What Comics are You Reading at the Moment?

I'm a little limited right now in the British titles I'm reading regularly, myself, but 2000AD and Commando are still on my list, as is Doctor Who Magazine (though of course, it now has only minimal strip content). I also try to pick up Mighty World of Marvel, basically out of a sense of tradition, but have been somewhat disillusioned by Panini's decision to concentrate almost exclusively on newer stories. I cann see the logic in it, but it does tend to make their Collector's Editions fairly redundant from my POV, as I have most of the material already.

Aside from Doctor Who Magazine, the only comics I am reading right now are those girls' titles from the 1970s I'm gradually collecting - Tammy and Jinty.

Not doing too badly either - between 1971 (the first issue) and 1977 I'm only now missing five issues of Tammy, and only two issues of Jinty from the 1975 to 1977 period I've been concentrating on.

Some magnificent serials in there that set firm precedents for the future of British comics - as well as some brilliant artwork from artists such as John Armstrong, Tony Thewenetti, Jose Casanovas and Mario Capaldi.

Most recent highlight I have come across is a 35 week Jinty saga called Fran of the Floods - a sort of junior "Survivors" about a young girl going on a perilous journey across a lawless Britain devastated by severe flooding (the result of global warming!) that has left much of the country underwater. Self-appointed dictators, diseased villages, plagues of rats... they're all present in this 1976 story written for 12 year old girls! And the artwork - by Phil Gascoine - is excellent in its detail and depiction of the desparate scenario faced by Fran and the various characters she meets along the way.

Melkur40 wrote:Aside from Doctor Who Magazine, the only comics I am reading right now are those girls' titles from the 1970s I'm gradually collecting - Tammy and Jinty.

Not doing to badly either - between 1971 (the first issue) and 1977 I'm only now missing five issues of Tammy, and only two issues of Jinty from the 1975 to 1977 period I've been concentrating on.

That's pretty good going, actually-issues of Jinty are rarer than hen's teeth these days, and Tammy only slightly less scarce.

Some magnificent serials in there that set firm precedents for the future of British comics - as well as some brilliant artwork from artists such as John Armstrong, Tony Thewenetti, Jose Casanovas and Mario Capaldi.

I knew Casanovas did a fair bit of work for them, but not Mario Capaldi. I did know he was a frequent contributor to Misty, though (and of course, also succeeded Don Lawrence as the artist on Carrie; a very versatile guy!).

British wise, Judge Dredd Megazine (never into 2000 AD as a weekly, will post in relevant thread later) and about one in four Commandos.

The big disappont in December was the Buster special/compilation that Egmont published -- I saw a few ragged copies in Smiths, failed to find a better one anywhere, and have found none since, in any condition!

Spiff_B wrote:British wise, Judge Dredd Megazine (never into 2000 AD as a weekly, will post in relevant thread later) and about one in four Commandos.

The big disappont in December was the Buster special/compilation that Egmont published -- I saw a few ragged copies in Smiths, failed to find a better one anywhere, and have found none since, in any condition!

I haven't been able to find a single copy of the Buster special, either-it appears to have bypassed Ipswich entirely, and I gather it has been in short supply elsewhere. Moreover, where it has been found many copies seem to have missing pages, duplicated pages or other printing defects. Very poor show all round, I think. And of course, copies are now turning up on ebay priced at about £12 each...

tony ingram wrote:I haven't been able to find a single copy of the Buster special, either-it appears to have bypassed Ipswich entirely, and I gather it has been in short supply elsewhere. Moreover, where it has been found many copies seem to have missing pages, duplicated pages or other printing defects. Very poor show all round, I think. And of course, copies are now turning up on ebay priced at about £12 each...

I would've baulked at £12 anyway, but with defects too...!

I bought Egmont's Roy of the Rovers, Misty and Battle reprints, so it's a shame not to have Buster.

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:I haven't been able to find a single copy of the Buster special, either-it appears to have bypassed Ipswich entirely, and I gather it has been in short supply elsewhere. Moreover, where it has been found many copies seem to have missing pages, duplicated pages or other printing defects. Very poor show all round, I think. And of course, copies are now turning up on ebay priced at about £12 each...

I would've baulked at £12 anyway, but with defects too...!

