Overall Favourite British Comics Character

by **tony ingram** Wed Jun 22, 2011 6:41 pm

Just because there are similar polls running in the American comics section: who is your personal favourite British comics character, and why? There's a poll, but feel free to disregard it and pick one of the thousands not mentioned...

I'm going to cheat, and put Captain Britain again.
The more observant may have noticed I'm slightly obsessed with Captain Britain...

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Img044

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Img044

by alanultron5 Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:32 pm

My all time UK comic favourite character is Sparky comics "I. Spy" who ran from 1969 to 1976 in that comic!

by **tony ingram** Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:43 pm

alanultron5 wrote:My all time UK comic favourite character is Sparky comics "I. Spy" who ran from 1969 to 1976 in that comic!

Possibly the second most unsurprising post on the forum-right after mine, above! Wink

by alanultron5 Wed Jul 06, 2011 2:47 pm

Anyone who knows me (As Tony does) knows i'm a massive `I. Spy` (Sparky) fan. Mind you! It was touch and go between him and `Duke the Stupe` when I was choosing!

by Phil Friel Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:42 pm

For me it has to be the Alan Moore/Garry Leach resurrected version of Marvelman, although it's neck-and-neck with the original Frank Hampson Dan Dare (wasn't fussed on the later versions, though).

by **tony ingram** Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:45 pm

Oh, I quite liked the 2000AD version of Dan. There was a great little strip in 2000AD #500 in which an embittered, drunk Dare tries to kill Tharg for ruining his life and reputation! Razz

by Phil Friel Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:17 am

You're nearly ten years younger than me, so it's only natural that the 2000AD version of Dan Dare would appeal to you. For older folks like me, who were fans of the original Dan Dare, the 2000AD version was an imposter, nothing remotely like the 'real' Dan Dare. Heck, he didn't even look like him. It's the original all the way for me.

And as for the poll, where's Adam Eterno? Tim Kelly (Kelly's Eye)? Robot Archie? The Spider? Captain Hurricane? Grimly Fiendish? The list goes on and on... You could've made this a Top 20 and you still wouldn't have been able to fit most of my favourites on there. 'Others' doesn't adequately describe that lot. Smile

by **tony ingram** Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:06 am

I know-but the poll facility only allows ten options! With several thousand characters to choose from, from Ally Sloper to Zenith, it was pretty much inevitable that whoever was included, no-one would be happy!

by alanultron5 Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:28 am

Of purely `fun` characters, Dandy's `Smasher` was a big favourite of mine! I always found him more `dynamic` than `Dennis the Menace`

The big difference between the two was Dennis-apart from beating Walter up in the pre 1970s era `NEVER` ever got into fights!! `Smasher` often battled toughs/bullies etc! He was always scrapping!

Favourite characters in `adventure` strips- I did like Sparky's `Willy the Woeful Wizard` a lot!

My favourite adventure strip villians were Dandy's `Larry the Lump` and `Duke the Stupe` from the 1963 "Joe White and the Seven Dwarfs` strip! `Duke` especially was one of the greatest comic villians ever for me!

There was an older lad on our street (back in `63`) who looked just like `Duke` and us younger `un's would call him "Duke" which he knew what it meant and he'd chase us just like Dandy's `Duke` uttering curses unrepeatable on this forum!

by **tony ingram** Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:24 am

The Smasher! Oh, that was a great strip-haven't thought about it for years! I also liked Dirty Dick, from around the same period...

by alanultron5 Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:13 pm

I never twigged till years later that `Dirty Dick` and the `Winker Watson` strip were drawn by the same artist!

