Zoids (Marvel UK Comic)

Spider-Man and Zoids
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Written by	Grant Morrison
Published by	Marvel UK
Chapters	51
Original Run	1986-1987

Zoids (known unofficially within the fandom as the UK Comic) was a tie-in comic produced by Marvel UK to promote the European Zoids model release during the mid 1980s. It was originally printed in the pages of Secret Wars, before being rebranded as Spider-Man and Zoids. As the Battle Story has never been translated into English, it is notable as the first and only Zoids-related fiction available to the English-speaking world until the premiere of the Zoids: New Century anime fifteen years later.

Zoids

*Asterisk denotes a Zoid unique to the comic and not avaliable as a model kit.

Zoids that are introduced in the UK Comic include:

• Spiderzoid
• Trooperzoid
• Hydrazoid
• Giant Zrk
• Mighty Zoidzilla
• Red Horn the Terrible
• Terrazoid
• Great Gorgon
• Mantazoid
• Slitherzoid
• Hellrunner
• Scorpozoid
• Aquazoid
• Spineback
• Serpent Powerzoid
• Zark
• Mammoth the Destroyer
• Krark, Prince of Darkness
• Gore The Lord Protector
• Zaton
• Zunder
• Tank Powerzoid
• Tyrannazoid
• Terrared
• Kroc
• Tarantulon
• Cosmozoid
• Octozoid *
• Leviathan *
• Stegozoid
• Brontozoid
• Z-Ray
• Slime
• Zore
• Hellcat
• Scarab
• Znake
• Zabre
• Red Scavenger
• Meduzoid *
• The Black Zoid *
• Zillon
• Black Rhinos
• Cyberdon
• Dramadon
• Zolkon
• Shield Tiger
• Spinefin
• Zear
• Zarwolf

Response

The Marvel UK Zoids comic is looked back on with some fondness in the older corners of the fandom, who have lauded the series' memorable characters and its dark, gritty tone. However, it's not as popular among most of the newer fans who were raised on the anime, and it has generally been forgotten as an obscure, dusty relic of the 1980s. SciFi author Terry Pratchett panned the series in his 1987 After-Dinner Speech "Alien Christmas", remarking that "while the models are pretty good the storyline behind them is junk, the science fiction equivalent of a McDonalds hamburger." Ouch.