Starburst

Hard to believe that, before Starburst, there really was no way the British sci-fi fan could get news about the kind of films we wanted to see. Sure, there was the occasional Planet Of The Apes puff piece in Look-In, and you could occasionally get an imported copy of Starlog if you were lucky, but never with every kind of regularity.
Star Wars changed all that, with every publisher rushing to put out a cheap tie-in with the same 5 or 6 photos from the film you already had in the Star Wars poster mag (or whatever ).
Starburst was better than that, and became instantly indispensable to fantasy freaks everywhere. It had good writers, great photos and it came out regularly.
And in it's early days, under the editorship of the mighty Dez Skinn, it had comic strips. Brian Lewis was all over it, like that magnificent cover there on the 1st issue.
And this oft-reprinted one page gag:

Not to mention this illo, to go with a Harry Harrison short story:

Then there's Dave Gibbons:

And this guy from the 3rd issue. Yes, it could probably do with another page or so to let the artwork breathe, but man, why didn't Marvel give Chris Baker a Weirdworld series to do? And whatever happened to him?

Here's Jim Starlin with a classic, even more reprinted piece:

And finally, what the hell, howabout a couple of sweet ads for comic shops, courtesy of mssrs. Bolland & Bolton:

Van Helsing's Terror Tales

Van Helsing's Terror Tales was the back-up strip in House Of Hammer, a series of nice little EC style zingers presented by Peter Cushing, and drawn by stars and future stars like, as here, Brian Lewis, Dave Gibbons & Garth's Martin Asbury.
I was never into HOH as much as say, Mark Gatiss, but I always checked it out for the strips, and the breathless reviews of Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Susperia, not to mention no-chance-of-ever-seeing-in this-country grindhouse features like Axe, Rattlers or Squirm.
Plus the mag was around at just about the time BBC2 were filling their late saturday night schedules with horror double bills.
You always got a black & white 'oldie' with a colour Hammer. If you were lucky it was Night Of The Demon & The Devil Rides Out.
If you weren't it was Night Of The Lepus and, I don't know, the Mummy film that doesn't have Valerie Leon in it.
So HOH will always have a fetid place in my heart, as will Van Helsing's Terror Tales. Here's Peter.

One Million Years B.C.

Some more brilliance from the young John Bolton, this time from House Of Hammer, a superb adaptation of perennial BBC2 Saturday afternoon favourite One Million Years B.C. that comes complete with a magnificent Brian Lewis cover.
There's traces of Wrighton, Krenkel and Smith here, even a couple of Frazetta swipes I think. All raw, unpolished stuff and all absolutely wonderful.

Abslom Daak-Dalek Killer

In typical cockeyed BAOB fashion, let's celebrate Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor with a kickin' strip from the early issues of Doctor Who Weekly, detailing the adventures of friendly neighbourhood psychopath Abslom Daak, a character who would've fit right in alongside MACH 1 & Strontium Dog in contemporary issues of 2000AD. He's not likely to pop up on the show any time soon, more's the pity.
Daak's your classic tough-guy / anti-hero with a death wish, a spiritual brother to Snake Plissken or Hell Tanner, and the strip is as suitably two-fisted and macho as Steve Moore can make it, as well as a brilliant early example of Steve Dillon's american styled artwork.
I don't know who first hired Steve to work at Marvel USA, but it must've been the easiest decision in the world, looking at this stuff.