Wouldn't it be great to start a "Duke the Stupe " appreciation socirty? No? You're probably right!

by **tony ingram** Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:25 pm

Only if I can have a Bing Bang Benny Appreciation Society.

by alanultron5 Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:34 pm

Indeed you can Tony! Ken Reid really got into his stride with BBB!

by **tony ingram** Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:37 pm

Benny is probably not one of Reid's best known characters but, along with Ali Ha-Ha & the Forty Thieves, he's one of my favourites. Everybody seems to point to Jonah, Frankie or Faceache as being the classic Reid characters, but I think he did some of his best work for the Dandy.

by alanultron5 Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:44 pm

I certainly loved Ken's time on the `Big Head and Thick Head` strip! Do you recall his final work at the Beano Tony? He followed Jonah with Jonah's sister `Jinx` who actually, very much looked like a twin of Dandy's `Bighead`

by **tony ingram** Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:49 pm

I do! That was a good period for the DCT titles overall, I think...

by Steel Claw Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:02 pm

Predictable as it may appear from my username, the Steel Claw for sheer originality and the wonderful artwork of Jesus Blanco was and is my personal favourite ( can we forget his superhero phase ! )
The strip seemed to encapsulate everything I enjoy about action/adventure stories

by **tony ingram** Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:34 pm

Steel Claw wrote:Predictable as it may appear from my username, the Steel Claw for sheer originality and the wonderful artwork of Jesus Blanco was and is my personal favourite ( can we forget his superhero phase ! )

What superhero phase?

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Steel_claw

by Sam_Vimes Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:42 am

Judge Dredd. But only as portrayed by Stallone.

. . .I'm kidding, of course. But the shameful truth of the matter is that I only ever looked into Dredd's comics because of that movie. I guess it was good for something. . . .

by **tony ingram** Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:46 am

Sam_Vimes wrote:Judge Dredd. But only as portrayed by Stallone.

. . .I'm kidding, of course. But the shameful truth of the matter is that I only ever looked into Dredd's comics because of that movie. I guess it was good for something. . . .

I suspect it had the opposite effect on a lot of potential readers...

What do you think of the upcoming new version? From the information released so far, it looks promising, I think.

by Sam_Vimes Fri Mar 16, 2012 8:27 am

Well, I like the pictures I've seen, and Karl Urban has been quite good in everything I've seen him in ("Doom", "RED" and "Star Trek" specifically), so I'm definitely hopeful. I just hope they remember not to play the satire straight. They seem to have forgotten that in the other one, which was its most glaring problem. Well, no, maybe the catchphrases were ("I AM the law!"; "I knew you'd say that"). No, maybe it was Stallone. Or was it Schneider. . .?

Oh yeah, it was pretty much everything. Here's hoping for a good reboot!

by **tony ingram** Fri Mar 16, 2012 8:40 am

Stallone apparently complained when reading the script "where are the Jokes? It's a comic book, it's meant to be funny", which is actually not that far off, but in Dredd's case probably not in the way that he meant.

by Liz R Thu May 02, 2013 5:05 am

Dan Dare pips Judge Dredd for me. A more rounded character, I'm ignoring what my otherwise beloved Frank Bellamy did to him (how could he?) and as for that thing a few years back with Professor Peabody's funeral and so on - what WAS that, anyway?

Ps - no Buster Gonad? bounce

by **tony ingram** Thu May 02, 2013 5:57 pm

Thing about Dare is, there have been so many different versions by now and almost every new generation that grew up with one of them thinks theirs is better or more legitimate than the rest. Sadly, my Dan Dare was the Dave Gibbons drawn (not that that's a bad thing) version from 2000AD, knocking around with a crew of criminals and then going all superhero with Eternicus the Cosmic Claw. You can perhaps understand why I preferred Dredd...

by Liz R Thu May 02, 2013 11:00 pm

I meant the original DD, as drawn (some of the time) by Frank Hampson. I have no truck with later, and by the sound of it lesser versions.