I bought Egmont's Roy of the Rovers, Misty and Battle reprints, so it's a shame not to have Buster.

I think it's generated quite a few complaints. But unscrupulous traders like that ebay seller (who at one point had five copies up, so he'd clearly cleaned out his local branch of Smiths) haven't helped the situation. One of the drawbacks of the internet age, sadly.

I'm ploughing through my collection of 545 Sparky comics just now! Just reached 1970!!

tony ingram wrote:I think it's generated quite a few complaints. But unscrupulous traders like that ebay seller (who at one point had five copies up, so he'd clearly cleaned out his local branch of Smiths) haven't helped the situation. One of the drawbacks of the internet age, sadly.

Got one today -- lots of copies in Smiths! So the shortage must've been because they withdrew them due to the defects.

Thanks for the heads-up: I shall hie me to the Ipswich branch as soon as we're no longer snowed in...

I don't get to read as much as I'd like too...turns out I'm suppose to socialise or something. Seems a bit tedious to me but Mrs Happyhooker has other ideas.

At the moment I’m working my way through that recent Battle Collection. I’m no fan of 2000AD, except for the early issues, say before prog 600. I do get the odd old UK comic off eBay though. Due to my age I’m entering my second childhood at a rate of knots.

I’m after a complete collection of Jet and Starlord at the moment. I want my Lion Annual 1971 back as well but it doesn’t crop up on eBay often enough.

happyhooker wrote:I don't get to read as much as I'd like too...turns out I'm suppose to socialise or something. Seems a bit tedious to me but Mrs Happyhooker has other ideas.

At the moment I’m working my way through that recent Battle Collection. I’m no fan of 2000AD, except for the early issues, say before prog 600. I do get the odd old UK comic off eBay though. Due to my age I’m entering my second childhood at a rate of knots.

I’m after a complete collection of Jet and Starlord at the moment. I want my Lion Annual 1971 back as well but it doesn’t crop up on eBay often enough.

Star-Lord was a comic I was an avid reader of as a kid. Brilliant title, much better than its 'older brother' 2000AD was at the time! In fact, I doubt 2000AD would have prospered as it did without the influx of new characters from Star-Lord. Johnny alpha, Ro-Jaws & Hammerstein very definitely gave 2000AD it's second wind.

In terms of currently-published comics, i get Commando, Classics From The Comics (when i can find it -_-), Classics Illustrated and 2000AD, in that order of liking-ness. I did get the Megazine too, but it fell too far from the 100 page glory days of 2004 for my liking.

In terms of old comics i'm collecting, pretty much anything pre-1940. Though i'm especially after Union Jack, The Boys' Friend, Chums (because volumes of it are cheap!) and The Captain (same again).

felneymike wrote:In terms of currently-published comics, i get Commando, Classics From The Comics (when i can find it -_-), Classics Illustrated and 2000AD, in that order of liking-ness. I did get the Megazine too, but it fell too far from the 100 page glory days of 2004 for my liking.

In terms of old comics i'm collecting, pretty much anything pre-1940. Though i'm especially after Union Jack, The Boys' Friend, Chums (because volumes of it are cheap!) and The Captain (same again).

I've been tempted to but Classics Illustrated but haven't yet succumbed. It does look like a quality product, though...hmm...

If you ask me the paper is too thick and the colours are a bit too bright and vibrant (there was complaints on, ahem, another forum, that the finer line-work had been lost). The scene in Jane Eyre when she found the hall burned down looked like something from a western! The yellow "grass", orange ruins, the sun beating down from a bright blue sky...

BUT, it is an "adventure" comic with "brains" that doesn't feel the need to talk down to it's readers, by explaining that a "prang" is a crash, or annoy them by saying people will be sent to jail for "100 light years" (the kids reading the comics really shouldn't know more about science than the adults writing them!). I would have loved it as a kid!

felneymike wrote:If you ask me the paper is too thick and the colours are a bit too bright and vibrant (there was complaints on, ahem, another forum, that the finer line-work had been lost). The scene in Jane Eyre when she found the hall burned down looked like something from a western! The yellow "grass", orange ruins, the sun beating down from a bright blue sky...

