''Tornado'' was a short-lived weekly

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

comic magazine Comic magazine may refer to: * Comics anthology * ''Comic Magazine'', a 1986 Japanese film * Comic Magazines, the parent company of Quality Comics * Franco-Belgian comics magazines * Japanese manga magazines * A periodical containing comic strips, ...

published for 22 issues by

IPC Magazines TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...

between March

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

and August 1979. After the cancellations of the '' Starlord'' and ''

Action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

'' titles, IPC launched ''Tornado'' as a way to use up stories already commissioned for the other titles. Originally to be called ''Heroes'', like ''Action'' it was a mixed title featuring

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, detective, horror, and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

stories. Its first editor was

Kelvin Gosnell Kelvin Gosnell is a British comics writer and editor. He was involved in the founding of the long-running comic '' 2000 AD'' in 1977, and was its second editor (1977–1978). He also edited '' Starlord'' (1978) and ''Tornado'' (1979). Biography ...

, who was followed by Dave Hunt.''2000 AD'' #2111, 12 December 2018, pp. 30–31 ''Tornado'' was printed on the same low quality newsprint stock used by '' 2000 AD'' and also had five stories of four to six pages per issue. The title also had a "superpowered" editor, like

Tharg Tharg the Mighty or The Mighty One is the fictional editor of the British science fiction comic '' 2000 AD''. The character was introduced on the cover of the first issue in 1977 and is one of only two characters to appear in almost every issue ...

, "Big E," who was portrayed in photo-strips by

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

Stories

Main stories were: * " The Mind of Wolfie Smith" written by

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

, with art by Vanyo, was the story of a young boy whose telepathic and telekinetic powers suddenly emerge, leading him to become a runaway. * "Angry Planet" written by

Alan Hebden Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...

, with art by Massimo Belardinelli, was set in the late 21st century on a Mars that had been made habitable by humans. The story told of the struggle of the first generation of genetic 'martians' to free themselves from exploitation by Earth. * "Wagner's Walk" was a World War II story much in the ''

'' style as the hero is an escaped German POW fleeing the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. * "

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

", written by

Gerry Finley-Day Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of "Rogue Trooper". Career He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the edito ...

with art by Alfonso Azpiri, was the story of a

Nubian Nubian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan. *Nubian people *Nubian languages *Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat * Nubian ibex * , several ships of the Britis ...

galley slave A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley, either a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar (''French'': galérien), or a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to the duty of rowing. In the ancient Mediterranean ...

named Hawk, who rescues his ship from pirates. Granted his freedom and a commission as a Centurion, Hawk forms his own legion out of other slaves who are then treated as a type of " Dirty Dozen". * "Victor Drago" was a pseudonymous revival of

Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications ...

, IPC's long-running fearless detective, written by Bill Henry with art by Mike Dorey. * "The Lawless Touch" was about a thief called Jonny Lawless who is recruited to work for a secret agency.

Publications

As well as 22 regular issues, there were also two Annuals dated 1980 and 1981 (each published at the end of the previous year) and one Summer Special in 1979.

Merger

''Tornado'' was merged with '' 2000 AD'' (at the time titled '' 2000 AD and Starlord'', from a previous merger) with the latter's 127th issue. The only characters to transfer were Blackhawk, Wolfie Smith, and Captain Klep, the star of a one-page comedy strip. Both Blackhawk and Wolfie Smith had their storylines considerably modified to more closely fit the sci-fi tone of ''2000 AD''. Blackhawk was kidnapped by aliens and forced to compete in an outer space gladiators' arena, and the series was taken over by new creators, writer Alan Grant and artist Massimo Belardinelli. Wolfie Smith was menaced by an ancient force under a stone circle. By September 1980, ''2000 AD'' had finished presenting stories with the ''Tornado'' characters, and the last issue titled ''2000 AD and Tornado'' was #177, dated 13 September 1980, which contained the last episode of "Wolfie Smith".

Reprints

"Blackhawk" was collected in a trade paperback in 2014. Two more series, "The Lawless Touch" and "Wagner's Walk", were reprinted in the supplements to the ''

Judge Dredd Megazine ''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One. Content Li ...

'' (#387, 391 and 392) in 2017 and 2018.

Story index

The Angry Planet
Issues: 1–22
Episodes: 22
Pages: 90
Script:

, episodes 1–12, 14, 16–22; Geoffrey Miller 13; unknown 15
Art: Massimo Belardinelli
Cover dates: 24 March 1979 to 18 August 1979 The Mind of Wolfie Smith
Issues: 1–22
Episodes: 22
Pages: 90
Script:

1–11, 15–22; Ken Armstrong 12–14
Art: Vanyo
Dated: 24 March 1979 to 18 August 1979
Note: series continued in ''2000 AD'' #127–134, 136–145, 162–175, 177 Wagner's Walk
Issues: 1–7, 10–19
Episodes: 17
Pages: 68
Script:

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...