Likewise I judged Dredd on his early appearances - the Cursed Earth, Judge Death, Judge Cal, etc - I don't know whether he's since gone all liberal or something. I'm afraid I've hardly picked up a comic since about 1990, so that's all I have to go on. I can quite understand if that effectively invalidates me from the discussion, and will withdraw into contemplative silence.

by **tony ingram** Fri May 03, 2013 12:23 am

Oh, I don't think it invalidates you from the discussion-and you will no doubt be pleased to know that Joe Dredd is still about as liberal as Genghis Khan (but with less charm). Razz

by karatattoo Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:05 am

Captain Britain, mainly because apart from Judge Dredd, I'm just not that familiar with British comics characters.

by **tony ingram** Sun Jun 22, 2014 7:33 am

karatattoo wrote:Captain Britain, mainly because apart from Judge Dredd, I'm just not that familiar with British comics characters.

Actually, I'm always amazed at how many Americans know Dredd!

by karatattoo Sun Jun 22, 2014 6:21 pm

I tried reading Judge Dredd many years ago, but I'm just a fan of nihilistic dystopias. I don't mind an occasional foray into this kind of story, such as the "Days of Future Past" X-Men story from the 1970s, but I don't want to read stories that are permanently set there.

by Lucy Ingram Sun Jun 22, 2014 6:28 pm

But there's a lot of humour (trans.= humor) in it too.

by **tony ingram** Sun Jun 22, 2014 6:49 pm

karatattoo wrote:I tried reading Judge Dredd many years ago, but I'm just a fan of nihilistic dystopias. I don't mind an occasional foray into this kind of story, such as the "Days of Future Past" X-Men story from the 1970s, but I don't want to read stories that are permanently set there.

I'd question that description of Dredd. I think it's often far more than that. There's an underlying element of satirical humour in Dredd which I think is a huge part of its appeal.

by **tony ingram** Sun Jun 22, 2014 6:50 pm

Lucy McGough wrote:But there's a lot of humour (trans.= humor) in it too.

Oops, sorry. You got there before me... Embarassed

by Lucy Ingram Sun Jun 22, 2014 9:27 pm

Nah, reiteration adds emphasis.

by karatattoo Sun Jun 22, 2014 11:14 pm

Well now, it has been many, many years since I read any Judge Dredd. My description of it is really all I remember of it.

Humour? Y'all spell words all funny 'n' stuff.

Y'all also drive on the wrong side of the road!!!

An' just what is haggis anyway?

by Lucy Ingram Sun Jun 22, 2014 11:32 pm

Sheep's stomach fled with meaty bits. I'm English, so ask Tony. He has Scottish ancestors who played the bagpipes and were covered in woad.

by karatattoo Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:13 am

Lucy McGough wrote:Sheep's stomach fled with meaty bits. I'm English, so ask Tony. He has Scottish ancestors who played the bagpipes and were covered in woad.

Hmmm... a Scot living in England.

That must be a terrible burden for Tony. Razz

by MajorHoy Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:32 am

tony ingram wrote:
karatattoo wrote:Captain Britain, mainly because apart from Judge Dredd, I'm just not that familiar with British comics characters.
Actually, I'm always amazed at how many Americans know Dredd!

There were several attempts to get some of the 2000 AD characters in comic books sold here "across the pond" in the 1980s . . . in addition to Dredd and Anderson, there were Sam Slade: Robo-Hunter; Rogue Trooper (who IDW was bringing back in new material recently); Nemesis; and a few others scattered throughout different anthology books.

Plus, don't forget, DC did put out some Judge Dredd material (and even had him meet up with Batman).

