Thunder - Issue 2

So, two copies plop on my mat this morning to add to the collection.

The first is the ever elusive second issue. Didn't come with the Black Max Bat, but at only 3 quid i can live with that.

Its actually a very good copy - nice and tight, no pulling at the staples and little in the way of browning.

Open it up, there's Black Max and, blast, the colour has bled through to the first page, as sometimes happens.

Doesn't prevent reading though, and how interesting it is too. Not got the first issue yet with its Eric Bradbury opening but here in issue two we've got past the introduction of Max and now meet Wilson. He arrives on the scene wet behind the ears with his only concern being his C.O, the brilliantly named "Groucher Gromett". But he's also in a region where airplanes have taken off, never to be seen again... Of course its Max and his - singular - pet Bat. Of note here are the classic lines ("First FEAR to freeze the blood... then DEATH!") and the VERY odd look to the Bat.

Other than that, its quite a weak issue for a second issue, even Adam Eterno dumped in 70's America's not much cop with some pretty duff art, and the only thing of note is the odd two-tone colouring on some of the strips, the most striking being Furys Family seen here.

The brilliance of the Lion and Thunder 1971 Christmas issue.

I got this as i needed to fill in the gaps in my collection and had never read it before.

Cor! What a treat. Not only do you get an excellent cover with most of the characters sitting down to a Christmas meal (no Black Max though. Couldn't he have been "bah! Humbag"ing in though a window?) but MOST OF THE STRIPS ARE SET ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

Can't figure out if that was the intention all year long and the writers were giving the spec in advance to do something for this issue, or the setting was shoehorned in.

Think it must be the former as none are too jarring.

Not all the strips went along with it, but this is how the one's that did went abut it:

"Carson's Cubs" - The team are spending Christmas at the eerie Troll Manor.

"Black Max" - See's the possible end of the giant King Bat by the end of page two. Page three is devoted to Wilson and the rest of 12th Squadron celebrating, with Black max slinking past to look for the remains of his pet.

"Fury's Family" - Set at Christmas. Grateful for this strip as i now know that animal speak for "lion and tiger - pull this cracker" is "Tharrga moorka throol! grikka Marrgg!" Which they then do. Dunno if you can make it out, but the tiger is actually wearing the party hat. Genius!

"Spellbinder" - Jolly japes on Christmas Eve.

"The Spooks Of St Luke's" - A Christmas mail story.

"The Can-Do Kids" - Trouble with Father Christmases.

"Steel Commando" - Set on Christmas day

"Zip Nolan" - A Christmas Eve crime

"Adam Eterno" - My favourite of these. Adam's adventure in 18th century England ends half way into page three. The rest of the tale is given over to him being rewarded with a brilliant Christmas day and it ends with him leaving, as he says, "like a Christmas Spirit". And very Christmas Carol it reads too. And so nice to see the old fella laughing and enjoying himself. Bless.

"Mowser" - Jolly japes on the big day.

Black Max landmark

Issue 26th December 1970 of Thunder and episode 12 of Black Max. Significant in that its here that anyone other than Wilson comes across the Bats and lives - two Allied airmen find Max's plane with the hidden compartment and release the King Bat but manage to flee.

Also have to add the latest "what're the odds eh?" moment from Adam Eterno - he's in the thick of it in WW1 and up against a German officer in hand to hand combat, which shouldn't be a problem but - oh NO! What's this? He's got a solid gold ceremonial sword!

I know i keep harking on about the amount of gold that seems to be everywhere Adam goes (maybe he's in alternative universe where's its as common as steel is in ours) but don't get me wrong - i love the character, the concept and the art (but not in these issues for that last one here).

"Aieeee!" Count: 0

Thunder - 21 November 1970 - uber-barminess from Black Max and Adam Eterno.

Still slack jawed from the madness of this issue.

"Black Max" continues the dog fight between him and Wilson. Wilson is shot down and scrambles out of his plane. What does Max do? Open fire? Land and persue? Get the rest of his squadron to do it for him? No, he signals them all to back off, flies back to his airbase, gets in his bat-carrying palne, flies to his secret base, loads up his King Bat, goes back to where Wilson crashed, Wilson is still there, and sets his Bat on him. Who chases him into a mud filled crater. Thinking if Peter Jackson had made a film of this strip, this plot detail wouldn't feature.

