPC's back catalogue.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
weekly comic anthology
Comics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
with a horror theme, running from March 24, 1984 until 30 June 1984, published by IPC Magazines
IPC 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 :...
.
With a tagline of "not for the nervous", Scream! was supposedly edited by the fictional Ghastly McNasty, similar to other British comics of the time which laid claim to fictional editors — such as 2000 AD's
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
Tharg the Mighty
Tharg the Mighty
The Mighty Tharg is a recurrent character in science fiction comic 2000 AD, one of only two characters to appear in nearly every issue of the comic...
, Tornado's
Tornado (comic)
Tornado was a short-lived weekly British comic published for 22 issues by IPC Magazines between March 1979 and August 1979. After the cancellations of the Starlord and Action titles IPC launched Tornado as a way to use up stories already commissioned for the other titles. Like Action it was a mixed...
Big E, and Starlord
Starlord
Starlord was a short-lived weekly British science fiction comic published by IPC in 1978 as a sister title to 2000 AD, which had been launched the previous year in anticipation of a science fiction boom surrounding Star Wars....
from the magazine of the same name. Ghastly's face was concealed by a hood
Hood (headgear)
A hood is a kind of headgear that covers most of the head and neck and sometimes the face. They may be worn for protection from the environment, for fashion, as a form of traditional dress or uniform, to prevent the wearer from seeing or to prevent the wearer from being identified.-History and...
, and a regular feature of the comic involved readers sending in drawings of what they believed he looked like.
15 issues were published before the title was cancelled due to a combination of controversy over its horror content, and production strikes at IPC. The cancellation was at such short notice that the final issue's strips contained previews for the next instalment. Scream! was absorbed by Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
, with the two most popular strips continuing in that publication. There were also five Summer Specials released, mostly consisting of reprints of horror-themed stories from IPC's back catalogue.
Stories
Stories included:- The Dracula File - the lead strip, about DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
hunting in 1980's England and occasionally written by Simon FurmanSimon FurmanSimon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
(famous for writing TransformersTransformers universesis an entertainment franchise. It began with the Hasbro Transformers toy line, centered on two factions of warring alien robots which are called the Autobots and the Decepticons...
). - Fiends and Neighbours - a reprint from a more mainstream IPC comic Cor!!Cor!!Cor!!, a British comic book Was launched in June 1970 by IPC , their sixth new comic in just over a year. Cor!! was edited by Bob Paynter....
, about a family of monsters living next door to an ordinary couple. - A Ghastly Tale - one-off strips introduced by Ghastly himself.
- Library of Death - one-off morality tales.
- Monster - serial about a deformed man ('Uncle Terry') who grew up locked in an attic, similar to the Monster of GlamisMonster of GlamisThe Monster of Glamis , sometimes referred to as the Horror of Glamis, was allegedly a deformed member of the Bowes-Lyon family, kept in seclusion in Glamis Castle, Scotland....
. The strip borrowed from the 'gentle monster on the run' archetypeArchetypeAn archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
as espoused by the HulkHulk (comics)The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, as Terry inevitably escaped, tending to murder people he didn't like due to his inhuman strength and lack of social restraint. Notably the script for the first instalment was credited to Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, with subsequent scripts credited to "Rick Clark," a pseudonym of John WagnerJohn WagnerJohn Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
. After Scream! closed Monster continued in EagleEagle (comic)Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
for some years. - The Nightcomers - about a haunted house which killed a husband-and-wife investigator team - their children were drawn to the house to continue the investigation.
- Tales from the Grave - short stories illustrating the depravity of Victorian eraVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - Terror of the Cats - an ill-fated experiment to harness the psychic energy of catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s resulted in local cats becoming enraged and attacking people in a small town. This too was written by Simon Furman. - The Thirteenth FloorThe Thirteenth Floor (comic strip)The Thirteenth Floor was a story originally published in the British horror comic Scream! from March 24, 1984, and also in Eagle when Scream! was absorbed into it. It was written by "Ian Holland", a combined pseudonym of Alan Grant and John Wagner, and drawn by José Ortiz.Originally, The Thirteenth...
- Scream!s most popular strip, concerning a crazed computerCybernetic revoltCybernetic revolt or robot uprising is a scenario in which an artificial intelligence decide that humans are a threat , are inferior, or are oppressors and try to destroy or to enslave them potentially leading to...
. It continued in Eagle for several years after the demise of Scream!. The first 11 episodes were reprinted in Hibernia Books' 2007 collection, 'The Thirteenth Floor'.