BUT, it is an "adventure" comic with "brains" that doesn't feel the need to talk down to it's readers, by explaining that a "prang" is a crash, or annoy them by saying people will be sent to jail for "100 light years" (the kids reading the comics really shouldn't know more about science than the adults writing them!). I would have loved it as a kid!

I think I might give it a try.

Speaking of the misuse of scientific terms in sci-fi: I was reading an old issue of Star Wars yesterday, and came across a comment on the letters page to the effect that George Lucas needed to brush up on his astronomical terminology. The writer had taken exception to Han Solo's comment that he completed the Kessell Run 'in 12 parsecs', since a parsec was a measurement of distance rather than time and this was 'equivalent to him saying he'd run a marathon (26 miles) in 100 yards'. If even George can't get it right, what hope is there?

Michael caine mode:

In the original script, it mentions Obi-wan rolling his eyes at "this obvious misinformation", so George did know what he was about.

Nottalottapeople know that!

felneymike wrote:Michael caine mode:

In the original script, it mentions Obi-wan rolling his eyes at "this obvious misinformation", so George did know what he was about.

Nottalottapeople know that!

Seriously? It was a deliberate in-joke? Oh, good on you, George!

tony ingram wrote:I knew Casanovas did a fair bit of work for them, but not Mario Capaldi. I did know he was a frequent contributor to Misty, though (and of course, also succeeded Don Lawrence as the artist on Carrie; a very versatile guy!).

Yes, Mario Capaldi did quite a lot of work for Tammy, though was probably better known for Misty, and especially for his very dark serial Winner Loses All (which is actually downloadable to read from the Misty website).

For Tammy, his serials ranged from pretty standard school based ones - like 1972's Jilly Liar through to period adventure stories like 1976's mammoth 41 week serial Towne in the Country (in which a 19th century vet's daughter goes on a quest across Europe and Africa seeking her missing father) as well as quite spooky supernatural tales like 1975's Glenda's Glossy Pages (about a demonic mail-order catalogue!) and 1976's Secret of the Skulls (a very impressive tale of seventeenth century witchcraft - and which is incidentally part of the Tammy top ten that we submitted for possible use in Crikey!).

Jose Casanovas is my favourite Tammy artist though. The detail of his artwork is quite amazing.

I remember Winner Loses All very well-a terrific strip. Casanovas is an artist I primarily know from his 2000AD work on early strips like the intermittent Max Normal stories. I was very sorry to hear of his death last year. A truly underrated artist.

I forgot to mention Classics From The Comics in my previous post, I buy about 2 issues in 3 of those.

Also, I was just thinking in terms of newly released British comics. Also read several Marvel comics, and I'm also reading runs of Tiger 1978 and Sparky 1975, and the first Judge Anderson reprint volume.

If we're talking old as well as new, I'm currently working my way through a stack of early seventies issues of Buster. I'm also re-reading Bryan Talbot's hardback GN Alice in Sunderland, and seeing a lot in it that I didn't the first time around (I interviewed Bryan recently for a forthcoming issue of Crikey!, and it prompted me to revisit this book. One to watch out for if you haven't seen it, though it's almost impossible to categorise).

tony ingram wrote:If we're talking old as well as new, I'm currently working my way through a stack of early seventies issues of Buster. I'm also re-reading Bryan Talbot's hardback GN Alice in Sunderland, and seeing a lot in it that I didn't the first time around

Jealous of the Busters!

Read about Alice In Sunderland before it's release, haven't got around to buying it.

Never got around to buying The Tale of One Bad Rat either -- which both amusingly and alarmingly, I once spotted in the kids books section of Smiths!

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:If we're talking old as well as new, I'm currently working my way through a stack of early seventies issues of Buster. I'm also re-reading Bryan Talbot's hardback GN Alice in Sunderland, and seeing a lot in it that I didn't the first time around

Jealous of the Busters!

Read about Alice In Sunderland before it's release, haven't got around to buying it.

Never got around to buying The Tale of One Bad Rat either -- which both amusingly and alarmingly, I once spotted in the kids books section of Smiths!

Ah, good old Smiths. They haven't a clue, when it comes to placing anything with strip content. I've seen the Beano racked on the top shelf beside Viz, before now...