Not quite as barmy as the above is "Adam Eterno". Here he's in the Wild West, up against The Yellowstone Kid, the most ruthless gunslinger around. Adam's cacking it as the Kid just so happens to have solid gold revolvers but - phew - they fire regular bullets. I mean, what're the chances of that eh?

"Aieeee!" Count: 0 for both

Lion and Thunder 24th June 1972

Thanks to the wonder of eBay, i'm ten years old again - postie's just delivered issues of 24 june and 8th/15th july.

So, what's the 24th June like then?

Well, covers pretty crappy. Dunno why they always insisted on a factual front page. Its not as if its like Look and Learn on the inside. Surely they would have upped sales with shots of their heroes plastered there?

First strip inside is Spellbinder. Never read thsi as a nipper, but thought i'd have a go today. Very suprised at the premise - an early 70's tale of a boy's secret friend - a wizard from centuries before. Catweazle anyone?

Skipping over Carsons Cubs we come to a pretty much forgotten tale - "The White Eyes Strike Again!". Coming across with strong echoes of Invaders Of The Body Snatchers and The Midwich Cuckoos, its a tale of a town whose inhabitants and wildlife, after inhaling a gas, turn them into "White Eyes", ferociously strong killers. And led by a typically British Boys Comic named arch crook "Ezra Creech". Not a lot happens in these two pages, and the art is basic at best, but love the cliffhanger shown here - the hero is about to be tipped off the bridge into the river. A British River. Where a Great White Shark awaits. Hmmm...

After another non-read strip, we're into "The Black Max". Chuffed to be able to fill in the gaps on this later tale of Max Kloor. He's junked his Giant Bats and now has an smallish army of Bat People. Once again, Wilson is tracking him down and, once again, no-one believes him. Until this issue that is, as the Bat People attack a British unit in broad daylight. Nice cliffhanger with Wilsons plane ramming into Max's in mid-air. As usual, lovely art.

"The Spider". A classic tale - Return Of The Spider - but i've got it in King Of Crooks so gave it a miss.

Last strip is "Adam Eterno" - and its a classic. Beautifully moody art and one of those bampot bad luck situations the big guy's always finding himself in. He's in 18th century London and on the trail of a criminal leader known as the Black Hood. He tracks him down to a barbers shop where lurks a hooded figure. The figure turns and... its a blummin' great bear wearing a soild gold spiked collar.

GENIUS!

The Black Max - the greatest British character

So lets start with my number one character and, typical of the titles and period i'm on about, the best and most interesting ones are always the bad guys.

He's not interesting character-wise (apart from the bampot notion of aiding Germany in WW1 by using a squadron of giant killer bats. As you do) and really is just there to be thwarted whilst muttering "curses" and suchlike.

No, the reason he gets the vote is the barminess of the idea, along with the most stunning black and white artwork by (mainly) Alfonso Font. A master of the use of black, he created some brilliantly moody art on this strip, along with some excellent military rendidions - but mostly the stunningly eerie character designs for the bats and the Black Max himself, Maximillian Von Kloor.

Alfonso, i salute you.

Why another Blog. An introduction.

To answer that is to delve back to my childhood.
The family maintain i could read before i started school, and it was mainly on DC comics, especially Batman. Don't have any recollection of that - aside from one issue, which i'll come to in due course - but what i have plenty of recollections of are the comics i was reading in the late 60's right up to adulthood (?) in the late 70's.

British Boys Comics.

Yup, every one i could get me grubby mitts on i devoured (except, for some reason i can't fathom, Hotspur). The beauty of them was the diverse range of subjects on offer. If it wasn't a war comic like Battle and Warlord or action like, er, Action, each title would have drama (read and loved), comedy (ditto if it was Leo Baxendale or Ken Reid), mystery (ditto) and sport (avoided like the plague).

A large part of the appeal were the often outlandish set-ups and characters, but mainly it was the fantastic art on offer, with some of the moodiest and downright scary black and white work ever. The love of this style resonates now - to me, British comics should be b/w and never colour.

So, the point of this Blog. With the likes of the Albion mini series and many classic characters turning up in the excellent Jack Staff, i figured there'd be plenty of the sites on the Net springing up to showcase this brilliant back catalogue.
Aside from a couple of nifty sites (which i'll get to in due course), that hasn't really happened.
Feeling an urge to set down what i think of this alternative Britain, i've gone ahead an created this here Blog.

What you're gonna (always "gonna" from now on - we're in the 70's see?) get are my thoughts on my favourite characters and titles. Its a one sided fanboy view, a love letter to 1968 - 1978.

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