The Marvel Bumper Comic

The Marvel Bumper Comic was a UK comics anthology published by Marvel Comics Ltd starting October 1, 1988. The series ran alongside the weekly The Real Ghostbusters UK comic (also published by Marvel Comics Ltd) and featured Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore as its Ghostbusters cast. A "Bumper Comic" in British publishing refers to a larger-format anthology that collects multiple strips or stories in a single issue, a common product type for UK comics imprints of the 1980s.

Publication history

The Marvel Bumper Comic launched on October 1, 1988, the same date as The Real Ghostbusters UK issue #16. For the first 13 issues, the series appeared on a biweekly schedule, released every two weeks alongside alternating (even-numbered) issues of the weekly Real Ghostbusters title. Beginning with issue #14 (March 25, 1989), the publication shifted to a weekly schedule, after which it was released every week in lockstep with consecutive Real Ghostbusters issues.

The series continued past the 20 issues covered here: cross-references in the companion title It's Wicked! confirm The Marvel Bumper Comic ran at least through issue #31 and beyond. It's Wicked! launched May 20, 1989, and was released concurrently with The Marvel Bumper Comic throughout that title's later run.