Alfred Harmsworth attacked the penny dreadfuls with all the reckless fervour that he was to later bring to his later and more illustrious crusades, when building his publishing empire.

His first major attack was with the first issue of the Halfpenny Marvel which started on the 11th November 1893. If you take a look at the bottom of this cover, over three years later, you'll see that the attack was still going on.