The Crunch

[pert]

This was apparently DC Thompson's answer to the galaxy's greatest. Did anyone read it?

[hippynumber1]

I have the first issue somewhere. I don't remember a single thing about it! 

[maryanddavid]

More of an Action feel to it rather than 2000AD, decent comic. Bear Alley had recently collected the Arena story from it.

[Fungus]

Never heard of it. Any links?

[Dog Deever]

I got the first three or four issues of the Crunch, before it disappeared from the local newsie and I had to switch to 2000ad (eventually). I remember being really into the comic- I recall drawing the logo out constantly, but curiously remember next to nothing about the stories inside! My mum three my older pre-2000ad comics out when I was a kid so I didn't have the back issues lying around for any real length of time. I'm sure I've seen somewhere on the internet that you can read a couple of the stories online.

[Colin YNWA]

Not a comic I remember at all but some info and covers here.

http://www.comicvine.com/the-crunch/4050-37788/

[newschmoo]

I bought a full run of this 2 years ago off Ebay. It is more Action than 2000ad. Great fun though. Strangely, about a week after getting these I found the free skull badge from issue 3 in a wardrobe at my mum's house!

[Colin YNWA]

More of an Action feel to it rather than 2000AD, decent comic. Bear Alley had recently collected the Arena story from it.

Has anyone read this? I've just stumbled across Bear Alley and they seem to have some really interesting stuff. Don't seem to offer the same value as Hibernia but seem a very good source of long lost British strips.Trouble is they are all strips I've never heard of so want to know if anyone would recommend given the prices? (the other title of particular interest being Frontline UK)

[Silent_Bomber]

Its one of D.C. Thomson's better and less dated adventure comics in my opinion, but it kind of comes across as a pretender to the 2000AD throne at times. It never quite feels like its the real deal, but occasionally gets surprisingly close-ish. An admirable effort.

Some of the strips are straight take offs of popular 2000AD stories, "Plague 2000" for instance feels very much like "The Cursed Earth" in places (and Damnation Alley itself of course), but unlike "Cursed Earth" it doesn't really do much to set itself apart.

I think "Arena" was good for its time. Set in a dystopian "big brother" style future a reporter gets framed by the government because he wrote some anti-authoritarian articles. He ends up dumped in a gladiatorial gameshow where he has to fight for his life (its kind of like the Arnie movie "The Running Man" if anyone has seen it). That story also had some nice artwork from Alcatena who was one of the best artists working for D.C Thomson.

There was Starhawk who was kind of an intergalactic problem-solver with a robot that was vaguely like C3PO who fought against a warmongering alien race. The character lasted quite a while, moving to other comics when Crunch was cancelled.

Other than that there were the usual hard-hitting no-nonsense action hero types, one was an American-Indian Bounty Hunter IIRC.

[maryanddavid]

I haven't got around to ordering Frontline UK yet, but I have Arena, and its a solid read, with the artwork the selling point which is great.
As for the price, its 140 pages, perfect bound, for a small print run its not over priced at all, but with postage its does work out expensive, but well worth it IMO.

There is two articles at the start, one on Alcatena and the other an overview of Arena and the Crunch, both by Steve Holland, these add extra value, Steve knows his stuff.

[SuperSurfer]

I used to read The Crunch. Not sure if I got fed up of it or read it until it was cancelled. Always found the name bit odd for a comic but logo was good. Don't remember anything other than that there was a gladiator type strip (Arena).

The Mighty Thor? Blimey.

[Fungus]

The Mighty Thor? Blimey.

That is ballsy 

[japandroid]

I remember it being comparable to Tornado in quality and memorable for having free gifts in the 1st FOUR issues instead of 3; one of which was some really cool little cars. The Crunch should also be very famous for being the first UK comic to have an ongoing female character in her own series. Ebony being black makes the series even more noteworthy.

[Dash Decent]

The Mighty Thor?

Thor(g) the Mighty?

[JOE SOAP]

Always found the name bit odd for a comic but logo was good.

Probably named after this hit from 1977.