Starlord #3

Mentioning the galactic freedom fighters weekly journal to us mere Earthlings back in that Battle post gave me a taste to have a wee revisit.
So here we have issue 3, cover dated 27th May 1978 and sporting an excellent Kevin O'Neil battle scene, highly reminiscent of the Chris Foss/Peter Elson etc SF paperback covers of the time. Except, where they did theirs with an airbrush, Kev is all line work. And might fine fine linework it is too. The details just amazing, especially on the pilots outfit and cockpit. Does this still exist? Would love to have it.
Turn the page and we have "Planet Of The Damned", in my mind a rather over-looked tale. It may be highly derivitive (especially of Hammers "Lost Continent") and, of course, once they get back the tales done, but on the way it was a lot of fun. Quite nasty too - really get the feeling it'd have fit into Action no probs.
The arts what makes it. Lovely work from Azpiri - guessing out of the Spanish studios - with some nice gross designs, and here we have the acid spitting aliens.
What's curious is the use of grey in this strip. It doesn't look like the regular Letratone used for shading, more like the strip is coloured but printed in black and white.
Which beggars the question - was the original in colour, does it still exist, and what's the chances of it being reprinted?

Next up, "Ro-Busters". My favourite back then but, as with most strips of the time, it wasn't anything to do with the characters - it was the robots, the ships and the weapons that had all the appeal. A good case is here in this excellent double spread from Dave Gibbons - would've killed for a Preying Mantis model kit.

Another example of this is next in "Strontium Dog". The appeal of it was Alpha's weapons and that we got Star Wars type ships and battles every week. Here we have a classic example of Carlos Ezquerras brilliant, off-beat, simple looking spaceship designs that aren't really. I've tried making ships with this mass of panel lines and detail but what Carlos makes look so easy to do is blummin' difficult to recreate.

We have the start of "Mind Wars" next, which is a pretty slow start, saved by Redondo's excellent art.

Finally we've got "Timequake", another strip screaming out for a graphic novel treatment. Dredger, sorry, Blocker - has to go back in time to fight an earlier version of himself to prevent a future nuclear war. Nice, easy, action-packed stuff with stunning work by (said it before and i'll say it again) the crimingly over-looked Ian Kennedy.
What i said before about "Planet" looking like it was in colour but printed B/W is true here as we have the first pages looking like this with the last page in colour.

Summing up, only issue 3 but most strips have settled in nicely and there's a neat mix of different tales, a deliberate move to enable us kids to train up to join Starlords army.
"AIEEEE" WATCH:
A drawn out "Aaaieeeee" from a guy in "Planet" - but, as he's being dissolved by acid, guess we can allow that.

The last ever Black Max?

Reading Lion & Thunder from the 21st October 1972 and i think i'm seeing the last ever episode of The Black Max.
On page 4 we have an ad for the following weeks issue featuring "Secret Of The Demon Dwarf", which is the spin-off series featuring the stunted scientist.
Which is making me think when, in his strip, Black Max is pursued and picked up by one of his Bats, with all the indications that he's about to be eaten, it really is the end for the fella.
Which would be a shame and really rather ainti-climatic if its true.

Battle Action - 17 June 1978

I'd given up on this title by this point, much preferring to get my thrills through SF, what with Star Wars out only the year before, Who and Blakes 7 on the telly and, in print, 2000AD and the recently launched Starlord.
I know i came back to it though with the launch of "Charlies War" but this period is completely unknown to me.
So lets see what we've got.
"Johnny Red" i never really cared for, finding him a bit wet and whingy. Which he is here. But, as back then, its the artwork which is of note and, boy, does Joe deliver. Every bit as good as the work he'll go on to do with "Charlies", its got his trademark attention to detail, brilliantly executed action scenes, and interesting use of panelwork. Love this widescreen one at the bottom of the page, conveying even more speed to Johhny's Hurricane.
Mike Dorey takes a turn on "Hellman" and its yet another oddball idea - he and his tank hiding in a zoo's cage to ambush the Russians who've come along to shoot the animals for grub.
"Spinball Wars" is pretty apallaling, a VERY wattered down version of what it had been. Ditto "Dredger" who turns up later on.
"Rat Pack" has lovely, moody art from Eric Bradbury, which totally out-classes the story its telling - the team break in to their old prison to capture their old governer, take him to Belgium and swop him for a scientist the Germans have captured, who looks just like him. Straight away the Germans spot he's not the real deal. So why bother?
Last up is "The Sarge", a ho hum tale notable only for Mike Westerns stunning art.
Summing up, a good issue worth having the art - and that's it.
"AIEEEE Watch":
Quite a haul this time:
A variation of "Ahieeeeegh!" from inside a blown up tank in "Johnny Red".
"Hellman" has two - an extended "Aieeeeeeeee!" and a one e too many "Aieeeee!"
And THREE "Aieeeeeee"'s in "The Sarge"