I was reading Blue Monday Thrives like us but it's been canned in episodic format and will be released now as a book in 2010.

Hourglass wrote:I was reading Blue Monday Thrives like us but it's been canned in episodic format and will be released now as a book in 2010.

That's a bit of a cheek! What about all the people who were buying it in episodic form and will now have to buy it again?

tony ingram wrote:

Hourglass wrote:I was reading Blue Monday Thrives like us but it's been canned in episodic format and will be released now as a book in 2010.

That's a bit of a cheek! What about all the people who were buying it in episodic form and will now have to buy it again?

I think they wont mind. They only released volume 1 of Thieves like us anyway. Additionally Blue Monday always had a sporadic release schedule making it impossible to know when exactly it was out. I think it will work better this way.

Its probably Heracy to say it here-but i'm re-reading my US original "Strange Tales" issues 134 to 168 (Circa 1965 to 1968) I don't actually like any of the "Nick Fury" strip-No! I bought them for "Dr Strange"

Really love the "Race Against Time" section where Dr Strange has to tackle the collected `Mystics of the World` before the "Living Tribunals" `Sands of Death` run out and the Earth is destroyed!

Ah, the early Dr Strange strips. Has Dormammu turned up yet?

I haven't read any early Doc Strange -- I'll get the first 'Essential' phonebook at some point.

I don't like Nick Fury either -- and especially not Dum Dum ****ing Dugan!!

Spiff_B wrote:I haven't read any early Doc Strange -- I'll get the first 'Essential' phonebook at some point.

I don't like Nick Fury either -- and especially not Dum Dum ****ing Dugan!!

Why the hatred for Dum Dum? He always speaks so highly of you...

Dormammu clashed with "Eternity" in issue 146 (July 66-Ditko's final issue) and `Went Out With a Bang!` The `Living Tribunal` is a pretty powerful fella! He and Nebulos have virtually `wrecked` a planet in their `Tiff!`

I never liked that Living Tribunal guy. He always struck me as two faced...

He was the worst case of `Multiple Personality` I ever saw!

Wasn't he three-faced?

As for Dum Dum: The bowler hat with sergeant badge, cigar, big ginger stache, git of an attitude... Always bugged me. My only 'pet hate' character in all comicdom, I think.

Spiff_B wrote:Wasn't he three-faced?

As for Dum Dum: The bowler hat with sergeant badge, cigar, big ginger stache, git of an attitude... Always bugged me. My only 'pet hate' character in all comicdom, I think.

The world owes Dum Dum Dugan a huge debt-he stopped us being trampled by Godzilla! He's also deeply unlucky, having been killed at least three times so far...

tony ingram wrote:

Spiff_B wrote:Wasn't he three-faced?
As for Dum Dum: The bowler hat with sergeant badge, cigar, big ginger stache, git of an attitude... Always bugged me. My only 'pet hate' character in all comicdom, I think.

The world owes Dum Dum Dugan a huge debt-he stopped us being trampled by Godzilla! He's also deeply unlucky, having been killed at least three times so far...

No, I'm deeply unlucky: they keep bringing him back!!

I had to put up with him last year, when I read the Essential Godzilla 'phonebook', although he's not so much of a prat in that series.

You see? Dum Dum can be tolerable if he's written properly!

Now Jasper Sitwell, on the other hand...

I just cant take Jack Kirby's rampant `Jingoism` in his work on SGT/NICK FURY! He Even wrote a story (in Sgt Fury) where Lord Haw-Haw was killed by the Nazis accidentally! Factual data in WW2 of no concern to him! The dialogue!! Hackneyed to the Nth degree! Could be Stan Lee to blame there though!

A lot of Kirby's work on the `Fury` strips made `Captain Hurricane` seem like total realism in contrast! Kirby had a sort of `John Wayne` fixation with the character which obviously played to a US audience... but overseas?