1–10, 12–13, 15–17; R. Tufnell 11; M. Wright 14
Art: Lozano 1–7; Mike White 8–17
Dated: 24 March 1979 to 14 July 1979 Victor Drago
''The Terror of Troll Island''
Issues: 1–7
Episodes: 7
Pages: 36
Script: Bill Henry 1–4, 7; Roy Preston 5–6
Art: Mike Dorey
Dated: 24 March 1979 to 5 May 1979 ''The Flask of Doom''
Issues: 8–10
Episodes: 3
Pages: 6
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 12 to 26 May 1979 ''The Horror of the Mummy's Curse''
Issues: 11–13
Episodes: 3
Pages: 6
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 2 to 16 June 1979 ''The China-Town Terror''
Issues: 14–16
Episodes: 3
Pages: 10
Script: F. Pepper
Art: Mike Dorey
Dated: 23 June to 7 July 1979 ''The Killer from Goblin Loch''
Issues: 17–19
Episodes: 3
Pages: 6
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 14 to 28 July 1979 ''Scarlip the Gangster''
Issues: 20–22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 6
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 4 to 18 August 1979 Captain Klep
Issues: 1–7, 9, 12–18, 20, 22
Episodes: 17
Pages: 17
Script: Dave Angus 1–14, 16–17; unknown 15
Art: Kevin O'Neill 1–7, 9–10; Richard Siddall 8; P. Ailey 11, 13, 16–17; J. Henson 12, 14; unknown 15
Dated: 24 March to 18 August 1979
Note: series continued intermittently in ''2000 AD'' #127–159 Tornado's True Tales
''The Tale of Benkei''
Issues: 1–3
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: Steve Moore
Art: Musquera
Dated: 24 March to 7 April 1979 ''Warrior''
Issues: 8–10
Episodes: 3
Pages: 9
Script: B. Burrell
Art: John Richardson
Dated: 12 to 26 May to 1979 ''The Man Behind The Gun''
Issues: 20–22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 9
Script: B. Burrell
Art: Pat Wright
Dated: 4 to 18 August 1979 ''Man Eater''
Issues: 22
Episodes: 1
Pages: 5
Script: B. Burrell
Art: John Richardson
Dated: 18 August 1979 Storm
Issues: 3–15, 17–22
Episodes: 19
Pages: 64
Script: Scott Goodall
Art: Musquera 1–5;

Cam Kennedy Campbell ("Cam") Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper''. Biography Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, ...

6–19
Dated: 7 April to 18 August 1979 Black Hawk
Issues: 4–22
Episodes: 19
Pages: 87
Script:

Art: Alfonso Azpiri
Dated: 14 April to 18 August 1979
Note: series continued in ''2000 AD'' #127–128, 130–161 The Search
Issue: 8
Episodes: 1
Pages: 4
Script: unknown
Art: Massimo Belardinelli
Dated: 12 May 1979 Moon Ghost
Issue: 9
Episodes: 1
Pages: 3
Script: Geoffrey Miller
Art: David Jackson
Dated: 19 May 1979 Big E in Action
''The Spy''
Issue: 9
Episodes: 1
Pages: 1
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 19 May 1979
Note: photo story ''The Intruder''
Issue: 19
Episodes: 1
Pages: 1
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 28 July 1979
Note: photo story ''untitled''
Issue: 20
Episodes: 1
Pages: 1
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 4 August 1979
Note: photo story The Lawless Touch
Issues: 11–14
Episodes: 4
Pages: 19
Script:

Art: Barry Mitchell
Dated: 2 to 23 June 1979 ''The Tornado''
Issues: 15–17
Episodes: 3
Pages: 12
Script: R. Tufnell
Art: John Cooper
Dated: 30 June to 14 July 1979 ''untitled''
Issue: 18
Episodes: 1
Pages: 4
Script:

Art: Barry Mitchell
Dated: 21 July 1979 ''untitled''
Issue: 19
Episodes: 1
Pages: 4
Script: R. Tufnell
Art: John Richardson
Dated: 28 July 1979 ''The Dogs of Death''
Issues: 20–22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 12
Script:

Steve MacManus Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan) is a British comics, comic writer and editor, particularly known for his work at ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''. Biography Born in London and educated in Devon, MacManus joined IPC Media, IPC in ...

Art: Mike White
Dated: 4 to 18 August 1979 The Train Now Arriving at No. 14 Acacia Avenue
Issue: 13
Pages: 1
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 16 June 1979
Note: text story Victor Drago's Black Museum of Villains
''Al Capone''
Issue: 14
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 23 June 1979 ''The Hanging Judge''
Issue: 15
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 30 June 1979 ''Billy the Kid''
Issue: 16
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 7 July 1979 ''Bonnie and Clyde''
Issue: 17
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 14 July 1979 ''Jesse James''
Issue: 18
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 21 July 1979 ''Adolf Hitler''
Issue: 19
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 28 July 1979 ''Jack the Ripper''
Issue: 20
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 4 August 1979 ''Kim Philby''
Issue: 21
Episodes: 1
Pages: 2
Script: unknown
Art: unknown
Dated: 11 August 1979

References

*{{comicbookdb, type=title, id=19893, title=''Tornado''
''Tornado'' at 2000ad.org

External links

1979 comics debuts Magazines established in 1979 Magazines disestablished in 1979 Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct British comics Fleetway and IPC Comics titles