The return of Rogue Trooper

Am finding the Prog a bit of a slog at the moment. Apart from the wonderful Defoe, it really isn't floating me boat at all, with all the strips seeming to be treading water and no thrills at all.
Did sit up and take note today though at this ad.
Rogue arrived just outside my '78 limit, but the strip could've easily fitted in the first issues in my opinion, what with its outlandish and really rather silly premise.
Wasn't a great fan of the character but really enjoyed the strip for its art and design-work - especially by the likes of Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and, especially, Cam Kennedy.
So am knocked out by this single image by the really rather excellent Staz Johnson, who seems to have gone back to the roots for his take on the fella.
And, teamed up with original writer Gerry Finley-Day, am hoping for unfeasiably huge tanks trundling across the battlefront, dosing out outlandish weaponry.

First shot of the new Dredd

Coming courtesy of the 2000AD site, here we are with Karl as the main man.
Its just the first pic but, from what we have, it looks like they're going with a 70's version of ol' Chinface, what with the rounded shoulder pad.
Which is a bold, unexpected, though nice move.
Of course its very early days yet but, from a purely visual point of view, must say i prefer some of the fan made costumes as seen here in pic 2.

Star Wars Weekly

The question is: Does this constitute a British comic? Sure, the main strip is from the US, with backup material also from the States, but it was produced weekly by Marvel UK, had each strip especially cut up into chunks, with new covers and, much later, original UK material.
For those reasons, i'm gonna give it a mention.
LOVED it when it first came out as, back then in '78, the weekly was the only way of getting new Star Wars material.
Odd as it may have been.
Leaving aside the 6 foot green Bugs Bunny and other bizarro notions, the main draw for me, aside what it was based on, was the work of Carmine Infantino.
Its kinda nice that the artist that was giving me my first superhero thrills back in '66 with Batman was now giving the 16 year-old me my SF thrills.
Looking back on it now, there's two things to note:

(1) How brilliant he was with the hardware, despite must not having very few refererence shots - the Y Wing is pretty much spot on, and how he uses them - those speed lines on the Falcon just scream speed don't they?
(2) The up and down of likenesses. While he never quite nailed the Stormtroopers and his Luke is just plain weird, what with the elfen eyes and Farrah Fawcett hair, his Leia is drop dead gorgeous, even with those silly buns.
Carmine, i salute you.
Another things to mention is:
I was going to buy the Dark Horse collection of these early stories, all ready to buy, flick through and... they're in colour.
Having years and years and years of pouring over these strips in black and white, it just doesn't look right AT ALL to have them in colour. That's how they were meant to be but guess, and this applies to all 60's Marvel strips too, i was so used to them being in b/w that anything else isn't right.
And. comparing the two, i'd rather go this way. You can see the penwork much better and guessing too that someone at Marvel UK applied the Letratone shading, which added for a much moodier and effective look.
Incidently, while i much prefer the 60's Marvel strips in b/w as that's how i was introduced to them in Mighty World Of Marvel et all, the same can't be said of DC. I only knew them from the full colour imports, so to flick through one of their Showcase collections with the likes of the Flash and Batman in monochrome just looks wrong.

Got me some Kev Walker

Just got this and figure i can include it here as Hammerstien, Rojaws and Walter the wobot all first appeared before its July '78 cut-off date.
As usual, top work from the Walker Droid, very small for such a detailed piece, and here it is as it appeared in print.
Think i said this before, but, looking at his b/w, precoloured work, Kev is right up there in my opinion of artists carrying on the fine linework of artists from the 60's and 70's.
In fact, if i won the Lottery, it'd be great to commission him to redraw the whole of Prog 1.
Lets check me ticket

Bullet Number 2 - still ok

Here we are at Issue 2, one i remember only for the free wallet, which was a really flimsy red plastic - little tougher than those red fish you used to get in Christmas crackers that curled up in the palm of your hand if you were lying.