Erm, it would actually have been Lee who came up with the basic plot outlines there. Jack wouldn't have been responsible for the factual inaccuracy, although he may not have been aware of it when constructing the story. As for the John wayne comparison-yep, fair enough, but then the strip is of its time and was being written for a US audience. Little or no thought would have gone into the question of the overseas audience. American comics, even today, are written primarily for Americans even though we Brits do account for around 10-15% of sales. In one issue of Doug Monench's excellent Master of Kung Fu series from the mid 70s, a series set mostly in Britain, one correspondent complained that Moench and artist Paul Gulacy's version of London looked more like the 19th Century than the mid 20th, full of cobblestones and fog. Moench replied that yes, he knew it was inaccurate, but most of the people he was writing it for had never been to London, would never go to London, and expected it to look like that. I doubt it'll ever change. American audiences are not generally that interested in the accuracy, historical or otherwise, of stories set in other countries.

Very true! look at that film regarding the `Enigma`` code breaker! US inacurracy to a high degree there too!

tony ingram wrote:You see? Dum Dum can be tolerable if he's written properly!

It being the exception, doesn't it mean he's tolerable when written out of character?!

I've just won a good few (22) `Pow` and `Smash & Pow` on E.Bay! Arrived this morning! Highlight has been catching up on `Cloak` eps!

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:You see? Dum Dum can be tolerable if he's written properly!

It being the exception, doesn't it mean he's tolerable when written out of character?!

I think the Godzilla series actually gave him more character rather than writing him out of character. I suspect that Dum Dum's main problem is that he's frequently written as a stereotyped bluff Irish American rather than as a real character.

tony ingram wrote:

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:You see? Dum Dum can be tolerable if he's written properly!

It being the exception, doesn't it mean he's tolerable when written out of character?!

I think the Godzilla series actually gave him more character rather than writing him out of character. I suspect that Dum Dum's main problem is that he's frequently written as a stereotyped bluff Irish American rather than as a real character.

Fury's commandos are a bit of a dodgily conceived bunch anyway! That Dum Dum looks a complete idiot is more than half of my dislike. But anyway...

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:

Spiff_B wrote:

tony ingram wrote:You see? Dum Dum can be tolerable if he's written properly!

It being the exception, doesn't it mean he's tolerable when written out of character?!

I think the Godzilla series actually gave him more character rather than writing him out of character. I suspect that Dum Dum's main problem is that he's frequently written as a stereotyped bluff Irish American rather than as a real character.

Fury's commandos are a bit of a dodgily conceived bunch anyway! That Dum Dum looks a complete idiot is more than half of my dislike. But anyway...

I suspect that the Howlers were based on the same formula as Kirby's earlier Boy Commandos, essentially a collection of stereotypes from different easily identifiable locations. Dum Dum is the Irish guy, Gabe the token black guy, Pinky the equally token English guy, Dino the Italian American, Reb the southerner, Izzy Cohen the New York Jew and Eric the obligatory friendly German (an early attempt to be PC). The actual characters were something of an afterthought, I think. Pinky was the one who always irritated me; OK, he's English, we get it-he doesn't have to carry a bloody umbrella everywhere to prove it!!

tony ingram wrote: Pinky was the one who always irritated me; OK, he's English, we get it-he doesn't have to carry a bloody umbrella everywhere to prove it!!

Ah, English stereotypes! Even today, you see American artists depict modern-day London in a way that looks borderline Victorian.

Us Marvel actually once did a Daredevil story where a 1960s London Court was shown with Victorian dressed `Bobbies` wearing guns in the scene! The complaints to MWOM in 1974 (When it was reprinted in UK) caused grovelling apologies from UK Editors!

Going back to Jack Kirby, I think that he had less knowledge of the world outside the US than the previous incumbent of the Whitehouse! What I didn't like about the few `Nick Fury` stories I `did` complete were his using actual true War events and re-working them!

Kirby must have been a huge fan of the James Stewart /John Wayne film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" `If the legend sells better than the truth-print the legend` (sic) Definatly a `motto` Kirby adhered to!

Four years later....

I finally got around to buying both issues of Marvel's Miracleman reprints, and having read the first was quite impressed by all the extra features and junk. The main story was pretty nifty, too, don't get me wrong, but the extras were really what made it worth the price (especially since you can get the original Eclipse issues for not much more). Now I'm wondering where I can get a collection of those old Mick Anglo stories....

Marvel have actually published several hardback collected editions under the title Marvelman Classic, as well as a six issue limited series titled Marvelman Family's Finest. http://britishcomics.wikia.com/wiki/Marvelman_Family's_Finest