Comics - Small Objects of Desire - The Space Spinner
It's hard to entirely sum up the obsessiveness that can creep into any comic reader's life. I suppose it's the same with fans of any type. You start off just enjoying something on a casual basis, something in it really speaks to you, you're hooked and you start to get more involved. Then the TV show/soap/pop star/film/musical/comic isn't enough and you go looking for other things to scratch yout itch. First you might want to have a complete set of your favourite entertainment, then it might be a few innocent trinkets and then... full blown mania. Congratulations, you're now a nutjob.
Which brings us to our small object of desire. The Space Spinner. I'll just say that again.
The Space Spinner...
The Space Spinner is a small piece of red plastic moulded into the form of a flimsy flying saucer. It is by any standards a piece of unpreposing tat. Just another piece of landfill waiting to happen. If you saw one lying in the street, you'd regard it with contempt. If someone tried to sell one to you, you would back away, presuming they were on some new dangerous and addictive drug.
But the Space Spinner is a little bit of magic, made by the goblin of Betelgeuse himself, Tharg. It was the free gift for the first issue of new sicence fiction launched comic in 1977, called 2000AD. 2000AD was destined to be a hit and become one of the most popular and influential comics of all time, inspiring a whole generation.
The choice of free gift didn't enamour itself to title creator and editor Pat Mills, who thought it was too juvenile for the title, but was instead the choice of IPC promotions manager, Peter Lewis. (See Thrill Power Overload by David Bishop)
But for any child of '77 dubious about whether to buy the comic, it is the Space Spinner that would have made the decision for them. Today you can buy a bag of such trinkets with a free comic in any newsagents across the land. But there was a lot less free tat back in the 1970's, and the free gift on a comic made it a tempting proposition for kids and the newsagents themselves.
Undoubtedly within a week, most were chucked away either in the bin or over a neighbour's hedge. For some it might have ended up in the toybox to be rediscovered years later but it's hard to see how it would have being treasured at the time for itself.
But over the years, the Space Spinner (or lack of one) has probably set many a heart a fluttering. It's a thrill-powered relic from an age gone by. I was lucky to buy mine at the recent Inverness Hi-Ex convention where there was a really nice guy selling off his mispent youth, boardgames, roleplaying games and of course, 2000AD's. It's a bit battered, it's been scratched, it's seen a bit of action, but somehow that adds to the appeal for me.
However, it wasn't my first Space Spinner. The first I would have had with the relaunch of the Eagle some 5 years later in 1982. The relaunch of the Eagle was a big deal and garnered a lot of press coverage at the time. On it, was the free gift, a Space Spinner. But Space Spinner technology had moved on. Despite using the same mould, this one, was silver. Ish.
Move forward a mere 20 years and I was about to put out the first issue of Solar Wind, a fanzine comic inspired by classic british comics of the 70's and 80's. I needed a free gift, there could be only one choice, the non-copyright infringing, Solar Saucer.
If you have fond memories of this small object of desire, be sure to let me know.
Happy flying...
Which brings us to our small object of desire. The Space Spinner. I'll just say that again.
The Space Spinner...
The Space Spinner is a small piece of red plastic moulded into the form of a flimsy flying saucer. It is by any standards a piece of unpreposing tat. Just another piece of landfill waiting to happen. If you saw one lying in the street, you'd regard it with contempt. If someone tried to sell one to you, you would back away, presuming they were on some new dangerous and addictive drug.
But the Space Spinner is a little bit of magic, made by the goblin of Betelgeuse himself, Tharg. It was the free gift for the first issue of new sicence fiction launched comic in 1977, called 2000AD. 2000AD was destined to be a hit and become one of the most popular and influential comics of all time, inspiring a whole generation.
The choice of free gift didn't enamour itself to title creator and editor Pat Mills, who thought it was too juvenile for the title, but was instead the choice of IPC promotions manager, Peter Lewis. (See Thrill Power Overload by David Bishop)
But for any child of '77 dubious about whether to buy the comic, it is the Space Spinner that would have made the decision for them. Today you can buy a bag of such trinkets with a free comic in any newsagents across the land. But there was a lot less free tat back in the 1970's, and the free gift on a comic made it a tempting proposition for kids and the newsagents themselves.
Undoubtedly within a week, most were chucked away either in the bin or over a neighbour's hedge. For some it might have ended up in the toybox to be rediscovered years later but it's hard to see how it would have being treasured at the time for itself.
But over the years, the Space Spinner (or lack of one) has probably set many a heart a fluttering. It's a thrill-powered relic from an age gone by. I was lucky to buy mine at the recent Inverness Hi-Ex convention where there was a really nice guy selling off his mispent youth, boardgames, roleplaying games and of course, 2000AD's. It's a bit battered, it's been scratched, it's seen a bit of action, but somehow that adds to the appeal for me.
However, it wasn't my first Space Spinner. The first I would have had with the relaunch of the Eagle some 5 years later in 1982. The relaunch of the Eagle was a big deal and garnered a lot of press coverage at the time. On it, was the free gift, a Space Spinner. But Space Spinner technology had moved on. Despite using the same mould, this one, was silver. Ish.
Move forward a mere 20 years and I was about to put out the first issue of Solar Wind, a fanzine comic inspired by classic british comics of the 70's and 80's. I needed a free gift, there could be only one choice, the non-copyright infringing, Solar Saucer.
If you have fond memories of this small object of desire, be sure to let me know.
Happy flying...
posted by paulvonscott at 8:23 AM
3 Comments:
I never held the Thargian spinner in my tiny child hands, but I did have the Eagle knock-off. Many minutes of leaping about type fun were had before it ended up in a tree. For all I know it may still be there.
I think given the choice I'd rather have had a Doomlord mask, really.
Well, that's a fitting send off for a space spinner. A few moments of joy before it went to it's tree-based Valhalla.
As for a Doomlord mask, its still on my list of things that must be had...
Oh god yes. Doomlord mask - MUST HAVE. I didn;'t pick up Eagle until Issue 2 with the adhesive badge made of what looked like steel to my young eyes, until it bent in two. The space spinner came later, picking it up in a second hand market.
I got another at a charity shop last year. Eagle circa 1985 (no photo strip thicker non-glossy paper) I took it to the UK Web and Mini Comix Thing last year. Tested it at Wetherspoons and accidentally cracked a boy's elbow.
So yis gave them away as free gifts with Solar Wind ? I did not hear about that, and that is impressive. Well done !
How do you fancy reviewing my new pdf comic on your blog ?
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