Anyway, turn the page and we're into some lovely Ian Kennedy art on "Smasher". Ian's rightly acknowleged for his stunning war artwork, but his SF work seems to always be over-looked. Here, his style is very similar to what he'll be doing a coupla years later on "Timecrash" over in Starlord, and is very nice indeed.
Shame the tale isn't up to it - Smasher blows up Red and Ferrets boat, knocks over the Golden Gate Bridge and kicks a tank. And that's it. The blurb says Doctor Doom is "power mad" but we've not seen anything so far in the way of giving ultimatums. If this was a strip from even just 3 years before, we'd have had that by page 3 of the first issue i reckon.

What else do we have? "Survivor" has Dick struggling to stay alive up that mountain, "Twisty" continues the off the rails kid making good and "3 Men In A Jeep" is still the comics take on Rat Pack. Both really dull.

"Fireball" was fun though and a good example of how stories could still whizz along, packing a lot in a short amount of space (unlike "Smasher").
By page 2 we've seen the hardman "trying to knock the stuffing out of "Katsoo", get a new mission and start off for Dover.
By page 4 he's missed the ferry, nicked a mates boat, crossed the channel, bought a bike and caught up with the train the kid he's trying to rescue is on.
Three more pages of pretty good action follows, leaving Fireball to neatly finish things off and end on: "I've got a power-boat waiting for me at Calais and its full speed back home to finish my duel with Katsoo!".
And with a thumbs up to us kids, he's off.

Two more things of note - "Wonder Mann" is a curious M.A.C.H 1 derivitive, who seems to use his computer agumented powers to battle bullies and be good at sport, while the back page shows us Issue 3's free gifts. And i remember those planes well - soapy plastic with propellers that fell off with the slightest suggestion of a breeze on them.

"AIEEEE" Watch: Still looking like its an IPC exclamation.

El Mestizo

For this next instalment, thought i'd go and take another look at a rather overlooked Ezquerra character - El Mestizo.
Right up till now i know him for (A) Being the project Carlos reputedly turned to after getting miffed that his work on Judge Dredd wasn't in the first few issues of 2000AD (true?) (B) A strip i didn't really care for back in the summer of '77, much prefering the Stukas, Panzers and Hurricane's of the European WW2 adventures of Johnny Red, Rat Pack et al.
So, dig out the guys first issue of 4 June 1977, and what do i think?
First up, excellent art from Carlos. Its only a couple of years from his rather crude work on Rat Pack but, by now, he's really developed a style, one which pretty much remains unchanged to this day.
Second is, again, how (A) so much story can be contained in a stand alone 4 page (!) strip, (B) How much maturity us Sprogs of the 70's were trusted with. Here we have the second only panel and the first ever dialogue. And what a shocking example of racism we have presented to us kids: "Whites only in here boy... So ah guess ahm jest goin' to have to teach you a lesson for forgetting your manners".
I mean, really. Here we have in this day and age the likes of Clint setting out to shock by seeing how far the envelope can be pushed but, week in and week out, comics in the 70's were giving up really rather graphic and adult themes in the guise of childrens comics for the price of 8p.
And no-one batted an eyelid nor were corrupted by it.
How things change.
Anyway, we get the classic come-back from the hero: "Take care fat man. People who try teaching me lessons end up face down!"
Now here's the thing. I've always remembered the fella as being Mexican, but guess that's down to being Mexico set and the name. He's actually a black slave set free to become a bounty hunter. And comes across as a very chatty Man With No name, maybe a riff on Ezquerra's very similar character - Major Eazy.
Anyway, a stonking first issue that, in the space of just four pages, sets out just what its like during the American Civil War, just who this new guy is, and what's in store for us readers.
Don't mean to run down writer Alan Hebden at all, but the enjoyment of this first episode, you'd think it was the Wagner/Mills team firing on all cylinders.
A great start, and one i'll pursue soon.

Bullet Number 1 - a memory cheat?

