Starlord issue 4, cover art by Carlos Ezquerra, 1978
Starlord was a short-lived science fiction weekly published by IPC in May-October 1978 to capitalise on the success of 2000 AD, launched the previous year. It was edited by Kelvin Gosnell, with Steve MacManus as chief sub-editor. Kevin O'Neill, then 2000 AD art assistant, was asked to be art editor, but he declined, so 2000 AD art editor Janet Shepherd was transferred, and O'Neill became art editor of 2000 AD.
It was planned as a monthly or fortnightly full-colour title with longer stories, aimed at an older readership, but before launch its ambitions were scaled back: stories were shortened, the number of colour pages was reduced, and it was published weekly, albeit with better paper quality and a higher cover price. After 22 issues it was merged into 2000 AD. Both titles' sales were in decline, and Starlord was actually the stronger seller of the two, but 2000 AD had lower production costs, and the economic argument won out. The merged title, featuring the best strips from both, was a much stronger comic and sales picked up.
Stories included:
- Strontium Dog: space western about a mutant bounty hunter by John Wagner (as T. B. Grover) and Carlos Ezquerra. Carried over into 2000 AD after the merger, where it still features.
- Ro-Busters: a robot disaster squad, created by Pat Mills, with characters designed by Kevin O'Neill. Written by Mills and Chris Lowder (as Bill Henry, Jack Adrian), and drawn by Carlos Pino, Dave Gibbons, Ian Kennedy, José Ferrer. Carried over into 2000 AD, where its spin-off, "ABC Warriors", still features
- Mind Wars, by Alan Hebden and Jesus Redondo, followed two psychic teenagers caught up in a galactic war
- Timequake, featuring a tramp steamer skipper reluctantly recruited into Time Control, an agency which fought to prevent anyone tampering with time. Written by Chris Lowder (as Jack Adrian), Ian Mennell, with art by Ian Kennedy, John Cooper, Magallanes Salinas. Had a brief run in 2000 AD.
- Planet of the Damned, a passenger jet vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle and the passengers find themselves on a hostile alien world. A 2000 AD cast-off, written by Pat Mills (as R.E. Wright) and drawn by Horacio Lalia, Jorge Peña, Alfonso Azpiri.
- Holocaust, Carl Hunter, a private detective, discovers a government cover-up of an alien invasion, written by Alan Hebden and drawn by Horacio Lalia, Madiglianes, Luís.
References[]
- Starlord at Barney's Droid Zone
- Watch the Stars - Starlord fansite