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Batman_Judge_Dredd_Judgement_on_Gotham_cover

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Batman_Judge_Dredd_Judgement_on_Gotham_cover

By the way, do any of the Marvel UK books like Death's Head and Dragon's Claws count as "British Comics Characters"?

by **tony ingram** Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:27 am

Well, given that they were created in Britain by British creators for a British based publisher (Marvel UK being a subsidiary of Marvel based in London) I'd have to say yes. Death's Head, Dragon's Claws, the Knights of Pendragon, Dark Angel and all those who followed in that line were very definitely British characters to begin with, as were earlier ones like Night Raven and the Special Executive. Oddly, the one significant Marvel UK character who was actually created in America was Captain Britain, even though his early adventures were never sold in America, but instead aimed solely at the British market.

by alanultron5 Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:20 pm

I also very much liked Reid's "Dare a Day davy"

by **tony ingram** Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:12 pm

alanultron5 wrote:I also very much liked Reid's "Dare a Day davy"

I liked pretty much all of Reid's work, particularly at IPC. I think my favourite work of his, though, was not a strip, but the wonderful back cover pin-ups he did for Shiver & Shake and Whoopee! Creepy Creations, Wanted Posters and World Wide Weirdies were all wonderful.

by MajorHoy Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:34 am

Lucy McGough wrote:Sheep's stomach fled with meaty bits. I'm English, so ask Tony. He has Scottish ancestors who played the bagpipes and were covered in woad.

By the way, I thought "woad" was what happened if you were able to stop a horse.

(Either that, or it's how Elmer Fudd would pronounce "Abbey Road".)

by MajorHoy Thu May 31, 2018 2:38 am

At the moment, it looks like a tie between "Dan Dare (any incarnation)" and "Captain Britain" who have three votes each.

(Four years later and I still can't decide, though it would most likely be one of the various characters that would qualify as "Other", like maybe Big Ben.)

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Warrio10

But then there are oh so many other possibilities, too . . .

by **tony ingram** Thu May 31, 2018 2:41 pm

Still surprised at the lack of votes for Dredd, TBH.

by Lucy Ingram Sat Jun 09, 2018 12:05 pm

Okay, okay, I get the hint...

Wink

by **tony ingram** Sat Jun 09, 2018 12:13 pm

Thank you for doing your duty, citizen. Overall Favourite British Comics Character 20996

by Lucy Ingram Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:34 am

Yay!

by MajorHoy Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:08 pm

tony ingram wrote:Still surprised at the lack of votes for Dredd, TBH.

Y'know, I may be about seven years late with this suggestion, but maybe you shouldn't have included Captain Britain on this poll.

After all, you could have made a second thread/poll devoted just to the Marvel UK characters like Black Axe, Captain Britain, Death's Head, Hell's Angel/Dark Angel, Motormouth, Night Raven, etc.
(And you could have then voted for Judge Dredd if you really wanted to.)

by **tony ingram** Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:14 pm

MajorHoy wrote:
tony ingram wrote:Still surprised at the lack of votes for Dredd, TBH.
Y'know, I may be about seven years late with this suggestion, but maybe you shouldn't have included Captain Britain on this poll.

After all, you could have made a second thread/poll devoted just to the Marvel UK characters like Black Axe, Captain Britain, Death's Head, Hell's Angel/Dark Angel, Motormouth, Night Raven, etc.
(And you could have then voted for Judge Dredd if you really wanted to.)

I think leaving the Captain out might actually count as treason...

by MajorHoy Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:37 pm

tony ingram wrote:
MajorHoy wrote:
tony ingram wrote:Still surprised at the lack of votes for Dredd, TBH.
Y'know, I may be about seven years late with this suggestion, but maybe you shouldn't have included Captain Britain on this poll.

After all, you could have made a second thread/poll devoted just to the Marvel UK characters like Black Axe, Captain Britain, Death's Head, Hell's Angel/Dark Angel, Motormouth, Night Raven, etc.
(And you could have then voted for Judge Dredd if you really wanted to.)
I think leaving the Captain out might actually count as treason...

Overall Favourite British Comics Character Fight-fight-fight-clash-o-thcaptains-poster

by Barry_Allen Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:00 pm

And, after all these years, Dan Dare (the classic incarnation, I'd say) finally won! Very Happy

Overall Favourite British Comics Character 1f60b

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