So, finally, FINALLY, a proper update here. Should have been about a month ago but the package of 1 and 2 of this title vanished after being sent to me - then finally ended back up at the seller...
Oh well, they're here now so lets get on with it shall we?
I know i bought at least the first few issues of Bullet, as i did with all new tiles, as i was really after the free gifts. When they ran out i kept with it if the stories engaged me enough and i could divert my pocket money to them rather than a quarter of sweets or the latest bubblegum cards.
Guess was pretty usual?
Anyway, as i say, i know i had the free gift issues at least, but haven't re-read any of them since 1976 - so, will memory cheat?
First up is Pic 1 and the cover. Two things to mention here. One is the very sparten use of colour - usually red to accompany the black and white. As a 14 year old i thought it looked cheap, and still do now. Other thing is the ring free gift. Remember it well, and how the skull and crossbones sticker on the cover here was by far the best to use.
Turn the cover and first strip is "Smasher" - a whacking great robot controled by Doctor Doom, who seems content to have it just destroy stuff, with no word yet of how he built such a titan nor what he expects to get from duffing up a non-existant country. Quite fun though, helped immeasurably by the art of Ian Kennedy, a shockingly over-looked artist, who had a unique, distinctive style far superior to the scripts he was ilustrating.
Next is "Twisty". So called because he's a "cripple" who goes from destitute beginnings, rising above them to be a footie star (if bells are ringing, you're not the only one). Very so-so art that looks rather familiar...
"Survivor" has young Dick's plane blown up by his dasterdly cousins so they get to inherit his grandfathers wealth. Very, very humdrum.
Then we have "Fireball". One part Jason Wyngarde, one part Bond, and a wee part of Dredger, its a massive NINE pages chronicalling the lead characters adventures, taking in Brands Hatch and, er, Norway, its a rollicking romp of mustacheoed, medal swinging capers. Only thing stopping it being a Bond is the total absence of any "totty". Which is understandable i guess. What's odd to see here is how the fella not only crops up in his tale, but every so often in the guise of fictional Editor/Creator of the comic (there go those bells again).
"3 Men In A Jeep" i guess is Bullet's take on Battle's "Rat Pack", having a bunch of Allied troops going their own way to take on the Nazi threat. Trouble is, the story and art are nowhere near as good.
Last strip is "Vic's Vengeance", the tale of a barrow boy fighting against the mob after his dad is killed by the mob. Very dull, very forgettable.
So that was that. Issue 1.
Nowhere as bad as i thought it'd be. I've always looked back on it with disdain and maybe later issues will bear it out - or back then i was reading it alongside Battle and Action and it couldn't compare - bit we'll see.
Biggest impression is though how similar things felt. Thinking about it a bit more and its a bits of a suprise as to just what came first:

Comic advertised as a new, tough, different comic to the norm for boys:
Bullet - 14 Feb 1976
Action - 14 Feb 1976
2000AD - 26 Feb 1977

Fictional Editor character who frequently pops up to talk to the readers:
Bullet - Fireball
2000AD - a year later with Tharg

Tough, do it my own way goverment agent:
Bullet - Fireball
Action - Dredger
2000AD - M.A.C.H 1

Kid rising out of the gutter of a poor, dysfunctional family to be a footie star player:
Bullet - Twister
Action - Look Out For Lefty

So, all in all, not the gamble i thought it'd be and quite an enjoyable read. But do i dare read more?
"AIEEEE!" Watch: A somewhat shortened "Aiee!" from a German trooper in "3 Men In A Jeep".

Laser Eraser

There WILL be an update soon here - honest. Just as soon as Royal Mail sort out the mess...
As a filler, not part of the Blog's remit but lovely work that i want to show off, here's my Laser Eraser commission by top bloke Dylan Teague.
Mysta and Axel Pressbutton are two crimingly over-looked characters imo - great plots, great scripts and stunning work by Steve Dillon.
Can we PLEASE have a hardback collection Titan?

Hookjaw in the raw

With kind permission of owner and top bloke Rufus Dayglo, thought you might like to see a classic page from the strip in its original form.
Its a perfect example of why Sola was THE artist for me on Action: slightly caricatured to the gritty end of the scale humans, highly original gore scenes and bizarro notions - why are the hammerheads up in the air.
Forget Tharg. Back then, Hookjaw was "The Mighty One" and no mistake. And so was Ramon Sola.
If the proposed new stories do go ahead it does beg the question - what on earth can an artist do to top this in the shock stakes? Not much i reckon.

Hookjaw's swimming back?

My thanks to the Bronze for giving me the heads-up on the wettest baddie ever maybe returning.
If its done well, could be the most exciting comic event for a long time

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/07/03/will-strip-magazine-bring-back-hook-jaw/

Action 11th September 1976 - ULTRA violence

Did my customary dip into the back issue box and came up with this corker. Only a few weeks away from it being taken off the shelves and boy can you see why.

Straight in with the start of "Kids Rule - OK" and it starts off as it mean to goes on - within 5 panels we've got the set-up of all the adults dying and the main characters watching their teacher rot away, within its 4 pages we've got the rivalries established and the two gangs introduced. Again, as an adult, its incredible how much information could be gotten across back then in such a small amount of space. Didn't really like this strip as a 14 year old and still don't. There's no-one to emphasise with as they're all a pretty rotten bunch and the whole thing comes across as being nasty for nasties sake, with the creators pushing to see what they could get away with and trying to top each vicious set piece.

