During the 1970s and 1980s, Annuals were at their peak, offering a wide selection of titles. These hardback, A4-sized books were highly promoted and usually released in late summer or early autumn for the following year’s Christmas season. The leading publisher of Annuals in 1980 was IPC magazines, particularly under the “A Fleetway Annual” brand, which produced an impressive 60 Annuals every year.
Fleetway found Annuals to be a profitable venture as they sold in large quantities and were cost-effective to produce. These Annuals catered to various genres and age groups, often comprising reprints with a small amount of newly commissioned content. If a title was still ongoing, the Annual was created by the editorial team of that particular publication, while if a title had been discontinued, available staff members would put together the Annual.
However, the popularity of Annuals began to decline in the mid-1980s due to increased competition from television and computer games. 1994 marked the final year of classic hardback Annuals from Fleetway, with only a limited number of titles being published.
| Comic | Files | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 AD | 45 | Annuals from 1978 through to 1989, Sci-Fi specials from 1977 to 1996 and various other specials |
| Battle | 31 | Annuals from 1976 through to 1989 and various holiday specials from 1986 to 1991 |
| Eagle (Original) | 27 | Various yearly annuals from 1951 through to 1975 and a few specials |
| Eagle (Relaunch) | 17 | Annuals/Yearbooks from 1983 to 1992 and holiday specials from 1983 to 1990 |
| Lion | 14 | Annuls raging from 1956 to 1980 and holiday specials from the 60’s and 70’s |
| Roy of the Rovers | 60 | Annuals starting in 1958 and finishing in 2000 and all sorts of specials and compilations. |
| Scorcher | 7 | Annuals from 1972 to 1978 and the holiday special from 1972 |
| Speed | 1 | The Speed annual from 1982 |
| Tiger | 44 | Annuals from 1957 through to 1987 and various specials from 1969 to 1984 |
| Tornado | 2 | The annual from 1980 and the summer special from 1980 |
| TV21 | 4 | Annuals from 1970 to 1973 |
| TV Action | 6 | Annuals from 1972, 1973 and 1974 plus specials from 1971, 1972 and 1973. This title incorporates Countdown. |
| TV Comic | 22 | Annuals from 1954 to 1977 and various holiday specials from 1966 to 1982 |
| TV Tornado | 3 | Annuals from 1968, 1969 and 1971 |
| Various TV Annuals | 22 | Annuals from TV shows such as:- Avengers, Joe 90, Kojak, Star Trek and many more |
| Victor | 15 | The Victor book for boys from 1964 to 1994 and holiday specials from 1968 to 1989 |
| Wildcat | 2 | A couple of holiday specials from 1989 |
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