"Dredger" has art that's picked up immensily from prior issues. Its still a bit dodge here but it kinda fits with the trippy, hallucinatory elements. Again, a self contained, entertaining tale in just THREE pages. Dredger's on top form here - Breed has to pretend to be the hostage and when asks Dredger won't folk see that he's the actual one, Big D bops him on the nose so the blood'll disguise him. Classic.

Jumping over a dull "Death Race 1999" we go into "Hookjaw" and the gore hits 11. Its the final showdown between the Beastie and Rick Mason and, over two pages, we see his foot come off, him get impaled, his arm come off and finally beheaded. It was an audacious move to have the hero character not only be dispatched but to have it take up two thirds of this issues page count. As shocking as it is, it would've been far, far more (and am thinking maybe unpublishable) if the art was of the quality of the first few issues.

"Hell's Highway" next and, again, one i never got into, for the same reason as "Kid's". But it does have this indelible image, one that's stayed with me all these years.

After that, "Look Out For Lefty!", "Hellman" and "Green Grudge's War" kinda fade into the background, with stories and art that just can't compete with what's just come before. Its like they're from a totally different comic.

To sum up, a classic issue which can stand up there as a true representitive of the title.

"AIEEEE!" WATCH:
Strangely, for such an action packed, violent issue there's just the almost "Aaaaeee!" from Rick as he's hooked on Hookjaw's hook and an elongated "Aieeeeeeeee!" from a Russian as he falls out of a barn in "Hellman" (it was a long drop).


Do like the really rather special

Dez Skinn's new Site

Still under construction but well worth a look and already pretty indepth. Hopefully it'll grow and grow.
Nice one Dez.

http://dezskinn.com/

Charleys War going cheap

Just a heads up for you UK visitors - The Works chain of discount book stores are selling the Charleys War graphic novels for only £2.99 each.
No idea if they're doing all of them, but my local one had Volumes 3, 5 and 6.

The return of Shako

Just got the new editions of Zarjazz and Dogbreath - and what a nice suprise to see this old timer making a welcome return.
Shako was late out of the gate in 2000AD, not appearing until Prog 20, but was actually one of the strips in the dummy edition.
That dummy was created before the Action upset and it certainly has echoes of pre-censored Hookjaw, what with the nasty, graphic, highly original human deaths dealt by this force of nature, depicted in gruesome detail by Spanish artists.
So, good to see the tradition continuing courtesy of writer Rich Clements and artist Bryan Coyle - the head in the mouth shot could easily be from '77.

Eric Bradbury's return to Black Max.

Hmmm, that's interesting.
I'd always thought that Mr Bradbury did the initial design work for the Black max strip and the very first episode but then passed on the duties to Mr Font.
So its a bit of a suprise to find, tucked away in the Thunder annual of 1973, a text story featuring the original artist.
Its certainly not out-takes from before the strip ran as the story has Von Klorr and Wilson in the midst of their battles.
Nice to see - but must say, prefer Font's monstrous takes on the Giant Bat's over Bradbury's far more realistic one's.

Dave Gibbons' Doctor Who

Alas, nothing in Nottingham i was after that'd fit the remit of this here Blog. But have been hankering over the Doctor Who strips that started in the then weekly back in '78.
Haven't read them since then but remember liking them - especially for the excellent Dave Gibbons artwork (was all fired up on him as it was around the same time he was drawing Dan Dare for 2000AD, and i was in love with that).
So, thought i'd buy a graphic novel. But which?
The proper, large-szed UK versions which are in the original black and white and the right size but only one tale per album?
Or the smaller, colourised US version, who's colouring does seem rather garish but you do get multiple tales.
Logic says to keep it authentic and go with the original B/W's.
But same price gets you 3 or 4 tales for the 14.99.
Couldn't decide - so went with one of the back issues of the US comic to see just what its like and if memory cheats.
It sure blummin' well does.
Gibbons' art is still as superb as i remember it and the plots are good fun.
But the scripts...
Sorry Steve Parkhouse and Steve Moore but you may have been brought up on the Doc and maybe even were fans - but he just doesn't talk like that.
Guess i'm old and picky now as i don't remember having a problem with Tom Baker exclaming "Good Heavens!" and suchlike but sure do now.
Odd. And it spoiled the tales for me big time. So dunno if i'll be getting the GN's at all now.

Off to Nottingham today

for a meet-up with a bunch of friends.
Will be popping in to FP and the really rather excellent Page 45, so hopefully will return with fodder for this here Blog.